Medical practices and healthcare professionals must have effective phone etiquette. Unfortunately, many practitioners make a mistake when it comes to handling phone calls and providing an excellent medical answering service.
The telephone is the first link between patients and their healthcare provider. It’s an important tool in conveying and sharing vital health information. However, a phone ringing continuously at a healthcare clinic can drain the time and resources of the staff. It can also cause frustration and delay the exchange of information.
Additionally, healthcare staff distracted by phone calls may cause them to overlook the needs of the patients at the clinic.
With the help of an answering service, phone calls can remain answered, and appointments can be booked – without shifting focus away from providing patient care.
How’s Your Phone Etiquette?
According to the US National Institutes of Health, managing the telephone properly is critical to any medical practice. They prepared a 25-question quiz to help you assess your practice’s telephone techniques. They also suggest helpful strategies on how to improve them.
Common Misjudgment
Calls, as long as they get answered, are an indication of a well-run practice. This is a common misjudgment among healthcare providers. However, this could not be further from the truth. This belief is shortsighted and may cause problems.
How a healthcare provider manages its phone lines is a critical consideration. Thus, excellence in providing medical answering service is vital.
Patients Judge
Your patients will assess your practice and the value of your medical answering service on many factors. The main one is how they’ve been treated when they gave you a call.
Most patients tend to assess and judge you more so when they call after regular business hours. This behavior makes sense. Individuals who call a clinic after hours are usually in a state of stress, panic, or anxiety. These extreme emotions tend to make them more sensitive to how they are treated.
Medical Concerns
During an emergency or urgent concerns, don’t force your patients to listen to canned responses. Whether it’s an automated or recorded solution, general medical recommendations, or worse – selling them any product or service.
They Need a Real Person
What patients need the most when they call a clinic is to speak to a real, live person, not an automated message, not be sent to voicemail. They need a medical practitioner who can listen to their specific situation and understand it.
Empathy Is Key
They’re after empathy. And this can only be provided by another human being at the other end of the phone line. That’s why delivering excellence in your medical answering service efforts is vital.
Paramount Concern
The health of your patients is of the utmost priority. It goes above anything else. It’s essentially the reason why you are in the field.
Unfortunately, a mishandled phone call at your clinic can risk your patient’s health. Some may think it’s a small, insignificant matter. However, when it comes to the health of individuals, nothing should be taken for granted. What can help you with clinic phone line management is an excellent medical answering service.
Patient Satisfaction
While you provide exceptional professionalism and courtesy when you treat patients at your clinic, those traits should extend to your phone management. Don’t neglect your answering service. It ensures your patients are satisfied with your services in and outside your clinic.
Choosing a Medical Answering Service Provider
Choose a medical answering service provider that has the same level of professional standards that you give to your own patients. Your answering service represents you. Look into an answering service that can reinforce your proficiency, competency, and professionalism.
When it comes to working with an answering service provider, look for recommendations from your colleagues. You should also do your own research. D
Final Words
The satisfaction and health of your patients is your top concern. These factors go hand-in-hand, primarily when you aim to maximize and strengthen customer relationship with your patients. This serves as your reminder that you need a rewarding long-term operation. If your staff has no time to attend to calls, partner with a professional medical answering service provider, this service is an essential channel for you to retain your patients and continue to meet their healthcare requirements – while still attending to the healthcare needs of the patients.