One of your patients wakes up in the wee hours of the morning with a sore throat and a fever. He’s not sure what to do, so he calls your office to see if he can come in and see you. What happens next can determine the patient’s future and whether he decides to keep you for his physician or not. Here are 6 things physicians answering services need to do, to help you stay successful.
1. Greet the Patient in a Friendly Manner
When someone calls a doctor office, they either have a physical problem or a health issue. Most patients are not going to call just to say “Hi” and talk about the weather. When someone calls with a problem, the first thing they should hear is a friendly voice. It can be recorded, but it must be friendly and amicable.
2. Direct Calls Quickly and Accurately
Physicians answering services must have the ability to separate important calls (urgent in nature) from not so important calls. There may only be one or two urgent calls in a day and it is vital they get to you or the doctor on call. All the other calls can wait and you should not have to deal with them during your off time.
3. Connects the On Call Doctor Live with Patients
There will be times when the physician on call will want to talk to the patient in real time. Effective physicians answering services connect with the doctor. This makes for a highly efficient service and is especially important in times of medical emergencies.
4. Excellent Customer Service
When a doctor has a problem he should be able to contact customer service and talk to someone about it. The best physicians answering services offer personal and competent customer services.
5. Affordable
Today’s medical practices have tight budgets and a great deal of operating expenses. This is why you should consider a flat fee service for your answering needs. A flat fee service is the most affordable and you don’t have to worry about going over your call limit. You can budget the same amount every month and this makes your life a little easier.
6. Test Drive Features
It’s hard to tell what some physicians answering services are like until you try them. However, some want you to sign a long term commitment and they may ask for your credit card info. This is why you should consider a service like No More Phone Tag with its 14 day free trial and no credit card needed feature.
