You hire an answering service to handle the after-hours telephone communications for your medical practice. With this comes expectations on your part for quality outcomes. But do you ever wonder if your practice receives the attention you deserve?
Here are some warning signs that your answering service lacks focus.
They Don’t Answer Your Line Correctly
The first words your callers here when they reach your answering service is when they answer your phone line. Do they answer your calls the way you requested? Do they do this consistently? They should.
Yet phone answering personnel who lack focus or proper training are apt to stumble in this regard. If your callers need to ask your answering service what they just said, this is a sure sign that they didn’t answer your line correctly (or that you’ve given them a too-long, tongue-twisting phone greeting—it has happened).
They Mispronounce Your Name
Some names are easy to say, while others present a challenge. Yet regardless of your name—and your clinic’s name—your answering service should get it right, every time. Yes, they may need to practice it, but doesn’t their focus to this important detail provide you with the attention you deserve?
A parallel issue to proper name pronunciation is common medical terms. Although your medical answering service doesn’t hire trained medical professionals, they should know the basics, both how to pronounce and how to spell common healthcare names and phrases.
They Give Out the Wrong Information
Sometimes people who reach your answering service have a basic question that your service can answer. This might be your hours, if you’re accepting new patients, or to verify your location. You anticipated these questions and supplied your answering service with the answers. It’s up to them to pass on this information to your callers.
How well do they do this? Do they provide the right answers, according to your expectations, and aligned with what you told them to say? Or do they bungle the response and give your callers incorrect information? Though errors will occur, they should be rare.
But if you’re service often gives out incorrect information, then you’re not receiving the attention you deserve.
They Take Incomplete Messages
Sometimes calls address an urgent medical situation, but often your answering service will take a message for your office staff to handle the next business day. How good of a job does your answering service do at taking messages? Though in some unusual situations, they may not know what to ask to obtain the information you require, but most of the time they should take full and accurate messages. This means no six-digit phone numbers, no misspelled patient names, and no partial messages.
Taking a complete and accurate message provides the attention you deserve and what your patients expect.
Receive the Attention You Deserve
A premier healthcare answering service will give you the attention you deserve. They will answer your phone properly, pronounce your name correctly, give out accurate information, and take complete messages. This is what you pay your answering service to do, and you have every right to receive what you pay for.
If your answering service falls short in any of these areas, perhaps it’s time to look for a new one.
Learn how medical answering service from MedConnectUSA can help your practice, clinic, or facility. Then get a free quote to discover how affordable their healthcare communication services are.
