Contacting Medical By Phone
Patients today are often reluctant to contact their healthcare provider by phone. Chances are that they’ll get shuttled into an automated system that’s confusing to negotiate. Once they do get a live voice on the line, that person is may be disinterested at best and rude at worst.
Proper phone etiquette is a vital part of excellent customer service. Review these tips with your staff to make sure they are giving your patients the considerate treatment they deserve.
- There will be times when the office is too hectic or a caller has a question that you can’t answer. If you can’t deal with a patient’s concern immediately, offer the option to leave a message. This prevents irritating the caller by putting them on hold for what can be an extended period.
- If you need to put a caller on hold, ask permission and wait for the reply. A brusque greeting of, “Doctor’s office, please hold,” is too impersonal and makes the patient feel ignored.
- Set your phones to roll over to voicemail after no more than three rings. Waiting for a response through several rings only to end up at voicemail anyway is frustrating for the caller. On your end, patients in your waiting room get the impression that the office is not being well-managed.
- When taking a message, give the caller an ETA for the response. Leaving the time frame indefinite increases the likelihood of repeated callbacks.
With our medical answering and messaging service, your callers will always have the benefit of a friendly, helpful live operator on the other end of the line. Visit our website for more information about our customized programs.
