With all the competition in today's healthcare environment, due largely in part of the Affordable Care Act, patients are now more than ever exploring their options. Patients often contact more than one medical practice before choosing a specialist or booking an appointment.
In order for your practice to beat the competition, you need to ensure your phone reception converts your callers into consults. Below are some reasons why your front desk might be costing you patients.
#1. Not answering the phone.
During business hours, patients expect to talk with a live person. MD Connect, Inc. research shows that when patients get an answering system, 71 percent of the time they hang up and 82 percent of the time they don't call back. If your receptionist does not pick up the phone, they move on to another practice. It's important that your front desk answers all calls within two ring — and all breaks, lunch hours, and roll-over shifts are covered.
#2. Long hold times.
People are busy, plain and simple. In many medical practices, physicians have built themselves a reputation of making their patients wait, whether that is in the waiting room or on the telephone. By answering the phone within two rings and not putting callers on hold for extended periods of time (no more than a minute), you can prove that your practice is different.
#3. Poor customer service and phone manners.
The ideal receptionist will make your bottom line their main responsibility. They should not only be knowledgeable, bright, and friendly, but possess a little bit of a 'sales' mentality as they realize that your main goal is to convert callers into a scheduled consultation.
The receptionist needs to naturally weave in opportunities to position your practice as being different than most others, without sounding too pushy or salesy. This is usually carried out in answering questions. The front desk staff should be educated and made clear on procedures performed and conditions treated. They should also have all important information right at their fingertips, such as insurance coverage numbers and information, appointment calendar, and answers to common questions.
#4. Difficult phone tree navigation.
You've made that phone call before and ended up on the other end of the automated press #1 for...press #2 for, etc., right? This type of phone navigation is not only frustrating to you, but to your potential patients as well.
Remember, your patients' entry point into your medical practice is often your phone system. An inefficient phone system can lead to a distressed and irritated caller, which canl lead to either loss of productivity as receptionists try to handle the repercussions or a lost prospective patient altogether.
Your incoming phone lines are usually the first thing that callers scrutinize for inefficiencies. Difficult phone navigation systems can actually turn prospective patients away before you even have a chance to talk to them.
#5. Sharing costs over the phone versus scheduling that appointment.
With the rise of higher deductibles and private pay, patients are experiencing legitimate concerns with payments. It's not usually a good policy to share the prices of procedures over the phone. Answering basic insurance questions is one thing, but staying on the line and offering 'price shoppers' full details about all procedure prices could result in them hanging up to find a better deal.
Therefore, it's always best to set up that appointment right away. If the caller wants to check with someone before making an appointment, you can offer them a 'provisional' appointment now to lock in their time, and have them call back later on to change or confirm it. All too often receptionists either wait too long to schedule an appointment or don't ask at all.
The receptionist’s job is fairly focused: making appointments. It's the doctor’s job to answer medical questions. When receptionists focus on one thing and one thing only - making the appointment, converting callers into patients will increase exponentially.
For more information on this topic, download our whitepaper: Medical Practices: 8 Steps to Converting Phone Leads.
