When a dental practice feels overwhelmed by expanding administrative tasks, the ideal response is to staff up to accommodate necessary patient interactions. However, the financial implications of hiring someone in-house versus securing remote support for dental practice needs are far less simple. While yes, one must consider the salary, it’s only the beginning – the real cost of in-house hiring structures includes benefits, training, office space, equipment, and nearly a dozen other factors that increase what seems like a $40,000 new hire to almost $120,000.
While remote dental support has become an appealing alternative for fields of work – including dental practices – it’s crucial to assess the numbers behind virtual staffing and in-house costs to determine what’s appropriate based on growth potential and finances moving forward.
Understanding the Traditional Hiring Costs
A dental administrative assistant earns approximately $35,000-$50,000 based on experience and geographical location. Yet that’s only the baseline salary – your average new hire represents about 60-70% of the actual employment costs as health benefits are included in this range. For any employee earning greater than $30,000 (typically), the dental practice will pay an additional $10,000-$15,000 for a health benefits package (health insurance, dental insurance, contribution to retirement account, and paid time off).
In addition to health costs associated with traditional employment – paid pregnancy leave, a regular employee will cost approximately 15-20% more when one factors in mandatory payroll taxes (FICA), workers’ compensation insurance, and unemployment insurance. Thus, a $40,000 position will realistically cost a practice between $50,000 and $55,000 before even considering more traditional hiring factors like office space and training.
Each new employee requires office space through leasing. New employees require space to work (meaning dental practices can’t sacrifice space for their patients), meaning they also need a computer and access to phone systems and possibly software licenses (which cost anywhere from $1-$100 each monthly). Generally, the average cost of office space per employee (bills divided among practice ownership) equals $2,500-$5,000 annually (from computers to insurance from the bank loan).
Those new hires also require training – a minimum of 4-8 weeks – for them to learn the specific ins-and-outs of your specialty practice software systems and procedures for proper patient management. During this time, other employed dental practitioners must sacrifice their work hours to help train those new hires.
The Different Cost Model for Virtual Employment
Virtual dental support costs significantly less and offers expanded perks through remote access – so how do they charge? When you hire a dental virtual assistant at remote support, most practices are billed based on work performed – not a paycheck regimen that accommodates full-time work even when business is slow.
Remote support averages between $15-$25 per hour based on task complexity and administrative need; thus, the average dental practice that needs about 30 hours of administrative support per week would pay its remote assistants approximately $1,800-$3,000 per month – or $21,600-$36,000 annually.
Additionally, remote support does not receive a health benefits package (nor can one charge them through HIPAA regulations), meaning digital assistants do not require payroll taxes or office space or equipment. Remote support typically means remote individuals are responsible for their computer systems/software licensing/office space necessities – therefore saving the business money altogether.
Productivity Balance
While traditional employees can perform works of physical labor (like receiving packages or directly managing emergencies), they can only provide productivity as much as they’re physically in the office. Sick days, vacation requests, personal appointments, and other distractions from effective productivity mean that a traditional employed staff member may only earn 80% of their paid time instead of 100%.
Virtual employees can provide even better productivity without distractions since they are working remotely without an option to pad out their hours unless they’re logged on doing nothing. Many practices find that those virtual assistants end up giving more productive hours than even their traditional counterparts worked under non-distraction circumstances.
However, virtual employees working through dental support companies can only provide virtual feedback (they cannot be in two locations at once). Dental practices must determine if their needs necessitate creating additional staffing opportunities or if most tasks can be handled via computer/email communication.
Scalability Flexibility
Perhaps the greatest factor in hiring an in-person employee is the fixed-cost employment structure that allows no room for growth or decreases in payment structure over time. If the quarterly earnings fall below anticipated success levels but fixed payments still maintain universal rates no matter how many hours worked or if hourly support increases.
Virtual assistance means scalable opportunities where hours can be shifted based on actual needs without permanent salary commitments. If a practice experiences large volumes of patients over specific holidays but then finds its needs smaller on Wednesdays or Fridays, virtual staffing provides the flexibility necessary without needing new employees – just those who work remotely.
The same goes with specialized expertise: it’s easier to charge and hire a specific person with experience for insurance billing/treatment coordination/responsibility for patient communication than a person within who meets many of those categories but requires higher salaries and longer hiring times. Virtual support services provide specialized knowledge without requiring different employees for different segments.
Long-term Consequences
Finally, there are major long-term considerations. Practicing operations expect simple turnover from virtual assistants whose companies have backup staff that can step in who already know how to perform the functions needed – not requiring extra hiring time.
In addition, all employees require continuing education when they’re hired permanently. They expect salaries/benefits when good at their jobs and ask for more if they’re promoted/earn additional certifications – none of which happen with virtual assistants who bill at fixed fees.
Making The Right Choice For Your Practice
Choosing between in-person and virtual employees relies on practical operational needs/growth projections/financial realities. If constant physical presence is needed; if highly confidential in-person tasks must be met; if a business prefers to have direct staffing control – in-person hiring makes sense despite cheaper alternatives.
However, if practices want more cost-effective options with flexible hiring abilities based on job volume with specialized knowledge potential expansion is even easier – remote staffing makes much more practical sense.
Determining what’s truly cost-effective for either option helps bridge the gaps regarding practical operational needs without compromising any growth projections financially.
