Improving Customer Service in Healthcare Call Centers

A call center is a critical point of interaction for healthcare providers and their patients. An efficient call center can streamline the delivery of healthcare services and help patients feel cared for and valued. In contrast, a poorly run call center can result in upset or dissatisfied patients who may seek out other providers. Here, MassLive Media Group offers tactics that healthcare organizations can use to improve outcomes and increase success at their call centers.

Offer Multiple Ways for Patients to Get in Touch

Some patients would prefer to speak to a customer service agent over the phone, while others prefer web-based communication, such as a chat function. Healthcare providers can increase patient satisfaction by offering multiple contact methods, known as omnichannel communication. This can include:

  • A toll-free phone number
  • A chat service on the provider’s website
  • A dedicated email address
  • Text messaging

Furthermore, these channels should talk to each other. If a patient is communicating over email and an agent follows up with a phone call, they should already have all the information the patient provided. This allows agents to resolve a patient’s issue as quickly as possible and minimizes frustration.

Secure Protected Health Information

As all providers know, safeguarding patients’ protected health information (PHI) is paramount. When a patient contacts a healthcare call center, they may need to provide PHI such as:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • Social Security number (SSI)
  • Health insurance plan number

Because PHI is protected under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), healthcare organizations must be sure that they have cybersecurity protections in place to ensure compliance. Any third-party service providers or vendors that your organization works with must also follow HIPAA regulations.

Offer Multiple Languages

For patients who aren’t fluent in English, interactions with the medical system can be intimidating or overwhelming. You should be able to communicate with patients in the language they are most comfortable speaking. To this end, medical call centers should have onsite agents who speak languages other than English or have easy access to interpretation services.

Practice Empathy

When a patient contacts a healthcare call center, it’s often because they need help resolving a problem. Train all agents to listen carefully and respond with empathy. Scripts can be a helpful reference point, but sticking too closely to talking points can make patients feel that they aren’t being heard. Encourage agents to be authentic, use neutral language, and be clear about the solutions they can offer. Additionally, make sure agents know when to escalate a patient’s request if they cannot resolve the issue on their own.

Leverage Data Analytics

Data is a powerful tool to improve agent performance and, in turn, increase patient satisfaction levels. There are several key performance indicators (KPIs) that you can monitor and analyze to better understand how your healthcare center is working. These include:

  • Average wait time: This is the amount of time a patient typically spends on hold before they are connected to a live agent. The shorter the wait time, the better.
  • Average handle time: This is the amount of time that agents are spending on a call from start to finish.
  • Abandonment rate: This measures how often patients hang up the phone before they speak with an agent. A high abandonment rate can indicate a confusing menu or call routing system.
  • First-call resolution (FCR): This KPI measures how often patient inquiries are resolved in a single call. If patients have to make multiple calls, they’re more likely to be dissatisfied.

Enhance Your Outreach with MassLive Media Group

If you’re looking for proven ways to increase customer satisfaction and improve patient retention rates, the team at MassLive Media Group is here to assist you. We understand the changing world of healthcare marketing and have dedicated strategists who can help you communicate your expertise and tell your story. MassLive Media Group’s capabilities include:

  • Audience research and segmentation
  • Channel management
  • Content creation and distribution
  • Audience and behavior targeting

To learn more about our customized marketing solutions or request a complimentary healthcare marketing consultation, contact us today.

 

References

https://www.sequencehealth.com/blog/tips-for-improving-customer-service-in-a-healthcare-call-center

https://www.mgma.com/articles/the-right-tools-to-optimize-healthcare-contact-center-responsiveness-and-boost-patient-satisfaction

https://americanhealthconnection.com/healthcare-call-center-customer-service/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500019/

Manufacturing Recruitment Strategy

Worker shortages in manufacturing industry is real. Highly skilled positions remain open as a significant portion of the manufacturing workforce is nearing retirement age. For manufacturers, building and maintaining a robust and skilled talent pool is key for both short-term and long-term hiring success.

Recruitment Marketing as a Relationship Builder, Not Just Candidate Sourcing

Don’t wait to be present until a position is open – consistently position your brand in front of both passive and active job seekers. Consistent branding creates a talent pool who is familiar with your company, benefits, culture and therefore more likely to consider you when looking to make a career change. Top of the funnel marketing tactics such as video and display make your brand presence known.

Build A Connection By Understanding Your Best Potential Candidates 

Develop personas, marketing strategies and campaigns specific to your common open positions. Different positions attract different types of candidates. Understanding the nuances allows you to more directly content with job seekers, to communicate your company story and to welcome them into your culture with a personalized approach. Seek out a recruitment marketing partner with a deep data bench, capable of developing audience segments, media placements and creative to speak directly to specific candidate audiences.

Enhance Your Job Board Presence with Display & Video

Placements on job boards are effective in reaching those actively seeking a position. However, other traditional marketing methods like targeted display and video allow companies to share their full story. More visual formats let prospective candidates see your benefits and experience your culture. Both elements that can cause them to choose you as their next employer – over your competition.

SUCCESS STORIES

Healthcare Recruitment Strategy

A growing aging population, pandemic burnout and a ramp up of traveling nurse opportunities have put a strain on healthcare recruitment. Nurses are in high demand – with an abundance of employment options to choose from. How does your healthcare facility standout in this mad dash for employment?

Invest in the Community You Serve

Healthcare is essential to the community. Consider supporting the community you serve by sponsoring local events, job fairs and awards to keep your organization top-of-mind. Not only will these positive associations bring your organization front and center, it will also generate positive word of mouth among the community – reaching friends and families connected to potential candidates.

Showcase Company Culture

Give a glimpse of what its like to work at your organization on any given day. Show the people who work there, the halls to be walked and the benefits to be had. Video succinctly communicates positive culture through virtual tours, testimonials and more. Written testimonials and other content featuring current employees lend authenticity to your showcase.

Replenish Talent Pools with New Grads

New graduates are critical in helping to fill staffing gaps and to replenish talent pools. Utilize highly targeted strategies to reach new graduates, while still on campus, where they are spending their time. Hyper local mobile targeting puts your organization front and center among soon-to-be-graduating adding you to their consideration set for post-graduation employment.

SUCCESS STORIES

Education Recruitment Strategy

Like most categories of business, education providers are facing faculty and staff shortages. Finding experienced and passionate educators and faculty continues to be a challenge. Education institutions should look beyond salary and benefits to larger strategies to drive interest and applications for the upcoming school year ahead.

Build Your Talent Pool with Year-Round Strategy

Primary education recruitment season begins at the end of the previous school year, with many schools starting from scratch every year. Establishing a year-round recruitment marketing strategy, allows you
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Utilize Your Community As A Recruitment Tool

Your community has the potential to be a unique selling point for your institution. Consider highlighting the quality of life – showing prospective employees the community you serve. Community events, local activities, cost of living and more can have pull over prospective employees looking to make a move or to enjoy a way of life your community offers. Partner with local events, local organizations and even your convention and visitors bureau to generate content about your community.

Job Fairs Help Build Awareness of Your Institution

Passive and Active job seekers join job fairs to learn more about prospective districts and institutions. By merely being present, among your competition, you can ensure that your district or institution is in the consideration set for educators looking to make a career move. Both in-person and virtual career fairs provide additional visibility and awareness for your institution.

SUCCESS STORIES

Warehouse Recruitment Strategy

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Tout the Benefits That Make You Stand Out

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Get Connected In the Community

Grassroots community efforts and word of mouth tactics still hold strong in warehousing recruitment. Sponsoring local community events and job fairs raises brand awareness in the community, spreads positive sentiment about your organization and jump starts word of mouth. This simple activation makes your organization more likely to be noticed by potential job seekers and considered as a stable, future local employer in a future job search.

Local Jobs, Local Placements

Warehousing recruitment pulls most applicants and new hires locally. Very rarely to companies hire outside of their immediate market. Tap into the local job seeker scene through local job boards, job fairs and other local job posting opportunities. Local job seekers continually use these outlets to find new employment opportunities.

SUCCESS STORIES

Trucking Recruitment Strategy

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Address Trucking Industry Myths

Increase top-of-the-funnel prospects by introducing the benefits of a trucking industry careers to passive job seekers. Address potential concerns head-on, including hours, mileage goals and living conditions while highlighting employment benefits such as 401K matching, healthcare and time off. Video and written content are both great vehicles to communicate this information.

Stay in Touch with Prospects

Deciding to change careers can be a lengthy process for passive job seekers. Keep your talent pool active with periodic communication about your business, job openings and career benefits. Set up an email calendar, reaching out to a list of emails from those who you met at job fairs, submitted an inquiry or sent a full resume. Frequently post about your culture, the trucking industry and openings to keep your followers engaged.

Job Boards Are Important

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SUCCESS STORIES

Professional Recruitment Strategy

Finding outstanding talent that fits your culture is a concern for any business. Make the most of your time and resources by attracting qualified candidates that can hit the ground running and succeed within your organization. Identify quality talent and cultivate your talent pool with leading recruitment marketing strategies perfect for professional businesses.

Showcase Your Company Culture

Tell the story of your business, your history, your employees and more. The more a prospective employee knows about your operations and culture the more they are able to determine whether they are a match for your organization. Office tour videos, employee testimonials and other visuals can help to show daily life within your company.

Tailor Communications to Open Positions

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Use Job Boards to Reach Active Job Seekers

Job Fairs, local job boards and job board aggregators remain critical bottom-of-the-funnel tactics in securing applications for open positions. While other flashier tactics will fill the top of your funnel, these more nitty-gritty media elements provide a place for active job seekers to seamlessly apply for the positions they want – now.

SUCCESS STORIES