Six Strategic Advantages of Consolidated Health System Contact Centers

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SIX STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATED HEALTH SYSTEM CONTACT CENTERS

Transcript of Six Strategic Advantages of Consolidated Health System Contact Centers

Page 1: Six Strategic Advantages of Consolidated Health System Contact Centers

SIX STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATED HEALTH SYSTEM CONTACT CENTERS

Page 2: Six Strategic Advantages of Consolidated Health System Contact Centers

GETTING TO NOW

5,700 Hospitals in the U.S.

50%More than

belong to merged healthcare systems

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Physical: agents are consolidated into just one location

Technological: agents are physically in two or more locations, but infrastructure and technology are consolidated among locations

TYPES OF CONSOLIDATION

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1. INCREASED STAFF SATISFACTION AND EFFICIENCY

• Provide more in-depth caller assistance

• Better training and support• Manage greater call volumes

while reducing workloads

The key is in implementing a unified infrastructure that can easily scale with changing

call volumes

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2. IMPROVE RESPONSE TIMES TO CRITICAL CODES

• Consolidate all emergency response sources into a single call center function

• Eliminate reliance on manual information sources

• Streamline training

Consistency + Speed = Better Outcomes

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SAMPLE CODE WORKFLOW: BEFORE

Manual Paging

Manual Phone Tree

Wasted Time

Unconfirmed Responses

BEFORE = 129 MINUTESTIME TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS:

START

RESPONSE TEAM• Cath lab staff • House supervisor• ICU shift

coordinator/nurses

• Attending cardiologist• Cardiovascular

coordinator• ER director• Cardiovascular director

• ER shift coordinator• X-ray/imaging

technicians• Lab technicians

Patient in cardiac arrest; ER nurse

initiates code

Caregivers rally to help patient

Over communicate to ensure proper response

Inefficient phone trees among 30

people

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SAMPLE CODE WORKFLOW: AFTER

Patient in cardiac arrest; ER nurse

initiates the code

Caregivers rally quickly to help

patient

Staff automatically contacted on preferred

device

Operator initiates STEMI protocol;

kicks off notifications

Operator resolves any exceptions

Consolidated Infrastructure:• Logic for on-call calendar• Auto escalations based on

responses or non responses from staff

• Eliminates manual calling trees and messy escalations

BEFORE = 129 MINUTESTIME TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS:

START

AFTER = 68 MINUTES

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3. ENABLE AGENTS TO HANDLE MORE DIVERSE RESPONSIBLITIES

• After-hours answering service

• Appointment scheduling• Cost and insurance

inquiries• Event registration• Physician-to-physician

referrals

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4. ENHANCE SECURITY AND RISK MANAGMENT

A password-protected system maintains security while still letting staff log on anywhere

Call recording gives a record of how emergency calls are

managed

Audit trails allow retracing of

conversations

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5. STRENGTHEN CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR PATIENTS AND FAMILIES

• Create a positive experience for consumers

• Have time to assist with specialized questions and requests

• Call on each other for support and guidance

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6. IMPROVE TRAINING FOR NEW STAFF

• Include live listening and learning in onboarding

• Real examples of well-handled calls are the best ways to learn

• Provide opportunities for unofficial learning

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EVALUATE THE CONSOLIDATION ROI

Document pre-consolidation service levels

Determine KPIs for your organization

Track improvements

over time

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):• Number of full-time agents• Percentage of calls answered in specific

time frame

• Hold times• Length of calls• Training Costs

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6 STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES OF CONSOLIDATED CONTACT CENTERS

Increased staff satisfaction and efficiency1

Improve training for new staff6

Strengthen customer service for patients and families5

Enhance security and risk management4

Enable agents to handle more diverse responsibilities3

Improve response times to critical codes2

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LOOKING AHEAD

• Patients expect a more personalized, efficient, and responsive level of customer service

• The contact center serves as many customers’ first touchpoint with your organization

• New, innovative communications solutions reduce overhead and improve the caller experience