A missed call = a missed opportunity for your practice.
Research shows that, if a new lead doesn’t get a response to their inquiry within five minutes, there’s an 80% decrease in the chance to qualify that lead.
To accomplish this sort of response time is of course challenging for many clinic owners, with so many different factors affecting how quickly service can be delivered to patients.
However, you aren’t alone; 90% of all companies don’t respond to a lead in under five minutes.
For many clinic owners, finding a balance between providing healthcare services while juggling administrative tasks like booking appointments and maintaining client relations in an ongoing challenge.
On top of your main priority of providing quality healthcare services, dealing efficiently with new client relations is critical.
So, how is this standard of lead management possible?
A virtual receptionist.
A virtual receptionist service allows small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMB) to operate in a more productive and efficient manner. They provide administrative support, often in the form of telephone answering services and/or appointment scheduling.
Not only is this a cost-effective solution, but it helps improve your clinic’s reputation and growth, while also taking stress away from clinic owners who have other tasks to focus on.
If you are unaware of the benefits a virtual receptionist offers your practice, we’ll show you the true value so you can continue running and scaling your clinic without losing any potential new clients.
So without further ado, here are four reasons your practice needs a virtual receptionist.
Get more time back in your day
Outsourcing your inbound calls and emails to a virtual receptionist is a great way to begin automating your practice without needing to add anyone to payroll.
A virtual receptionist will give you more time back in your day, reduce overall stress and eliminate any burnout that may occur from feeling overwhelmed at work.
Leave time-consuming administrative tasks, like booking appointments for clients, to your virtual receptionist. Doing so means you can rest assured that no clients will be double booked and no appointments will be overlooked. Your virtual receptionist can take the required customer information and book appointments right on your calendar.
This also gives you the freedom to concentrate on delivering your service, taking meetings, etc. without having to worry about missing important calls/emails.
If a full-time receptionist is not needed, using a backup receptionist service is perfect for many occasions including covering sick/vacation/personal days, lunch hours, or appointments.
Never miss another call or opportunity
For small businesses, one missed call from a prospective client can cause a significant setback in revenue.
Everyone knows the frustration of calls going to voicemail when trying to get in contact with a business. As high as 80% of callers won’t leave a voice message because they don’t believe they’ll get a call back.
The truth is, human connection can make the difference in someone’s day.
By having a virtual receptionist that answers every call live, you instantly eliminate the chance of losing a prospective new client to voicemail.
Missing calls from your current clients can also hurt your clinic’s reputation. Having someone dedicated to answering all inbound calls will improve your current clients’ satisfaction because they will feel valued and that their time is appreciated.
You can go even further to boost your customer experience by extending your business hours with a virtual receptionist, who can cover the phones after hours while you get the rest you deserve.
Boost your economies of scale
Taking on all the responsibilities of a small business is typically difficult to sustain as your business grows. However, many owners are hesitant to hire an assistant or receptionist due to the perceived high cost.
Many owners are uncertain of the benefits that such a service can afford and whether the payoff is worth it in comparison to hiring or continuing to do it all themselves.
Have no fear, one of the biggest perks about hiring a virtual receptionist is that you only pay for the time that you use. You won’t have to worry about wasting resources and you won’t need to pay a salary, vacation time, or employee insurance.
Plus, they can help you with call tracking and client retention, two very important factors when it comes to improving your practice.
Specialized customer service will also build stronger loyalty and satisfaction from your clients, which in turn will drive more business to your practice.
As you exert yourself less, require less overtime, and reduce your overall administrative workload, you boost ROI, productivity improves, and can put more time in where it really counts – back into your business.
Focus on growing your practice
Have you had dreams of scaling your business but simply haven’t had the time?
Maybe you’re looking to refresh your branding, train your employees, set up a new website, or increase your activity on social media. Or maybe you are looking to upgrade your skills through courses, additional training, or further education/research.
Brainstorming, strategizing, and personal growth sounds great, but dedicating time to this is challenging when operations take up all of your time.
This also puts you at a competitive disadvantage because you aren’t able to build on your skills and learn more about your practice. For practitioners, the best way to grow your business is to put in the work and focus on doing what you do best: serving your clients.
Hiring a virtual receptionist assists with this and allows you the opportunity to spend your time more efficiently while continuing to grow your practice.
Wrapping Up
With a virtual receptionist, you can ultimately bank time that can then be put back into your business and spend a fraction of the amount you would spend on a traditional receptionist.
Contrary to a call centre, Smiledog focuses heavily on training staff to understand they are a compliment to your practice and another member of your team.
With Smiledog’s seamless integration, you can rest assured that your customers will receive high-quality service during daytime hours.
The goal is to provide specialized customer service to SMB owners and healthcare practices, allowing you time to focus on what really matters – refining your skills and scaling your business.
Interested to see how your business can benefit from Smiledog’s services? Request a virtual reception demo today.