It’s no secret that modern technologies have greatly impacted how we conduct ourselves and our work. These changes can be easily spotted in the medical field, where the use of new strategies such as telemedicine, digital records, and artificial intelligence has quickly become commonplace.
However, the prevalence of tech-based solutions makes it easy to lose the human touch that is necessary during medical care. Patients seek medical assistance during vulnerable times, and letting patients know that you care about them can make a big impact in the quality of the care that you provide everyday.
How can you let patients know you care?
It may sound too simple to be true, but one of the most effective ways to make sure that patients know how much you care about their well being is by ensuring that you’re available to them. Of course, this involves maintaining a delicate balance between your personal and professional lives — healthcare workers also need to rest and take time off.
So how can you manage to be available while still making time for yourself? This is where a virtual answering service can come in handy. A virtual answering service creates a remote call center, which means that professional customer service operators will be able to take your phone calls and provide information to your patients around the clock.
Make your practice available 24/7
Remote call center operators work from different locations and take shifts to provide service 24/7, 365 days of the year — including weekends and holidays. It’s extremely difficult to be available if you’re working on your own, but a virtual answering service provides a team that will be ready to talk to your patients at any time.
These operators will only provide the information that you authorize and will follow your guidelines. Instead of having to wait until the following day to get an answer, your patients will get the opportunity to solve inquiries, leave messages, schedule or cancel appointments, and get the information they need regardless of time or date.
Keeping your practice available can increase patient satisfaction and boost your retention, since patients will feel more comfortable knowing that they can always reach you. You can even provide instructions to ensure that any urgent messages or calls are immediately forwarded to you or another member of your staff.
Don’t make your patients wait too long
Long ring times are a common source of frustration for many patients. Medical offices are constantly busy and hectic, and it’s often complicated to ensure that phone calls always get picked up quickly. Patients who can’t communicate with your office via phone call are more likely to seek other alternatives and provide negative feedback.
But a virtual answering service will ensure that all phone calls get picked up before the third ring, which means that your patients won’t have to wait to talk to someone. Avoiding long wait times can make your patients feel more satisfied, comfortable, and cared for.
