Streamline Appointments with a Patient Centric Virtual Receptionist
Throughout the years we have been more aware or at least more accepting of our emotions. After all, it’s deeply embedded in our nature.
That being said, in the healthcare sector, you don’t just cater to a person’s physical well-being. You need to consider your patient’s mental and emotional health as well.
A study conducted by Stanford psychologists shows that other people’s emotions, in fact, have the power to influence others.
So, what do you think happens when an ill and irate patient interacts with medical staff or medical receptionists who are devoid of empathy?
Loss of trust, complaints, and a bad reputation for your practice. Those outcomes don’t sound very appealing, do they?
But that’s where virtual receptionist solutions come in. They can offload the administrative burden of your in-house staff so they can focus on keeping your patients happy and well cared for.
They can do basic administrative tasks such as:
- conduct patient intake
- schedule appointments
- answer multiple calls
- route incoming calls
These patient-centered customer service providers can ensure enhanced patient satisfaction as well by efficiently catering to their needs.
Healthcare providers can opt to enlist the services of a medical virtual receptionist- where a real person working in a virtual location attends to your patient’s needs or a virtual receptionist service- where AIs with automated systems handle incoming calls.
The former has the advantage of adding their very own personal touch to their greetings and do other tasks you want to outsource while the latter can be programmed to incorporate personalized interactions – for those who want full control of their brand voice.
Whichever you end up choosing, will definitely lead to the greater good because virtual medical receptionist services are a blessing to every healthcare provider out there who wants to scale their practice and achieve business growth.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Medical Industry
A study by Pew Research Center experts says “The rise of artificial intelligence will make most people better off over the next decade but many have concerns about how advances in AI will affect what it means to be human, to be productive, and to exercise free will”.
The big question. Is there still a place for us humans in the fast-paced world of technology and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence?
The big answer. Yes.
The reason? Human emotions. We all have the need to feel the things we do, and no matter how efficient and logical AI is, it can never… well, make us feel things.
Especially in the healthcare setting. You can develop cutting-edge technology to cure most of the diseases or even invent the most innovative drugs and it still wouldn’t be enough.
Without other people’s encouragement, care, or love, patients wouldn’t even bother getting better.
Patients want to be seen, heard, and cared for. That’s why they chose to see YOU, and not simply google their concerns (like what everybody does these days). They trust your expertise and want your valuable insights as fellow humans.
That’s why it’s important to also cater to a patient’s emotions and not just their health. Because one of the proven ways to stay healthy is to stay happy.
Virtual Receptionist Services: A Ray of Light in the Office Setup?
Artificial intelligence in the past few years have started to gain paramount recognition due to the rising labor costs and understaffing issues.
One of the many things that have emerged thanks to this technology are Virtual Receptionist Services, which are utilized by many offices to help their in-house receptionist focus on more urgent concerns.
They answer calls, route them to appropriate departments, communicate basic information, and help improve patient satisfaction.
Listed below are some of the benefits that virtual receptionist services can provide to any medical practice.
Cost-Effective
They are often more affordable than hiring full-time professional receptionists, saving on salary, benefits, and training costs. They usually start from as low as 25 USD a month.
Professional Image
They present a professional image to callers with personalized greetings and operational efficiency.
Appointment Scheduling
They are capable of seamless scheduling appointments or bookings directly into calendars, reducing the need for manual input. This helps save time and effort on your end.
Multilingual Support
Some virtual receptionist services offer multilingual capabilities, catering to a diverse customer base. This also saves time in looking for staff that can speak multiple languages. Cause who has time to memorize how to say “good morning” in at least 10 different languages?
Scalability
Easily scalable to handle multiple calls without the need for additional hiring or renovation. 200 incoming calls per day? No problem. Call overflow? What’s that?
Call Recording
Some receptionist services offer call recording for quality assurance, training purposes, or legal documentation. Don’t worry, this process ensures complete confidentiality and HIPAA compliance.
Customizable Scripts
Messages and greetings can be customized to reflect a consistent tone and branding of your practice. If real people are too embarrassed to say “Good day, sire” in the modern world, these guys can do the trick.
Reduced Wait Times
Virtual receptionist services can reduce or eliminate hold times by quickly routing calls or providing necessary information through automated menus. No hassle on your part, less time on phone calls, more time for more important tasks. Hurray.
Overall, you’re probably thinking “Hey, this is pretty good I might need this type of virtual reception” but wait, it’s not over yet.
The Dark Side of Virtual Receptionist Services
Of course, we’re not ending this topic without stating their disadvantages, that wouldn’t be fair to you now, would it?
Oftentimes these can be game-breakers so be sure to carefully consider these factors as well. Especially since the healthcare industry could be quite… unpredictable most of the time.
Limited Problem-Solving Abilities
AI may struggle to handle complex inquiries or situations that require human judgment and creativity. Your patient needs help with this and that? Sorry, that’s not part of its feature!
Technology Dependence
Virtual receptionist services rely heavily on technology, making them susceptible to technical glitches, outages, or compatibility issues. No internet connection? Big problem.
Difficulty Handling Accents or Dialects
Automated systems may have difficulty understanding accents, dialects, or speech impediments, leading to frustration for callers. Sorry, your accent is not integrated into our systems, buh-bye~
Inability to Handle Non-Standard Requests
Some requests may fall outside of the AI’s scope of system integration and can potentially cause delays or errors. Routine inquiries are only applicable to predictable businesses, and it’s sad to say that healthcare is not one of those.
Potential for Miscommunication:
Misinterpretation of caller requests or options by AI can lead to misunderstandings or incorrect routing of phone calls. Talk about bad patient experience.
Security Concerns
We did say earlier on that these systems are HIPAA compliant and adhere to complete confidentiality but unfortunately, they’re also more susceptible to data breaches. Better store those sensitive data and patient information elsewhere then.
Resistance from Customers
Some customers may prefer to interact with a human receptionist, potentially leading to dissatisfaction or lost business. Not surprising, given that these people are seeking some sort of comfort.
Patient care and human emotions are some of the many things AI can never give us.
Difficulty in Conveying Empathy
A virtual receptionist service may struggle to convey empathy in sensitive situations, leading to a perception of insensitivity or robotic responses. Gee, we wonder why?
Good patient communication and great patient experience in medical offices require a genuine human connection and personal touch.
Virtual reception also plays a crucial role in making first impressions so it would be wise to provide patients with excellent patient care right off the bat, right?
Although they complement and work well with virtual medical receptionists, we believe that AI is still lacking in many ways when it comes to making patients FEEL well cared for.
Why Should you Hire a Virtual Medical Receptionist?
If you’ve noticed the somewhat slight bias we have while reading, you’re not imagining things. As fellow humans, we should promote each other’s services. After all, we understand each other better.
You can never go wrong with virtual medical receptionists, given that you treat them like your babies.
Teach them well, train them, listen to them. Guide them and communicate with them, and after a few months or even a few weeks, they’ll make your days easier, and happier. Plus, they will love you for it.
Another important thing to know is that virtual medical receptionists aren’t just your average virtual receptionists, they’re healthcare providers like you. Meaning, they can help you with most if not all of your administrative tasks because they know medical jargons too.
And if that’s not enticing enough, these medical practitioners turned virtual assistants can help provide remote healthcare services like telehealth to your practice, helping you scale and elevate your medical practice by a ton.
Lastly, if we haven’t convinced you quite enough yet, it’s also nice to know that experienced virtual medical receptionists can be hired for as low as 10 USD an hour.
A cost-effective alternative to in-house staff you say? Say hello to your new best friends.
A Virtual Receptionist for your Medical Practice: What You Need to Know
You don’t need to know much except the fact that you’ll be changing your busy days forever with these quality-of-life improvements offered by a virtual medical receptionist.
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Management
Say goodbye to those boring electronic records you have to update every single day without fail.
A virtual medical receptionist can help ease your burdens by efficiently managing electronic health records, including updating patient information, documenting encounters, and ensuring data accuracy and compliance with regulatory standards.
Appointment Scheduling and Management
Managing appointments can be a chore and it can make you lose focus on the more important things.
A medical receptionist can do that for you instead! They can check all available schedules and handle all concerns relating to them cause let’s face it, this can take up hours of our precious time (and sanity).
Answering Phone Calls
A medical receptionist can also handle incoming phone calls from patients and handle primary patient intake if needed.
Medical Billing
A medical receptionist can also assist with medical billing tasks such as coding, claims submission, and payment processing helping you ensure timely reimbursement.
Who doesn’t want to receive their paychecks on time?
Patient Interaction
This is probably where medical receptionists excel at.
They can interact with patients via phone, email, or messaging platforms to provide support and facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers. All while injecting a good dose of empathy in every patient engagement they encounter.
Surely, your average AI receptionist service can’t even compare to this crucial role.
Referral Management
Not your specialization? Need a second opinion? No more drafting emails and voicemails for you.
A medical receptionist can manage the referral process by coordinating referrals to the designated specialists, obtaining necessary documentation, and ensuring seamless communication with healthcare providers.
Patient Data Management
Are your files and data all over your desktop and you somehow just can’t find the time to organize everything? Well, just focus on providing excellent patient care from now on, we’ve got you covered.
A medical receptionist can manage patient data, including demographic information, medical history, test results, and treatment plans, ensuring data integrity, privacy, and accessibility for all of your needs.
Patient Outreach
Did a patient forget to make their monthly visit? No problem, you don’t need to track this anymore because your virtual medical receptionist has your back.
The Verdict
All in all, anybody can see that both a virtual receptionist service and a virtual medical receptionist are indeed a cost-effective solution to understaffing and burnout in medical practices all over the world.
You’ll need to set up a virtual business address for them to connect to, and a lot of other stuff. You can refer to this link for more information.
In case you aren’t sold on the idea of either one, service providers like us offer a trial period for our clients. Of course, finding the perfect virtual receptionist requires some time and a lot of trial and error.
If you are, however, ready to meet your new best friend, aka virtual receptionist, then you can go ahead and book a call with us here.