Winter is coming. Winter is here. Is your answering service ready? If you use a professional medical answering service, of course they’re ready. Being ready to serve you is what they do, regardless of what the winter weather might throw at us.
The bigger question is, are you ready? Make sure you provide your answering service with the information they need so that they can achieve the highest level of success on your behalf. Here are some things to consider that will enable your medical answering service to achieve the outcomes you expect during the winter and throughout the year.
Review the Instructions You Gave Your Answering Service
When things change in your office,your answering service is usually the last to know. We get this. And we aren’t being critical. This is just a reality with most practices and medical facilities.
As a result, your answering service could be operating on outdated information. They think they’re doing exactly what they’re supposed to do because they aren’t aware of your new expectations.Keep them informed to achieve better outcomes.
Provide Emergency Contact Information
As you review the information you provided your answering service, pay special attention to emergency contact information. This starts with a way to reach your office, even if your phones are forwarded to them. There may be a second line or a private number, but make sure they can reach you quickly when a situation warrants it.
In addition to emergency numbers to reach your office, you also want to give your answering service emergency contacts for your key office staff. Make sure you have the correct contact people listed, along with the best ways to reach them. This goes beyond providing their preferred communication method, such as their cell phone. Also include alternate contact methods in case the first option doesn’t work.
Last, consider other people who can serve as backup emergency contacts. Hopefully they’ll never be contacted, but it’s nice to know who they are and how to reach them if the situation warrants it. Better to list too many than not enough.
Not only are these steps important to help your medical answering service deal with winter weather, but this also helps them be prepared to serve you better for any type of emergency.
What If You Need to Close Early?
Depending on where you are in the country, winter weather means different things to you. But for much of the United States, winter weather can mean needing to close your office early. What is your procedure when you need to do this? What do you expect your answering service to do if you must close early due to winter weather or any other unusual situation?
Also consider if there is something extra they can do to help you. This might be contacting your remaining appointments for the day to let them know the office had to close. And if your answering service has secure access to your scheduling program, they could even reschedule appointments for you.
What If You Can’t Open?
For really bad winter storms, you may not even be able to open your office. Or maybe not enough of your staff can make it in. Similarly to the consideration for closing early, what do you want your answering service to do if you must close for the entire day? What additional services can they offer you and your patients to help navigate the situation?
Summary
If you have a professional medical answering service handling your communications for you, they are already prepared to do their best to help you successfully navigate winter and the unpredictability of the winter weather that comes with it. To make sure they can do their job to their fullest, provide them with the information they need to best serve you.
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. Peter Lyle DeHaan is a freelance writer and call center authority.