Effective phone handling can significantly impact patient experience and boost the number of booked appointments in the competitive healthcare industry. Patients are making decisions directly affecting their health, largely influenced by their interactions with your practice. Therefore, mastering proven phone handling techniques is crucial. Your practice can execute various tactics to improve their odds of converting more appointment opportunities, from harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to implementing scalable training programs and emphasizing soft phone skills. These strategies directly contribute to enhanced patient satisfaction and foster long-term relationships.
Embrace these 3 tactics to augment your phone handling techniques.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing practices’ approach to patient interactions, particularly over the phone. Within the realm of AI, there are two key areas for enhancing phone handling techniques: generative AI and conversational AI.
Generative AI, creating new content based on inputs, opens infinite possibilities for improving phone performance. For example, Call Box's Call Coaching analyzes call transcripts in real time, providing instant feedback to staff on their tone, language, and phone handling best practices. This helps your team sharpen their problem-solving abilities and fine-tune their communication skills to address patient queries effectively. Generative AI is also seen in Call Box’s AI Mystery Shop Scorecard, where every appointment opportunity call is scored using specifically trained large language models for accurate reporting. AI Mystery Shop Scorecard leads to comprehensive reporting and drives higher patient satisfaction.
On the other hand, conversational AI introduces interactive chatbots and virtual assistants. These AI-powered features are designed to engage patients and provide relevant information or assistance. For healthcare practices, this may be a 24/7 support system that can handle routine inquiries such as scheduling annual appointments.
By integrating generative and conversational AI into your operations, you equip your staff with advanced tools that enhance efficiency and patient satisfaction.
Continuous phone training is crucial for refining phone handling skills. Implementing scalable training programs ensures staff stay updated with industry trends and best practices while making it simpler for managers to keep up. Scalable training programs not only enhance confidence and expertise but also contribute to excellence in patient interactions, a boost in appointment conversions, and minimizing the effects of staff turnover.
Mastering soft phone skills is equally crucial for successful patient interactions. Soft phone skills encompass empathy, active listening, communication, and problem-solving abilities. Train your staff to listen attentively, ask qualifying questions, and empathize with patients’ concerns. By using positive language and tone to build rapport, your team will be empowered to de-escalate conflicts and handle challenging situations professionally.
By prioritizing soft phone skills alongside technical training and AI, your staff can deliver exceptional patient experiences that foster long-term relationships and loyalty. Incorporating these strategies into your healthcare practice can elevate your staff's phone handling techniques, leading to improved patient satisfaction, a boost in the number of appointments booked, and a competitive edge in the healthcare industry.
To learn more strategies to augment your staffs’ phone handling techniques, check out Call Box's advanced Phone Skills Training HERE!.