Customer Service Skills for Health and Care Reception Teams

The core customer service skills are listening properly, communicating clearly on the phone, by email and face to face, finding out what someone actually needs, staying calm with upset or difficult people, handling complaints well and keeping information confidential. In health and care there's one more: recognising when a call is really a clinical or safeguarding concern, and passing it on straight away.

None of these is complicated. The hard part is doing them at 8am on a Monday, with three lines ringing and a queue at the desk. Here's what each skill looks like in practice.

Why it matters more in health and care

People who contact a GP surgery, dental practice, clinic or care home are often worried, in pain or grieving. Many can't simply go elsewhere. The first person they speak to shapes how they feel about everything that follows, including the care itself. Many complaints start as a frustrated phone call that could have gone differently.

1. Listening, and showing you've listened

Let the person finish before you answer. Take notes as they talk. Then summarise back, so they know you've got it:

• "So you've been trying to get through since eight, and you're worried your dad hasn't had his tablets today. Is that right?"
• "Let me check I've understood: the appointment letter says Tuesday, but the text said Thursday."

Summarising catches mistakes early, and it calms people down: being understood is often half of what they wanted.

2. Phone manner

• Answer the same way every time: "Good morning, Oak House, Priya speaking. How can I help?"
• Ask before you put someone on hold, say how long, and come back when you said you would: "Can I put you on hold for two minutes while I check with the nurse?"
• Explain transfers: "I'm putting you through to Sam, the deputy manager, who deals with care plans. If we get cut off, the direct number is…"
• Give real callback times. "Someone will call you before 4pm today" beats "someone will get back to you".

3. Email and written replies

• Put the answer first, then the detail.
• Use plain words. Spell out abbreviations your team uses every day but the public won't know.
• If you can't answer fully yet, send a short holding reply saying when you will.
• Read it back as the person receiving it. Short can read as cold.

Some people need information in a different format. In England, the Accessible Information Standard covers all organisations that provide NHS or adult social care services. It expects you to ask about people's communication needs, record and flag them, share them where appropriate, act on them and review them. That might mean large print, easy read, email instead of phone, or a British Sign Language interpreter.

4. First impressions face to face

Look up and acknowledge people as they arrive, even if you're on the phone: a nod and "I'll be with you in a moment" is enough. If someone needs to talk about something personal, offer somewhere more private rather than asking them to explain it in front of a waiting room.

5. Finding out what someone needs

People often lead with the wrong question. "Can I speak to the manager?" might mean "I'm worried about Mum's weight". Open questions help: "Can you tell me a bit more about what's happened?" or "What would help most today?"

Then be honest about what you can do. "I can't book you in today, but I can put you on the cancellation list and ask the nurse to call you this afternoon" works far better than a flat no.

6. Handling difficult callers

Most "difficult" callers are frightened or have been passed around too many times. A few things help:

• Let them finish.
• Acknowledge the feeling without arguing the facts: "I can hear how frustrating this has been."
• Lower and slow your voice rather than matching theirs.
• Avoid the phrases that inflame: "calm down", "it's policy", "there's nothing I can do".
• Offer a choice: "I can ask the manager to ring you this afternoon, or book you a time to come in. Which suits you?"

Upset isn't the same as abusive. If someone is swearing at or threatening your staff, follow your own policy. A clear line helps: "I want to help, but I can't continue if you keep swearing at me. If it carries on, I'll end the call." Then end it if you need to, and tell your manager. Our conflict resolution and personal safety training goes further on keeping staff safe.

7. Handling complaints

In England, CQC Regulation 16 requires registered providers to run an easy-to-access system for receiving and handling complaints, and says any complaint received must be investigated. If you provide NHS services, including GP and NHS dental practices, the 2009 complaints regulations also require you to acknowledge a complaint within three working days.

Front-desk staff don't usually investigate complaints, but they shape how they start. A good first response:

1. Listen without defending.
2. Apologise for the experience: "I'm sorry this has happened."
3. Write down what they said, in their words where you can.
4. Explain what happens next: "I'll pass this to the practice manager today, and she'll contact you by Friday."
5. Pass it on the same day, and don't promise an outcome you can't control.

Managers who handle the investigation and response may find our complaints handling for managers course useful.

8. Confidentiality

A caller asks, "Is my mum there? How is she today?" A friendly receptionist wants to help, but you may not know who's calling, or what the person has agreed to share. Check identity and consent in line with your policy before you confirm anything, even that someone lives or is treated there.

The Caldicott principles put both sides of this well: only those who need confidential information should have access to it, but the duty to share information for someone's care is as important as the duty to protect it.

When it isn't a customer service issue

Sometimes a routine call turns out not to be routine. A relative describes someone who sounds seriously unwell, or a caller hints that someone is being harmed. Front-desk staff need to know exactly who to pass that to, straight away, and when to call 999. Make sure your process is written down and practised, and that reception staff have safeguarding adults training at the right level.

How Kasorb can help

Our customer service training helps reception, front-of-house and patient-facing teams give people a consistently good experience. The full day covers what good service looks like, first impressions, communication on the phone, by email and face to face, understanding people's needs, handling complaints, difficult conversations and difficult callers, and staying calm under pressure. It runs on-site or live online for up to 12 staff, with examples from your setting, whether that's a dental practice, care home, clinic or any public-facing workplace. Send your own service standards in advance and the day can reflect them. Your trainer has used these skills for real. It's quoted for your team at one flat rate for the group, and certificates are emailed the next day.

FAQs

What are the most important customer service skills?

Listening and summarising back, clear communication on the phone, by email and face to face, finding out what someone really needs, staying calm under pressure, handling complaints well and keeping information confidential. In health and care, staff also need to recognise when a call is a clinical or safeguarding concern and pass it on straight away.

What customer service skills does a receptionist need?

A good receptionist answers the phone consistently, listens before responding, explains holds and transfers, gives realistic callback times, and stays calm with upset callers. In a GP surgery, dental practice or care home, they also need to protect confidential information and know who to pass urgent clinical or safeguarding concerns to.

How do you deal with a difficult caller?

Let them finish, acknowledge how they feel without arguing, and keep your voice low and slow. Avoid phrases like 'calm down' or 'that's just policy'. Offer a clear choice of next steps. If the caller becomes abusive, warn them once, follow your organisation's policy, end the call if needed and tell your manager.

What is the difference between customer service and customer care?

The terms are often used interchangeably. Customer service tends to describe how you handle each contact, such as a call, email or visit. Customer care is often used for the wider relationship and how people feel looked after over time. In health and care settings, good front-desk service is part of good care.

Is customer service training a legal requirement?

No. But in England, CQC Regulation 16 expects registered providers to run an accessible complaints system, and Regulation 18 expects staff to have the training they need for their role. Customer service training helps front-line staff handle concerns well at first contact and know when to pass them on.