GP Reception Customer Care Workshop

Learning Outcomes

GP receptionists are the first point of contact when patients access the service. As such, first class customer care is vital in making a positive impression. If the reception service is welcoming and helpful, patients will feel valued and are more likely to have a positive experience. However, unlike customer service roles in non-medical settings, the role of the GP receptionist brings a unique set of challenges everyday; ranging from patient privacy, high volume and demand, and management of people in crisis. Despite these demands, in order to deliver a first class service to the patient, effective communication skills is fundamental to this role. This workshop has been designed to enable candidates to provide high quality levels of customer service to patients in the general practice. Learners will be provided with core skills that will allow them to deliver the best customer service to patients. Through presentation, group discussion, case studies and skill group practice that encourage the learner to think of their own personal customer service situations so to enable them apply effective communication skills to their role. By the end of this session learners will understand why is the role of the GP reception so important, recognise barriers to effective customer care within the role, understand the importance of customer care – Good Customer Care v Poor Customer Care, develop sound communication skills when dealing with patients face to face and via the telephone and how to manage unsatisfied patients and/or their families/carers in a professional manner.