answering service

Why You Should Have an Answering Service for Your Medical Office

The phone is constantly ringing at a medical office, regardless of the day. It’s why you need an answering service to help you manage the volume of calls, regardless of your patient list. Because Americans trust their physicians, people constantly call medical officers to ask about prescriptions, change appointments, and ask for a medical professional’s advice.

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There are several benefits to having an after-hours answering service, including nonstop availability, staff cost savings, and helping with emergencies. A 24×7 answering service will help with all of these situations to help your medical office run smoothly.

Here are the reasons for having an answering service in your medical office.

With an Answering Service, You’re Office Is Always Available

An answering service means you’re always available. Regardless of the time of day, someone can call your medical office, and someone will pick up the phone.

  • A call won’t go to voicemail; someone will answer the phone
  • The person answering the will call will get you the message
  • Emergencies will get the best attention

You can give your patients peace of mind knowing that anytime they call your office – regardless of the time of day – someone will answer the phone, attending to their needs.

Staff Cost Savings

You may choose a front office staff to answer phones and take care of patients’ needs during regular business hours. However, you won’t have to pay a staff to be in the office with an after-hours answering service.

  • You save money by keeping limited staff available
  • Your staff won’t work weekends, nights, or holidays
  • Use staffing resources in other areas, thus using them more efficiently

Fewer office personnel means less paid time-off, fewer 401K contributions, and fewer medical benefits paid by you. An answering service provider can help you accomplish these goals.

Emergency Situations

In an emergency, people often call 9-1-1. But not everyone. Many people think picking up the phone to contact their medical provider is the best answer to solve a medical crisis.

Woman answering phone

Personnel working at a 24×7 answering service can immediately spot an emergency. The person answering the phone will get the patient help quickly.

  • You can save lives
  • Help the patient get the attention they need
  • Emergency calls from patients will get top priority

People make almost 250 million emergency calls each year. You can use your answering service provider to help calm people when they need it most.

Improve Customer Service

Improving customer service is one of the most significant benefits of hiring an answering service provider.

  • You help to solve a patient’s needs quickly
  • Patients will know you’re reliable
  • Convenience

Improving customer relations is the best way to connect with your patients as a medical provider. Building trust is essential.

Improving customer service will also help with online reviews and recommendations to other clients or patients. You want people to say good things about your office and your service. Positive word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best things that can happen to your practice!

Appointments

Calls from patients often include calling to schedule an appointment or rescheduling due to an emergency. Rescheduling appointments is happening more and more thanks to the coronavirus. With quarantines and testing, many people don’t want to get the chance to get others sick.

answering service cost

An answering service provider can schedule appointments for you instead of your office staff handling this common issue. Take the problem off their hands. Allow a medical answering service to handle this part of your practice.

You can also use a medical answering service to call patients to remind them of an appointment. Many people appreciated getting a phone call to tell them to be at the office early and ready for their upcoming medical office visit.

You will also reduce the number of people who don’t show up to your medical office for an appointment!

Missed Calls

Missing calls is frustrating. Sometimes people will call your office and hang up if no one answers. In other cases, people won’t leave a message.

An answering service provider makes sure you won’t have any missed calls. Because an answering service features multiple representatives taking calls, the call goes to the next person. They will answer calls quickly and more efficiently.

Call Tracking

Call tracking is essential for some medical offices. Answering service features include call tracking and recording.

  • Records (with permission) the phone call
  • You can hear both sides of the conversation
  • Reduces medical liability, should there be an issue

Should a medical malpractice case ever go to court, you’ll have the call log to protect your medical office. For example, if a patient says they called several times, but a call log indicates otherwise, you have proof. You can protector yourself and your practice with call tracking.

In addition, should something happen to a patient who becomes unconscious or can’t speak, you’ll have an initial recording of the conversation. It may help you in their medical diagnosis. In this case, call tracking can save their life.

You Care About Your Patients Needs

A medical answering service shows you care about the needs of your patients. You want to be there for them, regardless of the time of day. Every patient’s condition is important, and every patient deserves the best attention while under your care.

Hiring an answering service for your medical office shows you treat every person equally. Every patient gets an equal shot at getting the best medical services.

Why You Should Have an Answering Service for Your Medical Office

There are plenty of reasons to hire an answering service for your medical office. A medical answering service means you’re always available, save on staff, deals with emergencies, and improve customer service. It also helps deal with appointments, missed calls and tracks phone calls. It also shares you care about your patients.

Do you see the benefits? Contact us today to help you get your medical office answering service up and running. Take the burden off your staff and impress your patients!

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Author: Michael C

Michael has over 30 years of executive call center and answering service experience. He is a successful business owner and lead generation expert and shares tips to help other entrepreneurs build and grow their business through leads generation and lead capture solutions. His mission is to share carefully guarded marketing tips that will help small-medium business compete on a smaller budget.

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