Monday, 7:40. Your CA texts that she’s sick.
Your therapy tech covers the desk.
Everybody gets checked in. Everybody gets checked out.
Two weeks later, three of your regulars just aren’t on the schedule anymore.
So let me ask you straight. What does she know that nobody else in your building does?
Which patient needs a phone call the day they miss, not a text.
Who always says “I’ll call you” and never does.
Which mom can only come in Tuesdays after school pickup.
Who’s seemed a little off the last two visits.
It’s all in her head. I get it. She’s good, so nobody ever had to write it down.
That’s not a front desk system. That’s one person, and it only works on the days she shows up.
Chiropractic front desk systems get judged on the days your best CA isn’t in the building. Here’s what she’s carrying, and how to get it on paper before you need it.
Why does your front desk fall apart when your CA is out?
Because your best CA is carrying half your practice in her head.
Not the checkout steps. Anybody can learn those in an afternoon. It’s the patients. She knows who’s drifting before you do, and she handles it without telling anybody. It works great. Right up until the day she’s out.
Try this: Give her 20 minutes and a legal pad. Ask her to write what she’d tell somebody covering the desk for one day. Not the procedures. The people.
What actually slips when a sub covers the front desk?
You won’t see what slipped the day she was out. Not for weeks.
A sub can check people in and out just fine. What they can’t do is notice the patient in the I feel better phase, the one who used to book three visits out and now says they’ll check their calendar. Nobody complains. They just drift off the book, one at a time.
Try this: Pick one afternoon this week and have someone else run checkout while she sits beside them. She doesn’t jump in. She writes down every time she wanted to.
Does writing it down mean you’re replacing her?
No. Writing it down doesn’t replace her. It’s the only way she ever gets a real day off.
Right now she can’t get sick, and she can’t take the week after Christmas without worrying about it. Sooner or later, being the only one gets old. And when someone like that leaves, everything she knew walks out the door with her.
Try this: Pick the one thing only she knows how to do. Have her teach it to one other person this week, start to finish.
What This Means for You
- ✅ The best front desks run on memory, and memory calls in sick
- ✅ Your patients notice when the person at the desk doesn't know them
- ✅ If you couldn't cover her desk for one day, start there
- ✅ The most valuable thing at your front desk isn't saved anywhere
Pro Tip: Her legal pad is step one. Step two is making sure a patient who drifts still hears from your practice on the days she’s out. Put the follow-up on a calendar that doesn’t call in sick: a monthly check-in email to every patient, whoever’s sitting at the desk.
Inside CC with Nerissa: I Run Email for the Biggest Coaching Program in Chiropractic and Still Couldn’t Get This Out Before 7pm
It’s 7pm, I’m exhausted, and I’m finally sitting down to write this. So bear with me. 😮💨
If you’re connected with me on LinkedIn, you might’ve already seen it. On top of being the CEO of Chiro Connect, I’m also the head of email marketing at The Remarkable Practice. If you don’t know them, they’re the biggest coaching program in all of chiropractic. So yeah, our work is never done.
This week was all about taking care of our clients. I had one new client call today. Greg’s deep in Connie, getting her ready for her debut in the coming months. And no, we didn’t decorate for Halloween. That’s pretty much the whole report. 🎃
We did get a new workspace, though, and in our house that’s a big deal. Greg got a new desk, which means I finally got my desk back. Next up is a new office chair for him.
Which means my blue chair went back to my bedroom. Y’all have heard about that chair for a long time. It’s a ghost of Pier 1’s past. LOL. 🪑
And then there’s Greg, who I’m going to brag on for a minute.
That’s him in the kitchen making our own ground beef. He’s really committed to improving the quality of the food we eat, and he’s all in on it. 🥩
Not only is he the vibe coding genius behind Chiro Connect, he’s also an amazing cook. In case I haven’t said it in a while. ❤️
I don’t say that stuff enough. I’m guessing you don’t either. If you read the Courier this week, you already know who’s holding your office together. She’s sitting at your front desk. When’s the last time you told her she’s good at what she does?
Anyway. Greg gets a new chair next. I think he’s earned it.
What does a Chiro Connect newsletter actually include?
Every newsletter ends with a Week of Wellness, a simple daily calendar that gives patients something to check and use all week, and a reason to open the next email. Here’s the one that went out with this issue.
FAQ
What happens when your chiropractic assistant calls in sick?
Everybody still gets checked in and checked out. What stops is the part nobody wrote down: who needs a phone call the day they miss, who always says they’ll call back and never does, who’s seemed a little off the last two visits. Two weeks later, a few regulars just aren’t on the schedule anymore.
How do you document what your CA knows about patients?
Give her 20 minutes and a legal pad. Ask her to write what she’d tell somebody covering the desk for one day. Not the procedures. The people. Then pick one afternoon and have someone else run checkout while she sits beside them and writes down every time she wanted to jump in.
Why do patients drop off when a substitute covers the front desk?
A sub can check people in and out just fine. What they can’t do is notice the patient in the I feel better phase, the one who used to book three visits out and now says they’ll check their calendar. Nobody complains. They just drift off the book, one at a time. It’s the same reason patient follow-ups keep slipping: the job lives in one person’s head instead of in the practice.
Does writing down what your CA knows mean you’re replacing her?
No. It’s the only way she ever gets a real day off. Right now she can’t get sick and she can’t take the week after Christmas without worrying about it. Sooner or later, being the only one gets old, and when someone like that leaves, everything she knew walks out the door with her.
Want the follow-up to happen every week, no matter who’s at the desk? Let’s look at what’s already in your list.
