How Long Does It Take to Get Started?
When you’ve made the (wise) decision to sign up with a physician’s call answering service and take advantage of its many benefits, you are likely to be anxious to start right away. Who wouldn’t want to hand over the ringing telephones and patient appointment scheduling?
These services will undoubtedly free up your office staff and deliver a higher standard of care to your patients. First, however, it’s essential to start with the correct setup. Yes, some answering services promise “instant activation,” but it may come with the sacrifice of quality and service customization. So, when you select a high-quality service, here are the things to address before starting your physician’s answering service.
Custom Physician’s Answering Service Set-up
A professional answering service should meet your office’s particular needs, but this is not something that can be automated or turned on with the flip of a switch. Most medical practices have unique operating procedures, standards of care, and customs that patients have come to expect. Your answering service should operate as a seamless extension of your business, so it takes time to customize these solutions. A cookie-cutter approach would not be the best route for a medical office looking to increase patient satisfaction and deliver a higher standard of care.
Doctor’s Answering Service Staff Training
When a contact center answers your phones and provides other specialized services for your office, they should only use the best and most well-trained agents for the job. If you go with an “instant on” solution, you will likely receive operators who have no training in taking medical calls and who know nothing about your business. Instead, find a service that does it differently. For example, you will need highly-trained operators who understand medical terminology. If necessary, they should be able to escalate calls according to your specifications and even have bilingual staff on hand to serve Spanish-speaking clients.
Personal Attention
Before you hire an answering service, look under the hood. Some might promise to have you up and running after completing a simple online form. However, it is pretty unlikely that they will be capable of meeting your specific needs. For example, how can you convey your office’s mission and tone through a form? How do you communicate this information if you have special needs patients or other call routing specifications? A quality doctor’s answering service always delivers personal attention during setup to adequately address these issues.
While instant activation of a new service may sound like a great idea at first glance, the reality is that superior service takes time to implement. Your business and your patients are worth the short wait, and the level of service should not only meet but exceed your expectations.
Find Out More
If you are interested in finding out about what qualifies as the best service, call us for a free consultation. Answering365 is an award-winning answering service based in California that provides nationwide physician’s answering services. Our specially-trained operators answer calls 24/7, and our services are 100% HIPAA compliant. Contact us on the web or call 888-588-9800 for a free consultation. You can learn more about our medical answering services or receive a customized quote for your business.