In this era of technology every industry is focusing on a high level of satisfaction to their customer, Healthcare Industry is one of them, today every healthcare Industry counters stereotypes of clinics and healthcare facilities i.e. waiting outside doctors’ cabins, waiting for the ambulance, waiting for admission etc.
Patients of Hospitals, not using IVR services continuously have to wait, till the phone is answered, as the receptionist can answer the single call at a single time only. By this process, patients cannot get connected with the hospital in case of emergency or any query.
To solve all these difficulties, IVR is used as a crucial element of improving customer service in the Healthcare Industry or Hospitals.
How IVR advantageous to hospitals
- Automate Call Answering and Routing
With an IVR, your patient no longer has to wait for getting an answer from the hospital. As soon as the caller calls on the IVR number, the caller will be welcomed by a welcome tone to assist them, asking questions to learn their reason for calling and direct them to the right extension. Some IVRs are so well designed that callers think they’re talking to a real person. It reduces the burden on your receptionist, and they can manage the call and can continue their other responsibilities simultaneously.
- Easily Provide Information
Not only in hospitals IVR is beneficial to provide information to clinics, laboratories, blood banks etc. All this information is easily accessible. It provides information and guidance regarding working hours, appointment schedules, ambulance availability etc.
- Maintain Patient history data
IVR facilitates recording the patient’s communication with the doctor on call. It allows doctors and patients to repeat the call as many times as they find it necessary to understand the history, it facilitates organizing problems and prioritizing the problems.
- Provide 24*7 Access for Emergencies
IVR allows 24*7 emergency access to patients even after working hours without an operator to receive the calls. The emergency calls can be routed to the doctor or nurse extension without needing extra staff or infrastructure.
- Increase Productivity of staff
IVR facilitates handling almost all of the routine telephone work without the involvement of staff which saves their time, staff are able to complete other tasks more quickly and efficiently. This means staff can get their work done without needing to work overtime. Employees don’t feel overwhelmed, boosting workplace satisfaction, while reducing expenses and boosting your practice’s return on investment.
- Administrative operation and IVR
In healthcare and hospitals, IVR systems are effectively used for administrative operations i.e. medicines records, prescription refills, patient history, medical reports, patient information services, automated advance booking of beds, appointment scheduling, appointment reminder, laboratory reports, patient diet services, and many other applications.
IVR’s benefits to Hospitals in Rural areas
In Rural areas of India, where the literacy rate is low and people are not aware of the facilities provided by healthcare industries or Hospitals. IVR systems are very beneficial in those areas because IVR is easy to use and does not require high literacy levels.
As IVR is based on Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) or speech input and the outcome is also based on speech. Therefore, no written literacy is needed in understanding the information given by IVR systems. By customized IVR, hospitals give access to IVR in regional languages in that rural areas.
There is a huge problem with an internet connection, and the people in rural areas cannot access the modern technologies that need internet connections, but IVR systems are designed in such a way that they do not require an internet connection, and they can be used only by simply dialing a number and putting in some DTMF or speech.
Another benefit of IVR systems in Rural area is that it saves time. Normally, to obtain medical treatment you need to visit a hospital or doctor. But with IVR, it can be done remotely. Many people in rural areas could not get medical treatment, because they are not able to go to a hospital or are not able to read the medical information. Now, this information can be accessed on IVR without visiting Hospitals or doctors. It also reduces the cost of transportation and saves time also.