Professional Auto Attendant Recordings for Pediatric Offices
If your pediatric office is thinking of setting up an auto attendant, or you have just recently set one up, then you should be considering how this technology can be used to improve the way your business connects to your most valuable asset – your customers.
Sure, you can opt to recording your auto attendant greetings in your own voice, or a use a staff member for your recordings, but as we’ve covered in previous blog posts, there’s a lot of pitfalls when it comes to taking the DIY approach.
When setup correctly, an auto attendant can improve how your all-important clients interact with your practice in a way that gives them more freedom and less hassle. An engaging and well-crafted auto-attendant recording can strengthen your company’s image as a professional and successful pediatric office, but it can also help to facilitate call-flow, and provide a better overall experience for your callers.
One of the most important things you can ask yourself is how effective your auto attendant experience is from the customer’s point of view.
1. Consider Who’s Calling?
The first thing you must consider about your auto attendant recordings is your caller, and in most cases it’s likely a parent with a sick child. Whether the child is a toddler or teenager, their health and happiness is always the most pressing issue. You should expect that the parent is concerned, and looking for the quickest way to help their child feel better. Bearing that in mind your auto attendant should accomplish connecting that concerned parent with an answer to their questions, in the fewest steps possible.
Additionally, you probably also receive calls from other doctor’s offices, insurance companies, pharmacies, any number of other industry professionals. While these callers may be secondary, they should still be able to get to your staff quickly and easily.
2. Defining Call Flow and Menu Options
As we’ve mentioned above it’s important to define whom the caller is likely to be, what information they’re seeking, and how to best get them that information quickly.
Your auto attendant greetings often depending on the size of your staff and their functions, you may want to provide a few simple options for the caller, or several selections. Below are two examples covering both.
Examples:
[Simple] Thank you for calling Personalized Pediatrics! For appointments, press one. To speak to a nurse, press two. For billing, press three. If you’re calling from a doctor’s office or pharmacy, press four.
[Specific] Thank you for calling Personalized Pediatrics! For appointments, press one. To speak to a nurse, press two. For prescription refills, press three. For billing, press four. If you’re calling from a doctor’s office or pharmacy, press five. For office hours or directions, press six. For our office administrator, press zero.
3. Sub Menu Options
Sometimes, sub-menus are appropriate if you have several offices, specific nurse functions, or static information to share. Personalized Pediatrics has 4 locations, and a staff with specific responsibilities. Below are a few examples of providing sub-menu options when necessary.
[Sub-1] To make an appointment at our Broward office, press one. For our West Palm Beach , press two. For our Miami-Dade office, press three. And, for our Martin County office, press four. In this example, sub-menu one will direct the callers to the appropriate office to schedule make their child’s appointment
[Sub-2] To speak with the nurse or P.A. on duty, press five.
[Sub-3] For billing questions, press one. For accounts receivable, press two. For accounts payable, press three. If you are calling from an insurance company, press four. This sub-menu separates patient calls from insurance company and vendor calls, quickly directing them to the appropriate staff members.
[Sub-4] All four of our offices are open 8am to 6pm, Monday through Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. For office locations and/or directions, you may visit us online at Personalized Pediatrics dot com.
4. Consider After Hours
Often times medical offices receive phone calls before or after normal business hours. If you have a nurse on-call 24/7, or your office offers emergency appointments, be sure to include that information in your recording. If you offer non-emergency appointment scheduling at your website, then you should include that information as well.
Example:
[After Hours] Thank you for calling Personalized Pediatrics! Our office is presently closed. To page the on-call nurse, press one. Regular office hours are 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. After the tone, please leave a message for a return call on our next business day. For your convenience, you can also schedule non-emergency appointments on-line at Personalized Pediatrics dot com. Once again, thank you for calling, and we look forward to speaking with you soon!
Ready to Get Started?
At Original On Hold, we have extensive experience designing auto attendant recordings for pediatric offices, and many other types of businesses. Our polished, professional automated attendant recordings will help you accomplish your business goals, create a more productive working environment, and provide a better caller experience. Call us today at 800-688-4181 or request a consultation here.
