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Telephone Answering Service

Staff Communication is Key

Effective leaders take time to get input from their employees By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD One of my goals when I ran an answering service was to provide the best possible headsets for my staff. After all, they spend all day on the phone, so voice quality, ease-of-use, and comfort are critical. To pursue this, […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The Impact of Video Calls on Call Center Agents and Operations

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. In the last issue of Medical Call Center News, we talked about using video in your call center. Three advantages are that video can help build caller rapport, aid triage, and elevate the professionalism of your call center. However, before you embrace video, consider these elements and prepare accordingly: Technology […]

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Telephone Answering Service

How Many Names Does Your Answering Service Have?

Having Multiple Business Identities for Your TAS May Be Strategic or Happenstance By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Not that I expect many readers to notice, but did you see I made a small tweak to my byline? Instead of Peter L DeHaan, it has become Peter Lyle DeHaan. There’s a reason for this. Let me […]

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Telephone Answering Service

What Are Your Plans for This Year?

If you plan for nothing, that’s likely what you’ll achieve. By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I’m a big advocate of planning. I have a plan for each day and a plan for the week. I have a plan for the month and for each quarter. I also have a plan for the year. It’s not […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

What’s Your Call Center’s Position on Video Calls?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Last time we talked about web chat and it’s growing used in the call center. Another interesting technology that will make inroads in the call center is video. Just as text messaging is driving demand for a webchat, the use of Skype, Face Time, and other video apps will spur […]

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Telephone Answering Service

How Fast Do You Put Accounts on Service?

Speed Can Be a Strength or a Weakness By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD How long does it take you to put a new client on service? How long should it take? I’m sure you can answer the first question quickly. And I imagine there might be a bit of angst in considering your response to […]

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Telephone Answering Service

Be Thankful for Your Staff

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD We will celebrate Thanksgiving Day next week in the United States. And our friends to the north celebrated it last month. Aside from having a day off from work—not that anyone in the answering service industry ever gets a day off, especially holidays—Thanksgiving is a time for us to think […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Will Web Chat Take Over the Healthcare Call Center?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. With the Millennial generation’s love for texting and general avoidance of placing a phone call, it’s tempting to project the demise of the call center. Although this may make for a logical conclusion, it’s not going to happen any time soon. Though tomorrow’s healthcare call center will undoubtedly have more […]

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Telephone Answering Service

Responding to Industry Consolidation

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As the telephone answering service industry continues to consolidate amid a sellers’ market, it leaves many wondering what the future looks like as they contemplate their long-term strategy. There are three general scenarios that apply to most situations: buy, sell, or stay. Buy Some large players, both from outside the […]

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Telephone Answering Service

What’s Your Exit Strategy?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD If you own a telephone answering service, you spend a lot of time thinking about the future. And if you’re not the owner, you should also consider what’s ahead. More on that later. Future considerations for owners may include growth, acquisition, or new technology. However, when you think about the […]