The supervisor of the School of Dental Medicine’s call center on meaningful work
“Learning the terminology and the clinics [at the School of Dental Medicine] … took time, but it also allowed me to build strong relationships with clinic managers, deans, directors, staff, and students,” said Quang Nguyen, who is the senior call center supervisor at TUSDM. Photo: Alonso Nichols
‘What’s Kept Me in This Field? The People’
When I started seven years ago, it was just two representatives answering and triaging phone calls. I had a clear goal: build a centralized call center from the ground up. Today, I supervise seven full‑time and two part‑time representatives who support incoming and outgoing calls for all 12 dental clinics.
We handle 400 to 500 calls—sometimes up to 600—a day, everything from appointment requests to questions from patients who don’t know where to begin. We also make outbound calls to patients who submit online requests or to current patients to schedule appointments. Much of our work involves asking the right questions, to guide patients to clinics that best fit their needs.
Before Tufts, I worked in call centers in finance, banking, and healthcare, starting right out of college and gradually moving into leadership roles. What’s kept me in this field? The people. I enjoy the team dynamic, helping agents succeed, and talking with patients—especially those who’ve struggled to find affordable dental care. Hearing how grateful patients are for the opportunity to receive care here is incredibly rewarding. At the same time, we’re helping students gain experience they need to become practitioners.
The School of Dental Medicine was a new world for me. Learning the terminology and the clinics (and how each clinic operates) took time, but it also allowed me to build strong relationships with clinic managers, deans, directors, staff, and students. That collaboration is what makes this place feel like a community, even within such a large institution.
Change is constant, whether it’s marketing campaigns to promote our new Tufts University Dental Care Center brand, increased patient volume, or initiatives like the SMILE project to improve scheduling efficiency. I encourage my team to stay open-minded and adaptable, and to embrace new responsibilities that broaden their skills, deepen their knowledge, and support their professional growth. That mindset keeps the work meaningful and engaging.
—Quang Nguyen, senior call center supervisor, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Our Tufts is a series of personal stories shared by members of the Tufts community and featured on both Tufts Now and Instagram.
