By:  Jan May, FACHE, MHA

In my many years as a healthcare consultant, one of the top questions I get from physicians is, "why are my phones ringing but my practice is not growing?"  My typical response is, "its your telephone."  Now I am not referring to the type of phone, or the phone system (even though that could be the problem as well), but who is answering your telephone.  Your front line staff will make or break your practice especially when it comes to retaining and recruiting new patients.  Unfortunately for you, the least educated person is typically the person who is the gatekeeper to your practices' success.  What can you do to change this?  Simple.  Put more importance and emphasis on who is answering your phone, educate and monitor them, and watch the results change.

 
Hiring:

Throughout my years as a healthcare practice consultant, a standard question that I ask of both the physicians and the office manager is, "what is your turnover rate?"  As you can imagine, that answer is all over the board.  However the one consistency is that if there is a position that has the highest staff turnover, it is the receptionist.  Why is this?  In my opinion it is because they are typically the lowest paid position in the office and the person with the least amount of education.  Now why would you hire someone who is the gatekeeper to your success and pay them a low wage and not educate them on the necessary skills that it takes to perform at peak levels?  If you can’t find someone who is already customer service focused, presentable, personable, and teachable, then keep looking until you do.  Once you find them, educate them, pay them well, and then develop them to the best of their ability.  Perhaps not only will they become a long-term employee, but they will be your advocate and business partner by promoting and growing your practice.


Continuing Education:

Education is king. Your parents told you this when you were a child, but you may or not have believed them.  If you want your telephone staff to perform at peak levels, then you must educate them not only on the proper use of the phone system, but on what your practice does, how you conduct your business and your credentials.  Don't expect your employees to know what your background is, what your credentials are, and what makes you tick without education.  Educate them on why someone would want to come to your office, why they wouldn't want to go anywhere else, why you are the best, brightest, and the most qualified physician in town and most of all, what services you offer.  All new telephone staff (this may include the entire office of course) needs to be given an in-service on all aspects and details of your practice, key staff, and key processes when they begin their employment and then monthly or quarterly from that point on.  Continuous education does not have an end point.  I encourage monthly staff meetings to not only review the business operations, but also to educate everyone on new products and services that you offer.  Otherwise, the phone will ring and the staff will not have a clue how to "sell" your services to them.  A proven model is having an one hour lunch meeting with 30 minutes dedicated to operational issues and 30 minutes dedicated to continuous education.  Of course if there is too much to cover, than perhaps a quarterly retreat is in order.

 
Customer Service:

I have personally conducted 1000s of Health Care Customer Service presentations over the years and seen many consistencies and trends.  First of all, customer service seems common sense to most people, but a refresher is always good to remind us to focus on the customer needs and not ourselves.  Second, in my experience, physicians don't understand why their patient loads are decreasing if they are "doing everything right." When they say this to me, I ask them if they have looked at their staff.  There is a very high percentage of patients that will tell me they love their physician, but can't stand his or her staff (typically their bad attitudes and abruptness) and that is why eventually they seek care elsewhere.  Thirdly, I have surveyed the staff that I have conducted customer service workshops with and asked them if they have personally left a physician's care due that physician’s staff's attitudes and I have received an overwhelming response of "yes."  So, if that is the case, why would patients not leave the physician practice that they work at if they had a bad attitude and poor customer service?  Good question.

 
Mystery Shopping:

What is Mystery Shopping you ask?  Very simply put:  shopping your own practice via the telephone without your employees' knowledge.  You might think that Mystery Shopping your own phone is ridiculous or underhanded some how, but it isn't.  It is a smart business decision.  When a potential patient calls your office it is most likely the first contact they have had with your staff.  If they are abruptly put on hold, ignored on hold, or spoken to in a rude tone, why would the potential patient come into your office for medical care?  I have personally told a receptionist that I had the wrong number when I was treated in such a manner and hung up.  Of course the next time someone asked me for a referral to a PCP or Specialist, I would not only tell them who I go to, but I would also tell them not to bother with the physician office that was rude to me on the phone.  I recommend that you make a habit of calling your own office several times a month on different days and various times of the day.  Personally I would choose first thing in the morning, just before and after lunch, and just before closing time.  These are typically the times when staff have a tendency to be a little short and rude on the phone, if they answer the phone at all.  Personally I would have a third party make the Mystery Shopping calls on your behalf as your staff most likely will know your voice.

Your practice's telephone should be an asset to your business' success and not a detriment.  If you focus your attention on hiring the right staff, continuous education, customer service, and monitoring your phones and you should see a change in the bottom line.


Jan May, FACHE, MHA is Vice President and Marketing Consultant with Marketing Specific MD specializing in healthcare practice consulting, marketing strategies, project management, and helping practices grow.  If you are interested in learning more about their services, please visit www.marketingspecificmd.com.