In a high-demand society, people want to feel heard. It’s created a huge shift towards improved customer experience in almost all industries. For healthcare, it means being available to your patients and offering them easy, varied ways to communicate with your office. Digital tools are one of the best ways to do that, and it’s not just through patient portals or EHR/EMR software. Utilizing a phone system like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) can also help improve patient satisfaction.
What is an IVR?
It’s a telephone payment system that allows your patients to make an automated payment over the phone. They don’t have to interact with a live person, so it can be set for any time of the day; even after the office is closed. For patients who have a busy job during regular office hours, this option gives them more flexibility. It increases overall patient satisfaction and also helps propel your clinic’s revenue cycle.
What can an IVR do?
Depending on the tool you purchase, there can be some slight variations. Typically, it can record important information that a caller may want such as office hours, location, and information on recurring questions. For example, if you’ve gotten an influx of calls about if you offer flu vaccines, you can just include a quick message about that in the recording. Plus, it can feature a scripted voice that helps direct them. Your front staff won’t have to stop what they’re doing to take every call if it’s screened first.
Providing 24/7 Access
One of the biggest benefits to having this tool for your clinic: it extends your communication availability to 24 hours a day. When there’s an urgent need, patients want to feel cared for by their providers. The IVR can screen the calls and then direct them to an on-call extension line. Then, the patients feel taken care of and it increases their trust in your clinic.
Overall, an IVR system can easily prove its worth for your staff’s efficiency and clinic’s revenue cycle. Customer service has become an essential part of healthcare, and you want to foster the best relationship with your clientele. The experts at Outsource Receivables Inc. are well versed in how to modernize all aspects of your clinic including customer service, billing, and payments. Contact us if you’re looking to save money by improving your overall billing process.