Your reception desk may be closed by 5 p.m., but your patients are not limited to office hours when it comes to their questions. This means the calls can come in overnight, or on weekends − the most undesirable of times. And when they are left unreturned, patients sometimes take their business elsewhere or just let their frustration simmer.
This is where an after hours medical answering service comes in to bridge the gap. But is it something you should incorporate into your practice? Usually the answer to this is dependent on a number of calls you receive, how your staff currently handles those calls, as well as what your patients are accustomed to using.
Start with the Problem
Know what is to occur when your office shuts before selecting a service.
Do calls just go straight to voicemail? Should doctors have to answer their home phone? Are staff checking messages in their own time?
If such scenarios are the norm, your practice might have a communication gap that needs to be filled by an efficient solution.
Missed Calls Lead to More Work
An unanswered call does not always go to waste.
The same patient may call back the next morning. They may leave several messages. Then your receptionist has to do extra work calling people back and working through the backlog.
An after hours medical answering service will do the work for you and answer these calls before they turn into another job for your day staff.
Take a Patient Perspective
Suppose there was a patient that called your practice around 8 p.m. They do not require urgent care, but they still want to talk to someone.
If they received a voicemail, that might leave them uncertain about next steps. Having a conversation with the trained answering agent is a clearer experience.
Depending on the service the agent may:
- Record the patient’s message
- Route calls as per your instructions
- Help with appointment requests
- Provide approved practice information
- Follow procedures for urgent calls
It makes outside-hours communication a more structured process.
When Should You Consider One?
Your practice may want to consider hiring an after hours medical answering service if:
Receives frequent evening calls
The usefulness of voicemail, for instance, probably will start to decrease simply because occasionally there is normal after-hours demand.
Has limited administrative staff
There are several situations where a small team might find it hard to respond to calls during and after working hours.
Needs better call coverage
Another means for patients to get in touch with your practice is via extended support.
Wants fewer interruptions for clinicians
Calls are processed according to pre-defined instructions instead of reaching doctors directly.
Choose According to Your Requirement
Every practice is different, and there will never be the one solution for all medical practices. Selecting the correct one is dependent upon call volume, operating hours, staffing, and patient needs.
An after hours medical answering service can be a straightforward solution if you have consistent missed calls that are causing headaches or being detrimental to patient communication.
Instead of going with the cheapest provider, evaluate its response procedures, employee training, flexibility, and adherence to your practice’s guidelines. The true best after hours answering service is one that meshes into the workflow you already have in place, making it an option to communicate with contacts without having to add additional layers of complexity on top of a complex process already.
