Tired of having to contact each one of your patients to confirm their appointments? How much money could you save on staffing costs if your phone system could do this for you?

Baltimore, MD, February 8, 2010

When healthcare offices are shopping for a new phone system this is a topic that almost always arises. I thought it would be good to provide our blog readers with a quick overview about how automated appointment reminders work and what should be considered. Most telephone systems today do not have the capacity to support this type of technology direct from their manufacture and usually require a third party add-on devices and/or software. The good news is that there are several companies on the market that offer a this technology and they are all very easy to integrate into any telephone system.

Hardware:

Typically there is some form of hardware (i.e. a computer) which houses the software and has a line card and an Ethernet connection. The line card connects directly into a standard analog station port of your telephone system to gain access to telephone network. The Ethernet port connects to your Local Area Network (LAN) so the system can interface your scheduling software and patient database to gather the necessary information to make the calls.

Software:

The software is preprogrammed for certain parameters so that the system will automatically contact your patients at a scheduled time each day. The patients then have the option to confirm, decline (optional), or reschedule. If the system hits a voicemail box it can be programmed to leave a message or just call back. Additionally, the appointment reminders can be programmed to offer operator assistance if one is available. The possibilities are really endless and while we are using a healthcare facility in this example, these systems can be used for a variety of industries: Schools, churches, emergency response, dry cleaners, labor unions, fitness facilities, libraries, blood drives,  and homeowners associations to name a few.

Important Considerations:

 There are several items to consider some of which will depend on which manufacture and model appointment reminder you choose. Here are a couple of key items to enquire about:

1. Will upgrades to your computer network be required?
2. Is the system compatible with your scheduling software and/or, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software?
3. Does your telephone system have adequate ports to handle the volume of calls you are requesting.
4. Do you have adequate telephone lines available to support the volume?
5. How well will your patients respond to this new technology?

 The Return:

A rough Return on Investment (ROI) can be determined by calculating the following: the estimated number of patients your practice sees each day, the cost of each visit, the average number of no-shows, the estimated decrease in no shows with the new technology, the amount of time it takes your staff to manually make these calls each day, the staff’s salary and any other expenses involve (like sending out reminder letters, etc.). Once calculated you can determine your breakeven point of when the automated appointment reminder will start making you money! We find that in most offices that average 50-100 appointments a day the breakeven point is somewhere within the first 6-months of implementing the appointment reminder.

With technology that could improve your customer service and potentially save your company thousands of dollars in the first year, why not get started today and request a free proposal with an ROI analysis?  To request a free proposal please submit the following criteria via email to sales@myteltek.com: 

• Name of the scheduling software used today?
• Name of the customer database software used today?
• Brand of telephone system and configuration?
• Number of appointments scheduled each day?
• Number of doctors that will be using the software?
• Number of hours spent making confirmation calls today?
• If follow up letters/postcards are sent out in addition to calls?
• Estimated number of no-shows each day?
• 5-year projected growth plans (if any)?
• Any additional functionality that you have heard about and may be interested in?

 Teltek is a second generation, family owned and operated telecommunications integrator and certified Avaya Business Partner and NEC Dealer.  Our knowledgeable staff specializes in current Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), digital, hybrid, and key telephone systems in the small to mid-sized market place.  We distinguish ourselves by offering one-stop service and bundling a large variety of products and services such as: communications architecture and consulting, unified messaging, mobility solutions, voice and data cabling, and local, long distance & internet brokerage services. Serving Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other surrounding areas, trust Teltek to coordinate your next phone system repair, cabling project, system installation and office relocation.

 Chris Nicoli, CEO
www.myteltek.com
sales@myteltek.com
1.866.9.Teltek
236 East Main Street

Westminster, MD 21157

This entry was posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 10:04 am and is filed under FAQ. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.