What Types Of Outpatient Clinics Benefit From Virtual Receptionists?
The success of an outpatient clinic begins with their receptionists and their front desk strategy. Without a proper front desk strategy, they will face challenges that can hinder their productivity, customer experience, and bottom line.
Friendly, well-trained receptionists are the key ingredient in implementing a successful front desk strategy for outpatient clinics. They not only address many front desk challenges that outpatient clinics struggle with. In many ways, they can be better and more productive than an in-person receptionist.
But which types of outpatient clinics benefit from virtual receptionists the most? This may be a question clinic managers may ask when deciding whether to pursue a virtual receptionist strategy at their outpatient clinic.
Here’s what you need to know:
Why Should Outpatient Clinics Use Virtual Receptionists?
Outpatient clinics are plagued with front desk challenges. The most common problem is having no receptionists due to:
- Lack of available receptionists - Competitive wages offered by other clinics, the nature of the position, and many part-time roles make it challenging to find suitable candidates
- Absenteeism - Paid time off (PTO), sick leaves, and sudden emergencies can leave the front desk empty on an untimely manner
- No need - Some clinics opt to assign administrative tasks to their own providers to reduce costs
By employing virtual receptionists and using a remote front desk platform like WelcomeWare, outpatient clinics are capable of solving many of the front desk challenges that they’re currently facing.
Besides front desk management issues, clinics also face:
- Wait time - Clinics must have patient protocols for making patients feel accommodated before their appointment. The front desk plays a key role in making patients feel accommodated. Patients do not feel accommodated when there is no receptionist to greet them and help them check in. When employing a virtual receptionist platform, patients will always be greeted at the front desk
- Productivity issues - If receptionists are unavailable, providers take up the role of administrative tasks like scheduling future appointments and insurance verification. However, these force providers to split their focus and energy between delivering services and finishing administrative work. Virtual receptionists take on the burden of administrative tasks so that providers can focus on their work and deliver quality care
- Frustration - In addition, providers become frustrated when they’re unable to finish their administrative work due to being too preoccupied with delivering services. Virtual receptionists ensure that administrative tasks are complete, reducing provider frustration
- Unbilled appointments - In addition, the absence of a dedicated receptionist will lead to revenue losses due to unbilled or improperly billed appointments. 80% of appointments that are unbilled the first time are never billed again. Virtual receptionists ensure that your clinic is achieving its revenue potential by having patient appointments billed properly
Some benefits of using virtual receptionists include:
- Higher productivity - Virtual front desk platforms like WelcomeWare enable each receptionist to cover multiple locations at the same time. This allows you to maximize each member in your front desk team
- Cost savings - An overall reduction in front desk staff creates a leaner, more efficient operations team
- Wider candidate pool - Remote solutions enable your clinic to hire from a wider talent pool
Types Of Outpatient Clinics That Benefit From Virtual Receptionists
All outpatient clinics that deliver primary care can take advantage of a virtual receptionist platform. Here are 4 examples of outpatient clinics that would benefit from a virtual receptionist platform:
- Physical therapy
- Dentistry
- Pediatrics
- OB-GYN
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy patients are often unaware of the costs associated with their treatment. A dedicated virtual receptionist can provide guidance by explaining the plan of care to the patient.
This helps patients become more informed and better plan their treatment program. As a result, patients will trust the clinic more and will be more likely to return for future appointments.
Dentistry
The front desk is the start and finishing point for patients. Whether it’s the check-in or the payment verification, the front desk serves a crucial role in the patient experience.
Dentistry practices need a virtual receptionist platform because it optimizes and enhances the front desk in how it facilitates the patient experience. They can reassure patients in the reception area who are intimidated by what the procedure entails.
Pediatrics
One of the key aspects of an effective front desk is building a sense of empathy among its patients. In pediatric practice, the front desk is the first point of contact between the patient and the clinic. Hence, the front desk must establish a positive, friendly atmosphere for the child so that the parent of the patient is more likely to return to the clinic for further treatment of their child.
With a virtual receptionist platform like WelcomeWare, pediatric practices can leverage their empathetic receptionists across all their locations. This streamlines the patient experience and ensures that each patient will receive the same warmth and empathy whenever they enter the clinic.
OB-GYN
OB-GYN clinics must facilitate an empathetic and understanding patient experience. This involves extensive involvement from the front desk, as the receptionists are the first point of contact for the patients with the clinic.With a virtual receptionist platform, OB-GYN clinics can ensure that their patients are always warmly greeted.
Enhance The Patient Experience Of Your Clinic With WelcomeWare
Without the proper virtual receptionist platform, you’re unable to enable a holistic front desk experience. It’s difficult to know what to look for in a virtual receptionist platform. However, instead of encumbering yourself with extensive research, choose the platform that ticks all the boxes of remote reception while enhancing the patient experience. WelcomeWare is a dedicated virtual receptionist platform that caters to your medical front desk needs. Reach out to us to learn more.
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Use WelcomeWare for any type of outpatient clinic for increased productivity and lower expenses
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