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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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Healthcare Call Centers

Voice AI in the Healthcare Call Center

Should We Embrace Technology in Our Medical Contact Centers or Fear It? By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Throughout the history of the call center industry we’ve looked for ways to help our agents be more effective. In the pre-computer days this often meant physical solutions and electromechanical devices that allowed staff to answer calls faster, […]

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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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Healthcare Call Centers

Prepare Now to Make Next Year a Great One

A Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Before we say goodbye to this year and welcome in the next, we should take time to envision what we want next year to be like, to plan and to prepare so that it’s a really great year. First, I recommend you […]

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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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Healthcare Call Centers

It’s Hard to Plan When You Don’t Know What to Expect

Forecasting the future of healthcare remains a challenge By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Regardless of what you think about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the fact that it’s future remains in limbo means that planning in the healthcare industry is challenging at best. Last week, what initially appeared as a final effort to repeal and […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The Promise of Telephone Triage and Physician Locator Services

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Telephone triage is a great solution that meets the healthcare needs of many patients. However, though I write about telephone triage, I have no first-hand experience. Alas, there are no telephone triage services available to me—or at least none that I’m aware of. I wish there were. It may shock […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Do You Provide Contact Options For Your Patients?

A successful omnichannel strategy requires intentional implementation By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Have you ever had a company ask how you wanted them to contact you? Options might include phone, email, text, fax, mail, or social media private messaging. How well did they do at complying with your request? With one company I asked for […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The One Sure Thing About the Future of Healthcare

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I don’t like to write about politics, but politicians in the United States is once again messing with healthcare. Some call it to repeal, and others view it as repair. Some are for it and others oppose it. No one knows for sure how things will shake out or when […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Is Your Contact Center Effective?

Meeting the two essential elements of a contact is just the first step By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It doesn’t matter if a call is answered in a modern contact center staffed with a team of trained professionals or by one weary person in a single-phone department. In both cases patients and callers evaluate their […]