Communicating with Patients: It’s more important than ever

Communicating with patients during a health emergency is crucial for their health and well-being, and that of your other patients and staff.  Hospitals, ER’s, and Urgent Care facilities are on the front lines of battling COVID-19, and providing the support that the public needs.  Here’s what helping them.

Communicating with patients right from the start

At a time when there are more questions than ever, medical providers are being asked for more advice than ever, so they need help responding.  General and Specialized medical practices are looking for the best way to

• provide important information
• tell patients how you can help them
• keep all their patients safer
• reassure them and calm their fears

Patient centered communication has helped

We work with a range of healthcare facilities, from one provider offices to hospitals, as well as with Municipal Authorities, and have helped them deliver timely information to telephone callers in search of information or assistance.  Some examples include:

• A Pediatric Practice that kept telephone callers informed of rapidly changing precautions and plans for treating their patients as the severity of the health emergency evolved. Their strategy changed three times in one week.  Each time the special COVID-19 alert on their telephone system greeting and the more detailed information in their “message on hold” was updated.
• A concierge family practice needed to inform patients that testing was not available at their office. In spite of email blasts (79% unopened) and website notices, patients continued to overwhelm their front desk with telephone calls.  Their automated answering system was switched on and a special greeting addressed the question, saving staff time that they could spend on actual medical needs.
• A Municipality that continually updates key information about official actions being taken to help and safeguard their residents
• A chain of Urgent Care offices uses Informer Messages to triage telephone callers, routing callers with COVID-19 fears for special attention, and educating them about “dedicated entrances” to the practice to isolate these patients and better protect other patients and unprotected staff.

Improving healthcare communication

Informer professional greetings and messages on hold are working at locations nationwide during the health crisis, and can help you deliver the right information to the right people at the right time.  Call for a free consult to find out about the right information that your practice should be giving patients today.  Call (800) 862-8896, or click here to sign up for a free 15-minute consult with our Medical Communications Consultant.  In Connecticut call (203) 655-3920, or call our New York Headquarters at (212) 355-6980

The Informer works with medical offices in New York City, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Long Island, Westchester, throughout New Jersey, in Connecticut in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford and nationwide

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Telephone tips for Medical Practices in New York help patients feel better

Simple Telephone Tips for Medical Practices can help you to help patients better every day.  That’s important, because your first contact with a patient in New York (or potential patient) is by telephone.  What do your patients think when they call you?

Telephone Tips for Medical Practices that always work.

Your practice is busy.  And at times calls come in too rapidly to handle. But it takes very little effort to make your patient feel that they’re receiving personal attention.  Here are 4.5 tips that you can use:

1. Smile.  It’s true that people can “hear your smile” over the phone.  My first boss had three busy representatives answering phones, and he put a mirror in front of each so they could see when they were smiling.  It’s a good habit that’s easy to start.  Even if you’re not in a great mood, research shows that you’ll actually feel better if you smile.
2. Answer the phone with a “standard” greeting that lets callers know that they’ve reached the right place.  If there are multiple providers in your office, reciting multiple names can be too time consuming.  But simply answer “Doctor’s Office” fails to provide enough information.  Find the brief way to answer the phone that helps your caller.
3. Take your time: even if you’re rushed, take that one extra moment so you don’t sound rushed.  You’ll speak more clearly (eliminating having to spend even more time repeating yourself) and help your caller more completely.
4. Don’t be distracted: don’t answer the phone while talking to a co-worker, or doing something else. Don’t let yourself be too informal: say “yes” and “no” instead of “yeah” or “nah.” Avoid “no problem” or “no worries.”  Try substituting “Thank you.”
   Listen to your caller: you’ve heard it all before…many times.  But each patient is unique, and you’ll save time and help them better when you listen to them.  They may not be saying what everyone else does. Listening closely can help you avoid misunderstandings and problems later.

4.5 Sometimes callers are placed on hold.  Before you do, get their consent.  “May I place you on hold while I find
out?”  In fact AT&T research shows that 69% of telephone callers to medical practices are placed on hold.  So
be prepared: helpful, informative “messages on hold” can make time spent waiting…

• seem shorter
• less annoying
• a way to educate callers about your practice and how you can help them best
  But don’t leave a caller on hold too long. Most phones “beep” after a minute to remind you.  Don’t leave a caller waiting on hold for more than 2 minutes without checking on them, and asking if they’d prefer a call back.

Simple Steps Make Difference

You can make callers feel more welcome, and have more confidence in your practice with these simple steps.

You can sound more professional and give callers information that they want and that you want them to have with Informer Messages on hold.  Click here to learn how they’ve worked for other medical practices, and can work for yours.
Or call us for a Free 15-minute consult about using Informer Messages at your practice: in New York City call (212) 355-6980.  Throughout New York State and nationwide call (800) 862-8896.  Call us, before your phone rings again.

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Healthcare Phone Systems can become overwhelmed: 2 steps will help

It doesn’t take a Pandemic for Healthcare phone systems to be overwhelmed.  Everywhere across the US, Urgent Cares and other medical practices can receive an influx of calls at any time, any day of any week.  But your callers don’t have to feel unappreciated or under-serviced.

Healthcare Phone Systems have un-utilized features

Your telephone system (PBX, Digital, Hosted, VoIP, or other) has features that will help you answer and help high volumes of incoming phone calls from your patients.  Two features are

• Auto Attendant: Not as personal as a “live” operator, this automated answering feature will answer your calls right away. A pre-recorded greeting is the first voice your patient hears, so it should be pleasant and well recorded.  The best option is a professional voice.  They just sound better.
• Queue Messages. The “queue” is the “waiting line” that callers enter when their phone call is answered by the Auto Attendant and routed to you “in the order in which they were received.”  When your callers listen to interesting messages while in the queue
  • the time spent waiting seem shorter
  • you can give callers helpful information that they’ll appreciate
  • you reduce frustration
  • callers will hold on longer before hanging up: According to North American Telecom research, Callers with music on hold will stay on the line thirty seconds longer than with silence. – Callers with information on hold will stay on the line for up to three minutes longer.

Making the most of existing phone system features

Using these features is simple: they’re already built into many phone systems.  Your phone service company can program the Auto Attendant and Queue features on your phones.  Simply record a greeting for the Automated Answer.  Your phone system will often play the same “default” music in the queue that it plays on hold.  The result: more callers will reach your practice without having to call multiple times.

Making a better first impression

You only get one chance to make a great first impression.  You can do that with a professional automated attendant greeting.  Queue time can be both informative and help build more loyal patients for the future, with Informer Messages on hold.  They can educate your caller about your specialties, your professional team, and how you can help them best.  Click here for more information about both types of recordings.

Free Professional Greeting

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, The Informer is giving away a Free Professional Auto Attendant Greeting to Urgent Cares, Hospitals, and ER’s that addresses the emergency (offer valid thru 4/30/20 but may be extended based on the emergency)  Contact us at (800) 862-8896.  We’ll professionally write and record your Health Emergency Greeting.  Your callers will appreciate the information and be reassured by the professional yet personal sound.

Start helping your callers better today.

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Planning for the future: when things change, you want to be prepared

Tough times don’t last.  But tough people do.  It’s a well-known sentiment, probably coined after observing a friend who simply toughed it out, and made it through.  That means that, in spite of today’s obstacles, Planning for the Future makes sense.

Since none of us can predict when tough times end, there’s never been a better time to plan for the future when things start to brighten up.  Making plans during the “darkest hour” might just seem like you’re overly optimistic, but it actually gives you a head start over your competition when things do start to improve

Planning for the Future starts today

What were your plans for 2020 back in December, before anyone had heard about Coronavirus?  What were your best opportunities?  We were still riding the wave of the longest economic expansion in history, and business was booming.  So what were your plans for your own continued growth?

Things have changed

Things have changed since then.  New information will have to be factored into your plans.  But the future still holds opportunities.  So new plans will have to be made: who will be your customers in the coming months?  What will they need?  What problems will they face?  What will they want?

Things have changed, but things always change.  Now’s the time to brainstorm about how you’ll attack that change and succeed.

Another maxim is that “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  There are lots of plans to be made. One of them is to consider what you’d like your customers to know about your business, your products/service, and how you can help them best.  Let’s talk about your Informer Messages on hold so we’re prepared to make the most as things continue to change.

Call me to brainstorm about your plans

Call me today and let’s brainstorm about the message that you’d like your customers and best prospects to get when they’re have a problem that you can solve.  Call me at (800) 862-8896 today.  Or click here to email me.

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Keeping Patients informed in Uncertain Times: Free tool for Hospitals

Keeping Patients informed about how your medical practice can help them is the first step in calming their fears during the Corona Virus and COVID-19 outbreak.  Dr. Michael Debakey is well known for having told us that “Good Information is the best medicine.”  One of your greatest challenges is keeping your patients better informed.

Here’s free tool that can help.

Keeping Patients Informed Today

While website posts and emails can offer general information, patients with heightened concerns will continue to use the telephone to book an appointment with your providers.  That’s an important time to announce

• protective measures you’re taking
• announce “drive up corona virus testing”
• separate entrances for testing,
• restricted access at some locations
• and other measures you need them to be aware of.

Telephone contact remains the #1 way to contact medical providers.  So telephone call volumes continue to increase.

Free Emergency Greeting for Hospitals, ER’s, and Urgent Cares

You can reassure your patients with the professional sound of an Informer greeting that gives every caller the information they need. The Informer is now offering one Free Telephone Greeting to any Hospital, Emergency Room or Urgent Care that requests it during the current health emergency.

We’ll write and record your Emergency Telephone System greeting for you, sharing our experience about what has helped our clients across the country.

Good Information is the Best Medicine.  Contact us today for the professional Health Emergency Phone System Greeting that will help protect the health of your patients.  Here’s an example:

Call for your Free Health Emergency Phone System Greeting

Call us at (800) 862-8896 and we’ll record your free professional greeting within 1 business day, and help you have it loaded onto your system.  Or click here to email us.

Informer Messages on hold can help you take the next step, giving callers added information, directing them to helpful website pages, and more.  Ask for more information.

 

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Ooma Office: feature 33 makes it the right choice for New York Businesses

Ooma Office lets your replace your business phone with service that unlocks 35+ features to help you run your business better.  Features like Virtual Receptionist, Call Park, and Ring Groups help you save time and money, but there’s a feature you might have overlooked: it’s the one that makes the VoIP system a marketing tool for New York Businesses, and isn’t your goal making your business more profitable?  Here’s how to do it.

Ooma Office’s overlooked feature

Every business phone has one thing in common: it’s the “hold” button. It’s there because your office is busy, and (according to AT&T Research) you put most of your telephone callers on hold (in fact, 69% of them) just like every other business.  It’s what you do to prepare for this problem that makes all the difference.

Ooma has default music that your telephone callers will hear on hold.  You’ve heard it before (far too often).  It’s that same old music.  Nobody likes it.  Especially busy New Yorkers.

But there’s a simple solution when you have Ooma.  Ooma makes it easy to load a professional marketing message on hold that replaces the hold music.  It’s a game changer.

Here’s how it works on the Ooma Office

Picture yourself calling a local business for information. You want to know how the best product will work for you.  Will it solve your problem? How is it different from what the competition offers?

You could be learning about the best reasons to choose their product, even while you’re waiting for customer service to answer your phone.  You could be listening to a marketing message that helps you make your decision.

Isn’t that better than listening to music on hold?  Isn’t that the kind of thing that you’d like your own customers listening to instead of boring music?

What would you like your callers to know about?

What do your callers ask about?  Are they just learning about your product, trying to decide if they should buy?  Are they existing customers who would like to know about new ways to use your product, supplies and “consumables,” replacement parts, options and accessories?  Or maybe about the newest model that they might want to upgrade to?

Every customer phone call is a call for help.  Callers want information, answers, reassurance.  So when your callers have to wait “for the next available representative,” or are placed on hold for a few moments, why would you make the listen to music?  Why not start addressing their Frequently Asked Questions, or give them answers that they’ll appreciate?  You can, when you use Ooma Office feature #33 in a whole new way.

How to do it on your Ooma Office phone system

How do you create the marketing messages that are filled with information that your telephone callers want, and that you want them to have?  The easiest and most effective way is to work with a professional who has done it for others?

Want to find out how marketing messages on hold can work for you? Call for a free 15-minute strategy session, and we’ll give you specific ideas that you can use today.

The Informer will actually do everything for you, from developing a strategy for what you can accomplish, to brainstorm specific ideas about what to tell your callers (and when), to writing your script. Then we provide a broadcast quality recording that we can help load onto your Ooma Office phone system.  Every time a phone caller is placed on hold, they’ll hear your message.

In New York call 212-355-6980.  In Connecticut call 203-655-3920.  And Nationwide call 800-862-8892. Or if you prefer, click here for more information.

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Urgent Care Advertising that actually builds greater loyalty

Urgent Care Advertising just attracts new patients, right?  Sure, but relying solely on getting new patients every day is a prescription for failure.  Your immediate care facility’s success depends not only on bringing in patients for a first visit, its bringing them again in the future.  So what kind of marketing tools are you using to give patients in New York and Connecticut more reasons to come back to you again in the future. Here’s one that does.

Urgent care advertising that brings them back?  Is that possible?

You can’t help cure your patients’ health problems unless your medical practice survives as a business, and that means ongoing billings.  There are three ways to support revenues:

1. Get more patients
2. Bill more on each visit
3. Loyal patients who use your health care services on a regular basis.

The first way is the plan that most care centers rely on for their long term success.  Unfortunately, it’s also the hardest.

Marketing that Building loyal, repeat patients

According to U.S News, the number one reason why patients go to urgent care is to diagnose respiratory infections.  Acute respiratory infections – such as the common cold, bronchitis and sinus accounted for 27 percent of the distribution of claim lines in 2016.

But respiratory infections aren’t enough to bring in enough patients to support your center.  The Urgent Care Association of America cites three key factors in building a more loyal patient base:

1. Convenience and price
2. Quality of Care
3. Educating your patients about more of the services you offer

Education is often the missing component

Your patients will appreciate useful information about how you can help your patient throughout the year such as

– bruises, burns, and cuts that may require stitches
– eye and ear infections
– headaches and migraines
– physicals for school, camp, DOT or CDL

The convenience that’s your #1 advantage over ER or medical office visits is reinforced when your patients know about these and other treatments that you can help with.

What’s the best way to educate patients about how you can help them?

Use every opportunity.  Even when your patients call your medical center with questions or to book an appointment. Even when callers are asked to wait “on hold.”

You can make “hold time” more interesting with advertising that gives your callers information that they want, and that you want them to have.  Walk in clinics like yours have used Informer Messages on hold to enhance their patients’ experience, and show patients how many convenient services they offer.  Here’s a sample of an actual Informer Message:

What are you doing to address the third most important factor in your success? Find out more about how Informer Messages can help you build more loyal patients who rely on you for more of the services you offer. Click here for details about Informer Messages, or call now to book a free 15-minute consult that will give you ideas that you can use today. In New York call 212-355-6980.  In Connecticut call 203-655-3920.  Nationwide call 800-862-8896.  Call now: it can be ‘just what the doctor ordered.’

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Networking In Spite of the Coronavirus

Think different. 

We all remember the iconic campaign from Apple Computer that virtually launched their creative image.

Networking during the Coronavirus is still possible

Today, it’s time for us to think different…about networking.  Right now we face a challenge to the way we network every week.  The Corona Virus has cancelled many gatherings including networking events, not only for Stamford Business Network, but for other organizations that meet every week.  So what can you do in place of our weekly meeting?

Let’s think different and network online.  Some of us have already tried it.  But since it’s not a great idea for us to get together every week, online networking might be our best option.

Here are a few ideas that you can try to start, or accelerate your online networking.
The easiest place to start is on LinkedIn.

1. Do you have a LinkedIn Profile?  If not, it’s time to create one.  If you don’t know where to start, let me know and I’ll help you create a basic Profile, and give you tips on how to make it better
2. Start with the “low hanging fruit.”  Connect with everyone here at SBN.  We’ll all accept, and you’ll immediately have 40 connections, and you’ll be on your way.
3. The average user spends about 17 minutes each week on LinkedIn.  That’s about the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.  And far less than you spend on Facebook.

Trying something new is that easy.

There are lots of other ideas, too, and most of them are just as simple.  Next week I’ll give you more steps you can take to become a better online networker.  Or, if you can’t wait, give me a call at 203-655-3920.

Networking In Spite of the Coronavirus is important

Remember: Your network determines your net worth.  Even though you can’t spend time networking in person at our weekly meeting, you can still grow your business by networking. You just do it in a different way.

 

 

Casey Hart is President and founder of Informer Messages on hold. Informer Messages, like networking, are a way to start the conversations that help you sound more professional and sell more.  They turn the time that your telephone callers spend on hold into a marketing opportunity, replacing boring music on hold and the annoyance of waiting in “dead silence” with information that your best customers want, and that you want them to have.  Here’s a link to a 60-second video about Informer Messages: http://informermessages.com/about-informer-messages-on-hold

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Spring Real Estate Market Strategies: 3 ideas to try to attract more clients

The Spring Real Estate Market in Connecticut is the best time of year to be a Realtor.  Spring is when home buying really blooms, and has traditionally been the busiest time of year for closing deals.  So how can you attract more buyers and sells for the Spring Market?  Here are 3 ideas you can try that can lead to more listings and shoppers.

Before we start, think about the “Sales Funnel”

Marketing is a three step process often shown as a “sales funnel.”

• At the Top of the Funnel is “Awareness and Recognition.” Awareness campaigns are useful when you want to reach new prospects and tell them about how you can help them.  It’s when you connect with prospects when their need arises.
• Middle of the Funnel: Education and Evaluation. Now that you’ve got you’ve got their attention it’s time to educate your potential client.  Tell them about “what you do, how you do it, and how you’re different from the competition.”
• Bottom of the Funnel: You’ve attracted potential clients, and they know what you do. Now’s the time to convince them to work with you.

If you neglect any part of the process, you’ll lose the client.

Spring Real Estate Marketing Ideas

To be most effective, you’ve got to appeal to potential clients at every part of the funnel.  Here are three simple ideas that you can use that will help you accomplish this goal for the Spring Real Estate Market.

The 3 Steps

1. Awareness: We all shop online.  It’s the way that we look for what we need and look for needed answers.  There are dozens of (expensive) marketing ideas you can invest in online, but here’s a “Guerrilla Marketing” idea that just takes some thought and a little time.  No investment is needed.
   If you live in Hartford, CT, simply Google “Hartford Moms Group.”  I just found over 1 million results, but the best ones are “moms and more,” “Moms Meetups,” and “moms club.”  Moms are the first members of a household to start talking with Realtors, so that’s where to build awareness.  Join online Meetups and communities.  Blog about the community, its resources, and its real estate.  Become known as an expert and as someone who contributes to the community and the local real estate.  Be sure to “link” back to your website.
2. Education: Visit Meetups in person.  Offer to talk to local groups: Mom’s groups, PTO, and Civic groups are made up of moms (and dads) who want to enhance their communities, and preserve their investment in the community.  These groups are always looking for interesting presentations that will help their members.  Prepare a 10-15 minute presentation so that you’re well-rehearsed and professional.
3. Convince them: This can be the most challenging step because the Connecticut real estate market is so competitive.  They work in ultra-competitive Fairfield County.  They’ll work in Hartford, or in your market.  Show your potential clients that you know how to accomplish their goal…whether they’re buying or selling.  Do you know the difference between “features” and “benefits”?  In the Connecticut real estate industry the “features” are the things you do.  The benefits are why you do them for your client.  Explain your process in terms of benefits
4. Here’s a bonus idea: You can reinforce your message at every stage of your Sales Funnel with Informer Messages on hold.  Informer Message are marketing messages that your telephone callers hear every time they’re placed on hold.  They help you sound more professional and reinforce the benefits of working with you.
   AT&T research has found that 69% of business telephone calls are placed on “hold.”  Your callers can sit in dead silence, or listen to bad music…or they can be learning about how you can help them.  Which would you like them to hear?

Close more Real Estate deals this year.

This year’s Spring Real Estate Market can be your best ever.  Think about appealing to your potential client at each of the stages.  Try these ideas, and use them to come up with others that work even better for your style.  And to find out more about Informer Marketing Messages on hold for your agency, call: In Connecticut dial (203) 655-3920.
Outside CT dial (800) 862-8896.  Or simply click here to receive more information.

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