Reducing Hold Times and Improving Call Center Efficiency in Hospitals
Many providers face challenges with long hold times, overwhelmed staff, and inconsistent message intake. Reducing hold times and improving call center efficiency in hospitals largely depends on how standardized the intake process is. Let’s explore why automating yours can be the key to better patient satisfaction, care coordination, and health outcomes.
The Hidden Costs of Long Hold Times
Excessive hold times can impact patient convenience and lead to:
- Increased rates of call abandonment.
- Frustrated or disengaged patients.
- Delays in escalating urgent symptoms.
- Overworked staff struggling to manage peak-hour demand.
- Lower patient satisfaction scores and damaged practice reputations.
Top Strategies to Reduce Hold Times and Boost Efficiency
1. Implement Automated Intake for Routine Patient Messages
Allow patients to submit concerns like refill requests, appointment inquiries, and symptom updates through a secure chatbot. This reduces live call volume and frees up staff to focus on complex issues.
2. Integrate Intake With EHR and Scheduling
Automated intake only works if it can communicate with your other systems and share data effectively. This avoids redundant or missing information, accelerates the routing of patient concerns, and reduces message backlogs.
3. Monitor Performance and Staffing
Track peak call times and message quality so that you’re still able to staff appropriately and make the most of your available resources.
4. Provide Patients With Clear Alternatives
Promote self-service options that meet patient needs without requiring direct assistance from nonclinical operators. This will improve intake access without overloading your frontline team.
Improving Call Center Efficiency With Automation
A large hospital system was experiencing high call volumes, long patient hold times, and inconsistent message accuracy, especially during peak hours. After adopting an automated intake solution:
- Patient hold times dropped substantially.
- A large percentage of calls were diverted to secure chat, reducing operator workload.
- Message accuracy rose over 99%.
- Patient satisfaction scores increased significantly.
The hospital’s patient access manager credited their automated intake solution as the reason why their staff became less burdened and their patients were happier.
How MedMessage Automate Improves Call Center Performance
TriageLogic’s MedMessage Automate is a HIPAA-compliant, AI-powered solution that expedites intake by allowing patients to submit their concerns directly to their providers. Patients are given secure links that take them to intake forms that update dynamically as they fill out their symptoms. These dynamic prompts ensure that messages are complete and accurate.
Key benefits include:
- 24/7 patient access without the need for additional staff.
- Faster, more accurate reporting of symptoms and requests.
- Reduced call volume and administrative workloads.
- Improved patient satisfaction with less time spent on hold (3-7 minutes saved per patient).
- Integration with hospital systems to streamline communication.
Elevate Your Call Center With a Smart Intake Solution
See how automated tools can help your hospital reduce hold times, support your staff, and deliver a better patient experience. Contact us today to learn more about a program.
