How Can a Medical Answering Service Help Healthcare Professionals and Patients?

Effective communication is key to being successful in any profession. This is especially true for doctors because, as healthcare professionals, they offer one of the most people-centric services. Here are some other benefits of utilizing a medical answering service.

Filter, Forward or Re-direct Calls 24/7

Medical answering services serve to provide a buffer between the caller and the medical professional, filtering out and redirecting non-urgent and administrative calls to medical support staff and business administrators.  This leaves the doctor free to attend to the core healthcare services they deliver without unnecessary distraction. 

Answering services also allow important messages to be redirected to predetermined medical colleagues to address patient need at times when the doctor is in surgery, undertaking medical consultations or is off duty.

From the doctor’s perspective the answering service can offer a separation of professional and private life whilst still ensuring patient care is maintained by channelling crucial communication to a trusted colleague in a reliable and timely manner.  Professional phone answering service staff are trained to take those calls and process them according to the doctor’s instructions and the seriousness of the situation, providing an invaluable bridge between medical professionals and patients. 

Message Delivery

Messages can be delivered by traditional pager which is an ideal way of simply differentiating between professional business messages and general messages. This explains why traditional pagers are still popular amongst the medical profession, particularly those who are on-call or require effective communication after hours.  

They can carry their mobile phone for family and general communication and the small pager which will only alert for important medical circumstances. Some doctors prefer SMS as their preferred mode of message delivery whilst some use combinations of pager, SMS, e-mail or the answering service operator ringing the doctor to pass on the message personally.  

These call processing procedures are configurable by the professional medical answering service to suit the doctor’s varying needs.  Daily or periodical call/message summary reports can be provided, usually via e-mail, for verification and record keeping purposes.  

Medical answering services are an integral link in the communication chain of healthcare services.  They serve to provide clear advantages and valuable services to medical professionals and patients alike.

What Kinds of Business Utilise Virtual Offices?

Technology has enabled many all kinds of different businesses conduct operations from various different physical locations, if necessary. While there are clear advantages that come with having all staff under the same roof during business hours, the ability for staff to be able to work from different addresses - or even different countries - has allowed for increased flexibility, efficiency and can also cut operating costs. This article will discuss the kinds of businesses that usually look to set up virtual offices and why.

What is a virtual office?

A virtual office is made up of any number of a range of different technologies that enable a business to conduct itself with staff and managers working remotely, rather than in one location or office. These services can include any combination of phone answering and transferring abilities between separate phone lines, voicemail services and an address that can be used for postal purposes. Often, a business will outsource some of this, having another company look after incoming calls and provide a virtual assistant.

An entity with this kind of business model may or may not have a permanent address. Often, it is not necessary at all and client meetings and the like can be conducted in temporary office space that is rented out, giving the appearance that this is the permanent office. To learn more about virtual office concept and what it can do to improve your business click here.

There are various benefits that come as a result of this. For one, it’s much more affordable and allows employees to work from anywhere in the world essentially. It can also ensure the business appears to be very professional and well-funded, when this may not necessarily be the case. Virtual offices are also quick and easy to set up whether you organise this yourself or go to a call service or virtual receptionist service provider in Australia.

Who usually uses them?

Virtual office scenarios naturally lend themselves to certain kinds of businesses and industries, predominately in the professional services. Small businesses and startups are generally more likely to go with a virtual office setup. Studies have indicated that the legal industry accounts for just less than one-fifth of businesses utilising virtual offices. Consulting firms also account for a large proportion, accounting for 15-16%. This is understandable, given that consultants will often work alone as sole traders. A virtual office can not only assist in the management of clients and the like but also give off the appearance that the consulting firm is much larger than it may be. The technology and finance industries account for 9-10% each; as mentioned many startup technologies and development companies will have a virtual office in place when they’re getting off the ground. Businesses in real estate and healthcare account for a further 6% and 7% respectively. Learn How Virtual Office Communication Can Help Boost Your Business.

Virtual offices are a good option for a lot of different businesses in various industries and are becoming more popular with technological improvements and the fact that professionals seem to have less time than ever before! If a virtual office arrangement sounds like it may fit your needs, get in touch with the team at Call Service today.