The behavior of your medical office staff on inbound and outbound calls can have a positive or negative impact on your business. Whether a receptionist is scheduling an appointment or a nurse is answering a question, excellent phone etiquette and customer service is required to prevent patient attrition and spread of negative word-of-mouth advertising. Ask your staff to follow these seven rules of etiquette when dealing with patients, vendors, colleagues and others on the phone. Show
Fast on the PhoneAnswer inbound calls as quickly as possible – before the third ring – to prevent a caller from thinking the office is understaffed. Too many rings is an unnecessary irritation in waiting patients and can create a negative office atmosphere. Impress upon your staff that everyone in the office should assist with this issue. Friendly and ProfessionalGreet callers in a friendly, professional manner with the office and staff member name: “Good afternoon, Thousands of Smiles Dental office, this is Jacob. How may I be of assistance?” Smile during every call, as smiling can naturally improve the voice to make it seem more energetic and friendly. Avoid eating or chewing gum while talking, as the noises can be most unpleasant for the person on the other end of the phone line. Appropriate Volume and SpeedSpeak in a low tone using moderate volume and speed to convey words in a clear, understandable way. Raise tone or volume to emphasize a point or clarify as the situation dictates. For example, a staff member might raise the volume of his voice for an elderly patient who asks him to speak up. Be Polite When Placing Caller on HoldAsk a caller’s permission to place her on hold if necessary. For example, after the greeting and determining the caller’s name, a staff member might say, “Mrs. Anderson, I'm assisting a patient on the other line. May I please place you on a brief hold? (waits for answer) Thank you. Please hold.” TipAdvise office staff to always check back with a caller on hold within a specific amount of time to reassure the caller that he hasn’t been forgotten. If a staff member anticipates a long hold time, she should apologize for the continued hold and provide the caller with options such as leaving a voice-mail message, continuing to hold or calling back later. Although hold times vary by medical offices, callers might consider a hold time longer than 30 seconds without a hold message or music, or 90 seconds with a message or music, to be disrespectful. Use Plain EnglishUse nontechnical language with patients instead of jargon or medical abbreviations, as a caller or call receiver might not understand medical terminology. If use of a medical term, phrase or abbreviation is necessary, ask staff members to offer a definition in context to clarify meaning. Of course, it's appropriate to use more technical language in conversations with a doctor, medical supplier, pharmaceutical representatives and so on. Attentive Listening SkillsListen to the caller or call receiver attentively to determine the best way to assist and to show interest and concern. Advise staff members to take notes while listening, wait for the caller to finish speaking and repeat key points or ask questions to clarify the caller or receiver’s statements. Satisfying Call ClosureClose the call in a friendly, professional way instead of simply hanging up. For example, “Thank you. I will make certain the doctor gets your message. Goodbye.” or "Mr. Smith, Is there anything else I can help you with? (waits for answer) You’re welcome. Thank you for calling and have a nice day." Presentation on theme: "Today's Medical Assistant"— Presentation transcript: 1 Today's Medical Assistant
2 Introduction to Telephone Techniques 3 Telephone Courtesy The telephone should be answered promptly, within three rings The medical assistant (MA) identifies the office and himself or herself Why should the
medical assistant always begin by identifying the medical office when answering the telephone? What should the medical assistant say to identify the medical office? What should the medical assistant say to identify himself or herself? 4
Telephone Courtesy Important to ask politely who is calling 5
Telephone Personality 6 Telephone Personality
7 Effective Telephone Communication 8 Effective Telephone Communication 9 Effective Telephone Communication
10 Effective Telephone Communication 11 Effective Telephone
Communication
12 Multiline Phones Multiline telephone with several extensions is commonly used Flashing light
usually identifies line that is ringing How many telephone lines can be handled by a multiline telephone? When the different buttons on the multiline telephone light up, are they incoming calls or outgoing calls? How does the medical assistant know which telephone line a call is coming in on?
13 Multiline Phones Should handle second call and return to first as soon as possible Tell
first caller he or she will be placed on hold Handle calls in order Calls are transferred if caller asks for another person or extension Caller is identified before transferring the call Helpful to keep names of callers on hold written down If hold light continues to flash, should check with caller every 30 seconds to be sure call goes through When more than one call comes in, how should the medical assistant handle a
second call? How does the medical assistant transfer calls using a multiline telephone? How can the medical assistant keep track of callers on different lines if the medical assistant is handling several calls at once? How does a patient feel if he or she is transferred to a telephone line that rings and rings but no one picks up? How can the medical assistant recognize that this is happening? What system feature can prevent this?
14 Multiline Phones Special Features
15 Answering Machines and Voice Mail 16 Answering Machines and Voice
Mail 17 Cell Phones and Smartphones 18 Cell Phones and Smartphones 19 Pagers Direct dial to pagers (beepers) 20 Centralized or Electronic Routing
21 Centralized or Electronic Routing 22 Centralized or
Electronic Routing
23 Performing Telephone Screening 24 Performing
Telephone Screening 25 Calls the Medical Assistant Usually Handles 26 Calls the
Medical Assistant Usually Handles 27 Calls the Medical Assistant Usually Handles 28 Taking Messages and Outgoing Calls
29 Taking Messages Best to use message pad that makes a copy 30 Taking Messages Do not write in a space intended for physician follow-up Include all information Date and time
Name of physician or staff member being called Patient’s full name and date of birth Clear message that indicates what the caller wants What is the advantage of using a message form that has a separate space for physician follow-up? What information must be included when taking a message in order for the message to be complete? Why should the medical assistant be clear about what the patient wants when taking a message for a
physician? 31 Taking Messages Include all information
32 Taking Messages What does the caller want in this message?
33 Patients Requesting Test Results 34 Patients Reporting Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory Progress 35 Requests for Medication and Prescription Refills 36 Requests for Medication and Prescription Refills
37 Requests for Medication and Prescription Refills
38 Requests for Medication and Prescription Refills 39 Calls for Referrals or Requesting Laboratory or Diagnostic Tests
40 Calls for Referrals or Requesting Laboratory or Diagnostic Tests 41 Patients with Medical
Questions 42 Calls from Other
Physicians
43 Calls from Salespeople 44 Urgent or Emergency Calls 45 Urgent or Emergency Calls 46 Urgent or Emergency Calls 47
The Caller Who Refuses to Give Information 48 Complaints Listen carefully Avoid getting angry 49 Complaints Avoid hanging up on an angry caller
50 Patients with Special Problems 51 Patients with Special Problems
52 Local Calls Privacy should be provided when making calls to patients 53 Local Calls If placing a call for a physician, make sure physician is ready to talk first Staff should not make or receive personal calls except for emergencies Personal calls tie up phone lines and take time away from work Outgoing personal calls should occur at lunch time or break on a personal cell phone How should a medical assistant place a call for a physician to another physician?
If a medical assistant has children, should he or she leave his cell phone on vibrate while at work? Why or why not? When is it acceptable for a medical assistant to make personal calls during the work day? What telephone should the medical assistant use? What emergency contact number should the medical assistant give to family members? Why?
54 Long Distance Calls Can usually be dialed directly
55 Conference Calls Some phone systems allow conference calls among three parties MA may set up conference calls among more than three parties with a telephone carrier May need to notify all
parties of call number and participant code in writing Can notify via Can notify by telephone with follow-up fax What are examples when a medical assistant might need to arrange a conference call? How can conference calls between three parties usually be placed? What is necessary to set up a conference call between four to six parties? Why should an assistant smile when talking on the telephone?Answer with a Smile
The tone of the human voice changes when smiling. It is readily perceivable to the caller and it sets the tone for the rest of the call. It's been proven that a smile puts the caller at ease. Their mood then matches that of the person who answered the phone for the duration of the call.
Why might office policy require the assistant to also get a patients date of birth when identifying a caller?Why might office policy require the assistant to also get a patient's date of birth when identifying a caller? Several patients may have the same name.
What is the key response for an assistant who is dealing with an angry telephone caller?Medical Skills and Services. Why must the assistant always be aware of who is nearby when on the telephone?Why must the assistant always be aware of who is nearby when on the telephone? To keep unauthorized parties from overhearing confidential information.
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