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Managing patient calls becomes more challenging when a dental group operates across multiple locations. Each practice may have its own reception team, telephone number, appointment system and administrative procedures. Without a coordinated telephone system, patient calls may reach the wrong practice, leaving reception staff to transfer enquiries manually or search for the correct contact details. The issue is even worse when a dental group buys an office or moves to a new town. Different telephone systems and supplier arrangements can create communication gaps and make reporting across the group more difficult.
Wavetel Business provides communication services that may be considered by dental groups when they consider their existing arrangements. A strategic plan can assist practices to organise incoming calls, assist reception teams and maintain the same communication at their sites.
A multi-location dental practice requires a well-defined procedure in responding to patient enquiries. In the absence of agreed procedures, each reception team might handle calls in a different manner. One practice may pass on enquiries, and another may request patients to call another branch.
These differences create additional work for reception staff and can inconvenience patients. Begin by determining the roles of each reception team. Determine what questions need to be left to the local practice and what can be done by a central administrative team. Create a definite system of appointment enquiries, treatment questions, cancellations and general information. A shared call-handling structure does not mean every practice must follow identical working arrangements. Each clinic will have the opportunity to keep its local responsibilities and follow common communication practices.
Patients sometimes contact the wrong branch when booking appointments or requesting information from another practice. Patients should not have to disconnect and call a different number to transfer these calls. A formal extension system enables the receptionists to forward the callers to a different location or department. An attended transfer allows a receptionist to speak with the receiving team member before connecting the patient. Wavetel Business provides call transferring, hunt groups, call forwarding and a centralised phone book in its hosted telephone services.
For example, a patient calling a central reception team to make an appointment at a different branch can be referred to the appropriate branch. This saves on unnecessary calls and provides the employees with a better understanding of how to address enquiries. Dental groups ought to settle on the naming of extensions before they are implemented, the process of transferring and the responsibility for unanswered calls.
Dental reception teams have a variety of tasks during the day. They respond to patient requests, make appointments, greet visitors and organise administrative duties. Receptionists might not be able to respond to all the enquiries when multiple patients make calls at the same time. This may be more challenging during morning opening hours, lunch and after weekends.
Call queues offer an organised means of handling incoming enquiries. The system can put callers in a queue instead of calling all of them on a single busy telephone line until an employee is available. Hunt groups are able to allocate calls to a chosen group of employees. The calls may ring out to multiple receptionists at the same time or in a predetermined sequence.
Wavetel Business offers call queues and hunt groups that can be considered by dental groups in their reception processes. Managers ought to set these features based on the real staffing levels as opposed to thinking that all the locations are equal in their capacity.
Some dental groups employ administrative teams that support several practices. When travelling between branches, regional managers might also be required to call reception teams. An integrated communication system can assist approved personnel to receive business calls using supported desk phones, computers or mobile applications.
An example would be that a regional administrator would be able to make calls to various reception teams using internal extensions without the need to use separate personal telephone arrangements. Call forwarding can also be used by managers when the employees are temporarily working elsewhere.
Wavetel Business provides computer and mobile-based calling services via its business telephone services. Such capabilities are able to assist teams to communicate when they change their location of work. Dental groups ought to have access control and transparent protocols on how business numbers are used on personal or shared machines. The staff should also know how to safeguard patient information when they are not working in their normal practice.
Patient administration is closely related to telephone calls. During conversations with patients, receptionists frequently have to recognize callers, verify appointments and update records. Switching repeatedly between systems can slow down reception work and increase the risk of manual errors.
Wavetel Business is compatible with Dentally practice management software. Features may comprise caller identification, incoming call pop-ups and click-to-dial, depending on the agreed configuration.
These functions may assist reception teams with access to the relevant information about patients in the course of conversation. They are also capable of minimising the necessity of typing in telephone numbers. In the case of a multi-location dental group, one should ensure that the way patient records, user permissions and clinic information are managed across branches is verified. The practices must be based on proper access controls and data protection practices.
Managing multiple practices involves more than monitoring the number of calls made by each branch. Group managers should be provided with information that will assist them in comprehending the communication demand and also determining the operational issues. Call reports may be helpful to give information regarding incoming and outgoing calls, missed enquiries, duration of calls and busy times. Wavetel Business has call reporting and online account management. These may assist administrators to check communication activity and centralize telephone arrangements.
For example, managers may find out that a particular practice is frequently called in the early morning hours. They are able to explore the possibility of more reception coverage or updated call routing. Operational decisions should be backed by reports and not be performance measures out of context. One of the indicators of a high number of missed calls is a shortage of staff, sudden demand or an inappropriate routing plan.
Another challenge to dental groups is expansion. An acquired practice can possess various telephone numbers, equipment, suppliers and reception procedures. The disconnection of these arrangements may complicate the provision of consistent communication throughout the wider organisation.
Prior to opening or purchasing a location, check its current telephone infrastructure and patient-facing numbers. Choose to retain, transfer or replace numbers. Confirm the presence of internet, equipment compatibility and the communication needs of the new team.
Number porting can be used to allow businesses to keep their existing contact numbers when switching providers, under eligibility and provider requirements. Prepare for any transition. Check incoming calls, outgoing calls, transfers and emergency arrangements prior to altering the live service. A gradual migration will help minimize the disturbance to reception teams and patients.
UKUK dental groups need effective communication procedures to manage patient calls across multiple locations. Dental groups require effective communication protocols in handling patient calls in a multi-location. More consistent administration can be facilitated by shared extensions, structured call routing, reception coordination, Dentally integration and central reporting.
Wavetel Business provides features that can be evaluated by practices against their operational needs. Before making changes, review existing call-handling procedures, staff responsibilities, system access and the location of essential communication resources. A planned approach can help the dental teams answer patient enquiries without making the everyday reception work more difficult.
Shared extensions, centralised call routing, call queues and forwarding arrangements can be used by dental groups. These tools are useful in enabling the reception teams to refer patients to the right practice and handle enquiries in various locations.
Call management is centralised to give managers to have a clearer view of communication in their practices. It may also assist in standardising reception processes, decrease unwarranted call transfers and assist workers in other locations.
Yes. Through a properly set up telephone system, receptionists are able to use internal extensions to transfer calls across branches. This assists patients to contact the right team without having to dial various telephone numbers severally.
With Dentally integration, patient information can be displayed in case of an incoming call. Additional features like caller identification and click-to-dial can assist the receptionists to access the records and handle the telephone enquiries more effectively.
Call queues, hunt groups and forwarding arrangements are some of the ways that dental groups can allocate incoming calls among available employees. Call reports may also assist managers in determining the busiest times and checking on the staffing needs at the reception.
Wavetel Business offers hosted telephone services with features such as extensions, call forwarding, hunt groups and centralised management. Dental groups will be able to talk about their expansion needs and evaluate appropriate structures to add more practices.
Every new location brings more patient calls to manage. Connect with Wavetel Business to discuss communication solutions that can assist in linking your dental teams in various practices.