People

Hiring the right professionals who can confidently answer questions and address concerns ensures patients feel supported and valued. Hiring professionals who are knowledgeable, empathetic and possess excellent communication skills is key. Your team of call center representatives are your brand ambassadors! They create first (and lasting) impressions on your future patients and weaken or strengthen trust with your existing patients. Investing in an effective training program for new hires and continuing professional development for existing staff is also imperative. Failure to invest the time, effort and money for onboarding and continuous training can cause disastrous effects. Existing employees need attention, too! Providing ongoing feedback and coaching can help your veteran staff strengthen their skills in order to provide excellent service to patients and adhere to processes. 

Processes

In addition to having the right people in place, immaculately designed processes are necessary for the efficient operation of any healthcare call center. Processes for greeting customers, providing and managing patient information and escalating issues should be documented and periodically reviewed in case they need to be amended and/or updated. The use of scripts and decision trees as guides for staff through different scenarios can significantly decrease miscommunication, confusion and patient dissatisfaction.  As a quality assurance measure, monthly employee reviews should be included in a healthcare call center’s standard operating procedures.  

Technology

The bedrock of your healthcare call center’s technology should be a CRM system (Customer Relationship Management). The right CRM, tailored to fit your healthcare call center, will increase efficiency, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, facilitate the representatives’ ability to assist patients and improve patients’ overall experience.