How to Use Cloud Phone & Telehealth Technology to Help Your Medical Practice During Covid-19

If you’ve already made the switch to a cloud-based phone system, now is a good time to ensure you’re taking advantage of your call features. This not only benefits the patient who is calling for information, but also gives your image a boost by being able to anticipate their needs.

Let’s look at some practical tips you can start doing today to take control of your healthcare practice’s cloud-based phone system:
Review Your Call Flow
Go through your caller’s journey to review the various touch points you make with them on your phone system. For example:

•  Do they hear a greeting before being presented with menu prompts?

•  Does your front desk person answer directly without a recorded greeting?

•  Does your phone system operate differently at different times of the day or when a call cannot be picked up by a live person?

•  What happens when callers are placed on hold?

•  What do they hear as their call is being routed to an extension?

•  Are voicemail greetings up to date?

Also, think about where you can add more value at each of these touch points. Consider ways in which you can mobilize your phone system if necessary. You may need to make minor adjustments to how calls are routed, especially when you have some team members working from home. For example, you might route an extension directly to your triage nurse or a receptionist working from home. Go through each recorded message, menu prompt, and extension to maximize every opportunity.

 

 

Healthcare practices that have remained open during the pandemic are being bombarded with questions about how the pandemic is affecting their operations. In response, you may want to set up a menu option for all questions related to Covid-19 to keep your other lines clear. You can set up an information box or direct these calls to a designated in-house expert who answers all Covid-related questions.

Now is a good time to review your other menu prompts to ensure they’re still meeting current business needs. Our recommendation is to keep your IVR menu options as simple and relevant as possible, which means making adjustments during temporary situations. For example, if you’re not treating patients during this time, there’s no need to offer a prompt for appointments.

 

 

If you find you’re getting an influx of the same questions, consider using your greeting, announcement and on hold messaging features to answer them. This can free up your staff by delivering answers to callers without sacrificing quality in the experience.

Some things you might include in your greetings, announcements or on hold messages during Covid-19 are:

•  New hours
•  Telehealth options
•  Closure status
•  Direct them to a website address or patient portal for more information
•  New procedures while in the office
•  Information about the precautions you’re taking
•  Options for cancelling or rescheduling appointments
•  Any services you’re not offering at this time, such as elective procedures
•  If you’re not offering treatment, provide options for how patients can get help.

The goal should be to provide clear frontline communications via your pre-recorded message features to reduce wait times and the number of calls handled by your staff. This is especially important if you’re running lean during this time.

 

 

 

Practices that already have a cloud-based phone system are putting it to work in different ways. Here’s some inspiration to help you get started:

 

 

 

 

Because chiropractic treatments require direct contact with patients, it’s essential for chiropractors to reassure their patients on how they’re prioritizing their health. Here are some example messages you can use or tweak to your specifications:

 

“Our goal has always been to provide high-quality care, and we’re taking every precaution to protect you and our staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve increased our daily office cleanings and have rearranged our treatment area to limit potential contact with other patients. We’re checking temperatures at the door and have several hand sanitizing stations throughout our clinic for your convenience. We look forward to seeing you soon.”

“Your health is essential to us, which is why we’ve chosen to remain open during this time. Rest assured we’re thoroughly cleaning our office and treatment areas, sanitizing all door handles and surfaces, and doing our best to limit your contact with others.”

Family Practices

Most patients want to avoid the doctor’s office at all costs during the pandemic, but health issues don’t take a vacation even in the face of a major virus. Family practices are still open to treat illnesses, mild injuries, routine checkups, and other health needs, but are taking additional precautions with every patient.

Here are some example messages you can use in your family practice or other medical facility:

“Thank you for calling the office of Dr. Robert Ritucci. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and CDC recommendations our office will be closed for routine appointments until May 4th, but will be open by appointment for emergency care. Please listen carefully to the following options. If you are a new patient, please press 1, and leave your name and phone number and we will call you back when we return. If you are a current patient and would like to leave a message please press 2. If this is an emergency where the patient is in pain or discomfort and would like a member of our staff paged, please press 3.”

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re exercising new procedures for patients coming into our facilities. Upon arrival, our team will check your temperature before you are allowed to enter the office. You may also wait in your call until your appointment time. Please let our front desk staff know the best number to reach you when your exam room is ready.”

“Your health has always been our top priority, which is why we’re taking extra precautions while you’re in our office. We’ve increased our sanitization efforts throughout our facility to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. We look forward to serving you shortly.”

“If you need to see a provider for a non-urgent issue, ask about our Telehealth visit options when we join you on the line.”

Eye Doctors

As an essential service, eye doctors that are open during Covid-19 will likely have concerns from their patients. Here are a few example messages you can use on your cloud phone system:

“Due to the size of our eyewear shop, only two patients are allowed in the shop at a time to maintain proper social distancing. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to serving you.”

“Our office is open under temporary new business hours: Monday through Friday from 10 am until 3 pm. We apologize for the inconvenience and will resume normal business hours once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.”

“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are no longer able to accept walk-ins at this time. If you need an appointment, frames, contacts, or for any other question, remain on the line and we will advise on the next steps.”

No matter your practice, it’s important to provide as much information to your callers as possible. The more you can inform and explain, the better the experience for your patients and your staff.

 

Next Steps: Save Time with Our Free Pre-Recorded Phone System Messages

 

Timely communication is imperative in critical situations like Covid-19, but your patients will appreciate your responsiveness even after the pandemic ends. Using a cloud-based phone system gives you greater flexibility over the total call experience, especially when you can leverage your message features to provide better communication to your callers.

To save you time, we’ve developed some pre-recorded, COVID-19 phone system messages you can download for free and start using today. We’re also waiving the rush delivery fee on all phone messages related to Covid-19 to help you prepare your healthcare practice’s phone system.

If you need personalized messages for your practice, you can order professional voice recordings from Snap Recordings today, and take advantage of our free resources as you develop your own custom messaging that will improve the patient experience.

Also, don’t forget to download our free checklist for preparing your healthcare practice’s phone system messages for Covid-19.