81% of consumers are unsatisfied with their health care experience, and the less they interact with the system, the happier they are. -Prophet
This stat shouldn’t come as a surprise, but still might. After all, 81% is an incredibly huge statistic. It should make you wonder. Exactly how badly are other doctor's offices dropping the ball?This stat should be a warning, but you can also view it as an opportunity. Here’s a significant opportunity to stand out from the competition and provide an excellent customer experience.Common issues people complain about when contacting medical businesses include their phone call being ignored, call staff being rude or simply incompetent, and the customer not being able to get the service they need. This could be as simple as a routine appointment or as complex as emergency, urgent medical care.You can opt to use Nexa's virtual receptionists with over 85 hours of training in call handling for medical offices and other healthcare-related industries. This training is designed to ensure that customers are left with answers to their queries, and feel positive about the patient care they have experienced. Whether you need dental practice call answering or a call answering service for doctors' offices, our professional staff are able to handle incoming calls in the appropriate way.
61% of respondents surveyed would switch health care providers for the ability to get an appointment quickly when needed. - Accenture
Patient loyalty is a thing of the past, and that’s ok. If you aren’t providing a fast, accurate, and excellent experience, why shouldn’t they find a provider who is? Be the solution they need. It isn't just impatience. The medical industry deals with all sorts of emergencies on a day to day basis and if you are not ready to handle peoples' calls around the clock, then you will end up losing customers. It's fine to have office hours, and you don't have to work every hour of the day, but there are ways to get peace of mind and ensure that calls are not being ignored, and that customers are getting the help they need.Nexa's virtual assistants can actually schedule appointments directly, rather than rerouting calls. Our staff are trained to integrate with your own systems and make appointments for you, based on your own criteria and calendar. You aren't just getting 24/7 coverage with Nexa, you are also getting a professional phone answering service that can provide seamless integration with your office team. Answering the phones and actually taking patients' calls is a good way to ensure you are giving people all the assistance they need, and reduce the chances of them going elsewhere.
88% of healthcare appointments are scheduled by phone. -Sequence
Did you know that such a huge majority of appointments are made over the phone? This confirms that, while omnichannel support is important, if you aren’t on the phone, you’re missing clients. When it comes to serious matters like health, people want live voice call answering instead of reaching a voice mail. You might think that directing people to a form on your website where they can fill out their details and await a callback is enough. People want a personal touch, and they are less likely to leave their details on an online form. This is about their health, or their family members, and their health. People are not looking to take chances on an online form, they want to talk to real people and get their issues dealt with promptly.What does this mean for your medical practice?The biggest takeaway is so simple, it feels obvious; listen to your patients. It apparently still needs to be said, because so many people are unhappy with their service. All the market research and wondering how to improve different communication channels is important, sure, but you’re busy. The one surefire thing you can do to improve the customer experience is to ensure patients get to talk to a real person, every time they call your practice. This doesn't have to mean recruiting and taking on more staff, either. You can outsource your help and still get the same quality of professional care.
Use a medical call answering service with live voice call answering
NexaMedical receptionists understand that handling calls for our medical clients require specialized attention. Speed, accuracy, and sensitivity are crucial for patient and caregiver call experience. Nexa is proud to be a HIPAA compliant medical answering service. This means that calls and messages are dealt with efficiently in a way that sticks to the legal obligations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).Even better, our team is available 24/7 and can schedule appointments directly into your CRM or EHR.Hiring a real-time live voice receptionist tells your patients 3 things:
- You care about their time
- You want them to have an excellent experience with you
- You’re investing in both of those things long term
Create an excellent patient experience
You can’t slack off when it comes to the customer experience. The simplest way to immediately improve the customer experience is to find a physician answering service. Fortunately for you, Nexa is always on call to help with your overflow calls.Ready to get started? Contact team.sales@nexa.com or check out more info from NexaMedical here.
