The Starting Point
Twenty-three years of front desk churn
By 2023, Jeff had watched the same cycle repeat for two decades. Finding, hiring, and retaining good front desk staff had gotten harder every year, and in California the candidates coming in at a reasonable rate weren't hireable at all. In twenty-three years, the longest front desk employee the practice ever had lasted three years. Not a morale problem, he says. Just the nature of the position.
The Vision
What if patients checked themselves in?
Instead of writing another job ad, Jeff started picturing a different front desk entirely. That vision drove his EMR decision. While interviewing platforms he asked each one about self check-in, and the one that told him it was partnering with a kiosk company won the deal. That EMR was Prompt, and Prompt introduced him to HiBridge for the kiosks.
The Introduction
HiBridge introduced Snapscale
The kiosk team told Jeff about Snapscale, and the combination clicked. Kiosks handled self check-in. Snapscale's team in the Philippines handled everything a person still needed to handle, appearing live on the screen. HiBridge customized the interface so it looks exactly the way InMotion OC wants it to look. Jeff's words: the combination worked perfectly.
The Rollout
Add first, subtract later
Jeff didn't fire or lay off a single person. He kept his front desk staff and added the kiosk alongside them, so patients used it during lunch breaks and after the receptionist went home. It worked both times. That proved the model at zero risk and turned the eventual transition into a small step instead of a leap.
The Migration
Attrition did the work
Every time a front desk person quit, which they always did, Jeff simply didn't replace them. The new small clinic opened with no front desk person at all and had no issues. The medium clinics ran fine, with therapy staff a few steps away to help anyone who needed it. Six front desk employees across four clinics became zero, without one difficult conversation.
The Result
A remodeled lobby and five to six remote receptionists
In the 10,000+ square foot flagship, Jeff remodeled the lobby and removed the front desk built for him back in 2008. In its place: kiosks with big screens and Snapscale receptionists greeting patients on them. Patients choose self check-in or call the receptionist. When a new patient walks in the door, the remote team member can pop up on screen with a smiling face before the patient has figured out what's what.
