Veterinary Hospital Receptionist

Petco•Poughkeepsie, NY

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The Veterinary Hospital Receptionist, referred to in the posting as the Hospital Concierge, provides customer care to clients of Petco’s full-service Vetco Total Care hospitals. As a first and last point of contact, the Concierge represents the hospital’s mission and values, supports a cohesive team, and helps create an excellent experience for clients and patients while enabling medical staff to focus on care. The role supports efficient daily hospital operations by managing calls and appointments, welcoming clients and patients, monitoring wait times, and communicating with clients about delays or schedule changes. It also involves keeping the waiting area clean and stocked, assisting technical staff when needed, and helping train new staff. The Concierge reports on patient- and client-care activities to the Hospital Office Manager and Hospital Leader on Duty. The role has no immediate supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

High school diploma.
At least 1 year of experience working in a veterinary practice or in a customer-facing role in another organization.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Compassion and sympathy, with the ability to maintain a professional attitude and demeanor during emotional and stressful situations.
Exceptional telephone and computer skills.
Ability to be a team player, learn new techniques and treatments, offer creative ideas, and accept change.
Ability to perform the duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience using a Practice Management System.

Responsibilities

Answer the practice phone and route calls appropriately.
Maintain the hospital appointment calendar, schedule appointments from callers or visitors, and review online bookings.
Greet visitors, clients, and patients by name when they arrive, and notify technical staff of arrivals.
Monitor wait times and make accommodations during busy periods or when medical staff are handling emergencies.
Participate in training new staff and disseminating knowledge as required.
Keep the waiting area clean and stocked, using special disinfectants when suspected contagious disease is present.
Confirm appointments the prior day through each client’s preferred communication method—phone, email, or text—and make necessary adjustments.
Provide backup support to technical staff with room loading or patient discharge when primary staff members are occupied.
Optimize hospital workflow, including rescheduling appointments and communicating with clients about unexpected delays.
Ensure appointment durations are appropriate to the situation, considering factors such as the number of pets and whether they are sick or well.
Perform additional duties as assigned.