It’s time to get rid of automated answering services during working
hours.
The truth is that if you are using an automated answering service
during working hours, you are loosing potential new and returning patients.
By survey, most patients feel that it is very impersonal to be received
by an automated answering service and they get the idea that you are too busy
to see them, so they rapidly hang up and move on! It reminds them too much of a
big corporate operation – very impersonal and uncaring. They feel that once
they get the automated answering service they are a number being handled by a
machine and no longer a patient being cared for.
I can understand
using an automated service when the practice is closed at the end of the day,
but outside of that, there is no reason you should. Patient communication is
one of the most important aspects of patient care. It will make or break a
practice.
It can occur that
your front desk gets flooded with incoming calls or has to work with a
particularly talkative person, preventing them from answering incoming calls or
patients coming into the office as quickly as they’d like. I find that the
automated answering service is still not the way to go. I’ve had success in
addressing this by working out alternative staff that are assigned to answer
incoming calls when the front desk coordinator is unable to or by training the
front desk coordinator to politely place a call on hold, so they can handle
incoming calls or patients. This prevents the need to have patients talk with a
robot to schedule their next appointment.
Good communication skills are valued as much or more by patients as
clinical skills. Personal contact with you and your team, whether positive or
negative, is the most memorable aspect of the medical care they are looking
for. Patients assess the quality of their care not only on clinical excellence,
but also on the quality of communication with the practice staff.
Getting rid of the automated answering service, establishing the
personal touch with your patients and implemented the following guidelines will
improve patient contact and thus build patient satisfaction.
Telephone Communication
- Answer before the third ring.
- Smile as you speak to the caller.
- Begin with an appropriate greeting (per the policy of your office).
- Find out the reason for the call without being abrupt.
- Offer to help the caller.
- Speak pleasantly despite pressures.
- Speak professionally. Avoid jargon or slang.
- Refer to the caller by name.
- Gather the necessary information (name, phone number, reason for the call) when taking calls for other staff members.
- Record phone messages accurately to avoid confusions.
- Ask permission before placing callers on hold.
- Thank the patient for calling. End without sounding abrupt.
- Check the off hours answering machine for messages at the beginning, middle and end of each day.
- Get back to people as soon as possible.
- Revise the off hours answering machine message once per month.
- Revise the outgoing message to reflect closure for meetings, training, vacation, etc.
Reception Communication
- Smile and greet patients by name as soon as they enter the practice.
- Use the patients’ surnames until invited to use first names.
- Know the reason for the patient’s appointment.
- Sit or stand erectly and make good eye contact.
- Listen to the patient’s point of view and show that you understand.
- Answer questions in a concise yet complete manner.
- Explain the reason for appointment delays and offer the patient the choice of refreshment or a rescheduled appointment.
- Speak pleasantly despite pressure.
- Avoid jargon and slang.
- Explain clearly the financial policies of the practice.
- Use short sentences and simple language when giving instructions.
- Let patients know they are welcome in the practice.
In summary, if you get rid of the automated answering service and
establish the best possible personal relationship with your patients, you will
see your patient satisfaction improve and you practice will benefit in improved
patient numbers and better practice viability.
It’s all about service!
