As a business owner, it is your job to provide good and quality customer service to callers investing in your business. Whether it is hiring highly skilled agents or using advanced communication tools, you need to take the right steps to present your business as professional and valuable. Getting an IVR system for your medical answering service is one such step in the right direction.
IVR System: A Business Phone Solution
An Interactive Voice Response or IVR system is an automated voice response that answers calls before an agent connects. The system interacts with the caller, identifies the purpose of the call, and assists them by redirecting them to the appropriate department or by presenting more menu options. The IVR system uses pre-recorded messages and predetermined rules to do so.
Call centers and answering services generally have a large incoming call volume. Using an IVR system can help them organize and distribute calls so that customers are better served. This system can complete simple tasks and free up agents to focus on more complex duties. In some advanced cases, the caller may not even need to speak with an agent to get their query resolved.
IVR is one of the premium business phone solutions available to businesses in different industries. Virtual phone service providers, like Global Call Forwarding, offer a customizable IVR system along with their phone service plans. You can use this feature alongside call forwarding, call recording, extensions, etc.
Designing the IVR System
So, what is the best way to set up an IVR system for your medical answering service? Designing this system depends on what you want your callers to be able to do when they call your business. Before you create the system, map out the different options that callers will have and what actions you want them to complete without interacting with an agent. Consider these questions:
- What departments will callers have access to?
- How many levels do you want your IVR to have?
- What actions can callers complete through automation?
- Why should the caller be directed to an agent?
- Would you like to distribute calls based on geographic location or language preferences?
If you have multiple office locations or want to cater to different language preferences, you can start by distributing calls based on geographic location and language. Then, you can move on to sort out new patients and existing patients:
- If you are a new patient, press 1.
- If you are a recurring patient, press 2.
The next level can then provide more specific options:
- To make an appointment, press 1.
- To request a prescription refill, press 2.
- For our office hours, press 3.
- To review our directory, press 4.
- For queries regarding insurance, press 5.
- For customer service, press 6.
Based on caller input, you can either have pre-recorded messages that provide the necessary information or direct calls to specific individuals specialized in providing the required help.
Why Does Your Medical Answering Service Need an IVR System?
Medical businesses use IVR for a variety of reasons, whether they are clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, clinical research labs, etc. It can be used to collect or provide information, process renewals and payments, and more. Your medical answering service can use such automation to:
- Schedule appointments
- Collect new patient information
- Provide drug information
- Offer company updates
- Process payments
- Record prescription refill requests
- Perform basic clinical trial screenings
- Register complaints and issues
- Provide recall information
- Collect feedback, and more
Organize, Manage, Serve
Global Call Forwarding offers IVR with every one of our plans. And this is because we know how essential such a system can be for the efficient running of a business. Our IVR system is customizable and can help you organize your medical answering service’s communications better. Sign up for a new business number, or port your existing number, and take advantage of the many virtual communications tools and services available. Call us at 1 (888) 908 6171 for more information.
