09/14/2015    Steven J. Kaniadakis, DPM

Call Center (Scott Werter, DPM)

I think the context of Dr. Werter's post is
directed towards an answering service, rather
than a "call center." This is an excellent plan.
It was one of the secrets to my practice success.
I had a very detailed "telephone protocol"
outline for the people answering the phone calls.

Design an algorithm to address virtually all
concerns people typically ask from your practice
experience. For example, "if they ask this, then
say that. If they say 'yes' then say this". It
will be no else's fault but your own if this
system is not working.

Have the service answer with your practice's
name. Have a back line for calls to become
"patched through" to your office staff" to a non-
published line. I had 12 (twelve) phone lines and
one Fax line. Back lines should include your
mobile phone when staff is not responsive, even
forwarded to it.

Establish a separate line for report on every
caller, and the answering service's staff's
written messages to be sent to your office,
including a notation of callers patched the the
back line. Make new patient appointments for
"noon" (generic time). People can always adjust
it later.

Do not say someone will call you back to make
appointments. Stay alerted to feedback on an
ongoing basis from people who have answered the
phone for your practice in the past and from
those people and patients in the future. If
people calling ask if it is an answering service,
then have those answering the phone be candid.
However, they should be instructed to sound like
the phone staff are your office.

Set times when reports will be sent in by batches
to your office staff. Establish a priority order
for when the reports shall be sent, and listed in
an a prioritized method when all messages are
sent. Starting with post-op, and pre-op patient
callers, new patients, established patients. Last
in the order, sales, vendor and supplier
messages.

Use a format for messages, name, phone, reason,
other comments. Typically, it was my practice to
prefer to have all established patients call our
in-house lines and staff. It is best not to tell
patients the doctor's status, on vacation, the
out to lunch, and things like this.

Typical dialog goes like this, "The doctor's in
surgery", or "in with a patient". Avoid saying
"he", "she", instead call people by their names,
including your staff, or say their title (Mr.,
assistant, nurse) and "patient". Do not leave any
thing for granted.

Steven J. Kaniadakis, DPM, St. Petersburg, FL

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