Tips for an Effective Medical Answering Service

Medical Answering Service South Carolina

Answering services have been around for a long time, and their technology has improved a lot. The medical answering service industry is actually growing because of the high value that medical providers place on it. The efficacy of your answering service influences the quality of the health care services you will provide to your patients. Read along as we divulge tips for an effective answering service.

1. Customize Your Service With Your Brand
The telephone is a vital communication tool for your business. Not having a professional answering service can leave you with eroding patient rapport and negative reviews. So if the phones are not being picked up, it leaves potential patients wondering if they have the right number or whether or not their doctor’s office has closed down.

Having a 24/7 answering service is also better than allowing your patients to leave you messages. Not only does this take away the immediate gratification of speaking directly to their doctor, but it can also be perceived as unprofessional if they ask questions about sensitive information like medication over voice mail. This creates an opportunity for mistakes to happen that may cost your business in both service and reputation.

2. Look For An Answering Service That Offers 24/7 Support
Building a rapport with your patients is easy if they are able to leave voice mail messages with their questions or concerns, but you need an answering service that has the ability to transfer those calls to medical professionals like nurses and physicians at any time of day. This needs an answering service that is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

3. Look For a Plan That Works for You
It’s one thing to have an answering service, but you need to find one that fits into your budget and works within the needs of your practice. One option is the pay-per-minute plan where patients are charged per minute or part thereof that it takes to answer their questions.

Another option is the all-inclusive monthly plan, where you pay a flat fee for your 24/7 answering service costs. This is best if you don’t know how many calls come in on average and if you want greater flexibility.

4. Answering Service Needs to be Top Quality
You want the person answering your calls to be empathetic, thorough, and professional. Most importantly they need to be able to transfer everyone calling on behalf of your medical practice directly to a practitioner or office staff member trained in handling medical questions.

Finding an answering service that is HIPAA compliant and can encrypt your data using secure protocols and passwords is also important. This ensures that only the people you want to have access to information about your patients will be able to do so, providing a higher level of security.

Effective Tips on Medical Answering Service to Gain Better Patient Satisfaction

With the right answering service provider, you can achieve your goals of retaining your patients and gaining their satisfaction. By setting clear expectations upfront, you will be able to work together toward success.

Call 4 Health gives you access to high-quality medical staff that is well-trained in transferring calls to the appropriate person at any time of day. With an accurate phone menu, your patients will be able to get their questions answered quickly and efficiently. When they are happy with the service, you’re bound to see more positive reviews for your medical practice.