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A New Way to Think About Your Healthcare Virtual Receptionist

Young practitioner doctor working at the clinic reception desk, she is answering phone calls and scheduling appointments

For those who work in the healthcare or medical fields, answering phone calls has always been a vital component of customer service. Traditionally, in-office receptionists or after hours on-call staff members bore the burden of managing calls from patients or their caregivers. But thanks to the modern emergence of virtual receptionists at live answering services or call centers that cater to the healthcare industry — such as Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. — managing calls has never been easier, or more professional.

Virtual receptionists have grown increasingly popular because they can handle a higher call volume, answer phones 24/7, and typically costs a great deal less than hiring staff to do the same job in person. And in the healthcare industry, each call must be answered not only quickly and efficiently, but with a steady degree of polite patience and compassionate attention to detail.

This is where the right virtual receptionist can change the way you view an answering service. A virtual receptionist is no longer simply a glorified remote version of an answering machine. Instead, the virtual receptionists at the right answering service will become a seamless, integral part of your customer care team.

To start with, a live virtual receptionist will greet each customer professionally with the name of your healthcare practice, and all calls will be answered promptly, no matter the time of day or night. No callers will be put through long hold times, or sent through a confusing set of automated prompts.

One of the biggest benefits is that dedicated virtual receptionists will know the practices, philosophies, and priorities of your healthcare business so that they can intelligently listen to each caller’s request, ask relevant questions, and give informative answers. By discerning the crucial details of each call, your virtual receptionist will confidently know how urgently each request must be handled, and by whom. Your calls will also be recorded, and you’ll know what each call was about, how quickly and thoroughly it was handled and by whom, and if follow-up attention is required.

Today’s virtual receptionists provide detailed, friendly customer care that’s so reflective of your practice that callers assume they’re speaking with an in-house team member. To add another layer of security, be sure to choose a call center whose virtual receptionists are trained and certified to be HIPAA compliant. Not all call centers require this of their agents, but your patients and your practice deserve to know that your healthcare practice guidelines are being met and that your patients’ health information is being guarded at all times.

Day or night, outsourcing your practice’s calls will ensure that your customers are attended to with care and compassion, 24/7, 365 days a year. Voice link offers 26 years of experience in healthcare and medical answering services and provides live answering services that exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.

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