A patient’s first impression of your health care practice will often come from a phone call. They might call to schedule an appointment, ask a question, or check to see if their insurance is accepted by your practice. Whatever the reason, it’s imperative to ensure they have a positive experience. Otherwise, you risk losing them as a patient. 

According to a study by Marketing Land, 74% of people will choose a competitor after a negative phone experience. Nowadays, it’s not just enough to be an excellent provider, you need to provide excellent service too. 

Patient satisfaction is key 

Another notable statistic: 96 percent of patient dissatisfaction is related to customer service, not quality of care. That sobering number should remind you that these aren’t just your patients, they are your customers too.  

They are paying for your services and as a result, they expect to have their problems or issues dealt with in a timely manner. If you only have one receptionist for your entire office, your patients might have to wait on hold for too long or never get through to your office. By ensuring you don’t miss calls or force customers to wait, you’re creating opportunities for customer loyalty and repeat business. That’s why your health care office needs a contact center. 

A successful contact center = patient retention 

Previously, contact centers were seen as unwanted, but necessary, costs for health care institutions to handle patient complaints or low-level administrative tasks. However, that perception is changing, and now more and more practices are realizing the benefits of a virtual healthcare call center and how they can help patients navigate their journey by building trust between the patient and provider.

Trust = more business. If your patients trust you and are satisfied by their experiences with your office, they are more likely to return time and time again. That’s the biggest ROI for any health care practice. 

Why you need a cloud-based contact center 

As a small health care practice, you might be worried about the equipment required and the costs involved to manage a contact center, but there’s a very simple solution. 

With a cloud-based contact center, like b-hive Virtual Contact Center, you can get it set up in minutes and there are no upfront investments. Patient calls will automatically be routed to available agents, and your agents can be located anywhere. Plus, all calls and patient data are HIPAA compliant. Furthermore, if your practice expands or you experience an increase of calls, similar to what happened during the onset of COVID-19, you can instantly scale up to meet those demands.  

Here are a few ways a contact center can help you improve patient satisfaction: 

• Field after-hours calls 
• Direct a patient to a specialist 
• Help schedule appointments 
• Confirm appointments 
• Reach out to patients with test results  
• Complete intake for new patients 

Plus, with a virtual contact center, you won’t have to deal with issues like slow computers or faulty software. As long as your agents have a Wi-Fi connection, they can take patient calls from anywhere at any time.

Help create a better patient experience 

If you want to increase satisfaction and create a better overall experience for your patients, get set up with b-hive Virtual Call Center today.