Updated communications for better patient service
7th May 2020
We are confident our updated communications will make your dental experience easier to manage. We receive lots of great reviews… read more
Updated communications for better patient service
7th May 2020 | Posted by: Vanessa Giraud
We are confident our updated communications will make your dental experience easier to manage.
We receive lots of great reviews from our patients across all of the practices. Thank you! In fact, our overall satisfaction from patients is an excellent 4.7 out of a top score of 5.
But we noticed there was one particular concern that was causing patients in our bigger practices frustration. You told us that when you called to make or change appointments, the lines were busy.
We acted on your feedback and have upgraded our telephones. An excellent company called Petrol Communications has connected us to the future of communications.
How will communication updates improve patient service?
In the past, when patients called through to their dental practice, the call was accepted by the receptionist in the practice. At busy times, accepting calls was difficult for receptionists because their attention also needs to be focused on patients coming into the practice.
The updated communication system means that if a patient calls through to one of our dental practices, they can be directed to another team member who is free to answer, instead of going through to our voice mail.
Therefore, if patients are calling to book, postpone or reschedule an appointment, for example, they won’t have to keep on trying until someone is free to answer. We believe this updated service will improve our communication with patients and provide a more efficient booking service.
Going forward, this will take pressure off the reception desks so that our reception teams can focus on patients in the practice. Moreover it will help us to provide a dedicated pre & post treatment service to patients. Those with larger treatment plans in particular will benefit, as they have more appointments to arrange and attend.
Already the updated communication system is assisting patients seeking urgent dental care during the coronavirus lockdown. We have set up a remote dental advice and triage service. The team is on hand answering your questions and helping patients access care.
Setting up our new system
We were very fortunate in our choice of communication service provider. From the moment we contacted Petrol Communications, we were impressed by their customer service and excellent advice. All of our questions were dealt with immediately, so we are confident we have a system that really meets our needs.
Now the system is up and running, VoIP has transformed our communication. It facilitates smooth head office conference calls daily, and weekly conference calls with practice managers. It will definitely reduce pressure on our busy reception desks and enhance our services to patients too.
The Managing Director of Petrol Communications went out of his way to help SpaDental Plymouth’s Assistant Practice Manager, Heather, set up the voice recordings. A menu directs patients to the right department within our practices. She says: “The whole experience of recording the messages was actually quite fun!”
We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
Also: Are you wondering what the Plymouth team is doing while they stay at home?
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