By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I recently received a press release that surprised me. In part, it said, “It’s an open secret in healthcare communities: Patients lie.” I suspect that the reasons are many. Some lie because they don’t want to admit unhealthy behaviors to their doctors. Others, by not voicing a concern, subconsciously deny […]
Category: Healthcare Call Centers
Healthcare call centers articles by Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I have never done outbound calling, and it would be a bad idea for me to try. I have done inbound work. Inbound is a good match for me; outbound is not. As such, I tend to assume others share my reticence towards outbound calling. Once I projected this viewpoint […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Although I live in a rural area, my immediate surroundings are not; my house is in a subdivision. Even so, wildlife abounds. During the non-snowy months, at any given time I can, look out my office window and see at least one animal and usually more. I’ve spent the last […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. As a magazine publisher, I receive frequent pitches from publicists wanting me to read their clients’ book in hopes I will publish a favorable review. They’re happy to send me a free copy – and sometimes the books just show up unannounced. Although tempting, I already have a stack of […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I was quite skeptical when I first heard about “gamification,” the use of gaming concepts to motivate desirable behavior among customers (or employees). I reasoned that while expecting customers to “play games” might result in a short-term increase in brand involvement or purchases, I doubted if it was sustainable. However, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. You don’t need to spend much time in a call center before realizing agents enjoy sharing stories about their callers. This can be good: establishing community, providing a safe outlet, and building a collective understanding. (Conversely, venting about callers should be discouraged.) After such stories are shared, someone often says, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I needed to order some ink cartridges for my printer, the kind I can only buy from the vendor. I called and told the agent I wanted to order two black ink cartridges. Not surprisingly she suggested I buy a package that included two color cartridges. “No thank you, just […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. The label “call center” amuses me. First, most healthcare call centers process more than just calls, embracing many forms of communication. Second, call centers are becoming decentralized. The ironic truth is that a decentralized call center is an oxymoron. This decentralization of the call center was first manifested by linking […]
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Are You Changeable?
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. It’s been said that the only constant is change. Why, then, is change so hard? Call centers, especially those in the healthcare industry, go through frequent changes, perhaps more so now than ever before. These changes might include merging operations, moving locations, implementing revised procedures, adjusting to new regulations, or […]
By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D. Consider this: “ACE Healthcare Communications, the world’s leading provider of strategic convergent communication applications to leverage leading-edge technologies, announced today the worldwide release of its revolutionary solution, ACE WidGetiZer, which is uniquely guaranteed to grow organizations by slashing costs and boosting efficiency and revenues without increasing employee headcount.” This is a […]