The Different Types of Answering Services
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The person or machine that picks up the phone when you’re trying to reach your doctor, is rarely something that you think about after you’ve hung up. In fact, many of us just take this service for granted. Regardless of the time of day (or night), we just expect someone to pick up- or to point us in the right direction.
It wasn’t always this easy to reach your doctor. Before answering services became available, you had the option of visiting the emergency room if there was any kind of possible medical emergency. Few doctors wanted to give out their personal phone numbers, and answering machines were notoriously unreliable.
As answering services became more and more widespread, missed calls and disappointed patients became a thing of the past. Now, if your child is running a fever late at night- you can reach their pediatrician. This stops unnecessary trips to the emergency room, and helps to put a patient’s mind at ease. A medical office answering service is really an integral part of any successful practice!
This is so much more than just taking and directing phone calls! In the age of personal technology, you really have to have a grasp on different types of communication. You’ll also need to understand your needs, and find the appropriate ways to fill them.
Automated Answering Service
All of us have dealt with an automated answering service at one point or another. Some of these are definitely designed better than others, and it’s important to know the difference. The simplest automated service will only provide the most basic information to the person calling in. These are the services that will ask you to press one for English, and then proceed to give you the business hours, and might offer to record your message.
A step up from these are the answering services that use a system of prompts to sort through the caller’s information. This can tell them whether this is an urgent situation- or simply someone who needs to know what time the office opens the next day. A good answering service will provide enough information to answer almost any general question. This saves both time and money needed to pay a live call center.
If the call proves to be urgent, then the automated service can send it through to a live operator. This operator can contact the doctor or professional needed to answer the caller’s questions, and the professional can then call the original caller directly.
When you use a reputable call service, even the automated side of it will be effective and professional.
Live Answering Service
This is an answering service that is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by a live staff. These people will be specifically trained to use computer programs to sort the calls, set appointments, and abide by any necessary privacy regulations.
They can also help answer questions that come in via social media, and even through sms programs. The more ways that customers have to contact you, the better your business will be. Sometimes it’s simply easier for someone to send a text than to sit on the phone for several minutes. Email is another effective tool for communication. It’s important that emails are answered quickly, though- or you risk losing credibility.
Private Answering Service
This is the costliest option, and is generally only used by larger corporations. This involves employing you own live call center staff, and managing all of your own communications. This can be expensive and messy if the company is not large enough to warrant the extra department.
If you’re looking for the best medical call centers, I would personally recommend No More Phone Tag.
The person or machine that picks up the phone when you’re trying to reach your doctor, is rarely something that you think about after you’ve hung up. In fact, many of us just take this service for granted. Regardless of the time of day (or night), we just expect someone to pick up- or to point us in the right direction.
It wasn’t always this easy to reach your doctor. Before answering services became available, you had the option of visiting the emergency room if there was any kind of possible medical emergency. Few doctors wanted to give out their personal phone numbers, and answering machines were notoriously unreliable.
As answering services became more and more widespread, missed calls and disappointed patients became a thing of the past. Now, if your child is running a fever late at night- you can reach their pediatrician. This stops unnecessary trips to the emergency room, and helps to put a patient’s mind at ease. A medical office answering service is really an integral part of any successful practice!
This is so much more than just taking and directing phone calls! In the age of personal technology, you really have to have a grasp on different types of communication. You’ll also need to understand your needs, and find the appropriate ways to fill them.
Automated Answering Service
All of us have dealt with an automated answering service at one point or another. Some of these are definitely designed better than others, and it’s important to know the difference. The simplest automated service will only provide the most basic information to the person calling in. These are the services that will ask you to press one for English, and then proceed to give you the business hours, and might offer to record your message.
A step up from these are the answering services that use a system of prompts to sort through the caller’s information. This can tell them whether this is an urgent situation- or simply someone who needs to know what time the office opens the next day. A good answering service will provide enough information to answer almost any general question. This saves both time and money needed to pay a live call center.
If the call proves to be urgent, then the automated service can send it through to a live operator. This operator can contact the doctor or professional needed to answer the caller’s questions, and the professional can then call the original caller directly.
When you use a reputable call service, even the automated side of it will be effective and professional.
Live Answering Service
This is an answering service that is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by a live staff. These people will be specifically trained to use computer programs to sort the calls, set appointments, and abide by any necessary privacy regulations.
They can also help answer questions that come in via social media, and even through sms programs. The more ways that customers have to contact you, the better your business will be. Sometimes it’s simply easier for someone to send a text than to sit on the phone for several minutes. Email is another effective tool for communication. It’s important that emails are answered quickly, though- or you risk losing credibility.
Private Answering Service
This is the costliest option, and is generally only used by larger corporations. This involves employing you own live call center staff, and managing all of your own communications. This can be expensive and messy if the company is not large enough to warrant the extra department.
If you’re looking for the best medical call centers, I would personally recommend No More Phone Tag.
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