Reducing the Burden
on Reception Staff

As the first point of contact for patients at the GP practice, good telephony systems should be designed to work hand-in-hand with reception staff requirements, supporting them to do their jobs effectively.

Did you know that each administrative user can save around 10 hours every month simply by having relevant information available for every patient call?

By providing supportive technology, reception staff can manage fluctuating call volume and access the information they need to handle patient enquiries.

Supporting Reception Staff

  • Automatic patient identification and record switching saves time on inbound calls.
  • Patient Callback technology allows patients to virtually hold their place in the queue, reducing immediate pressure on reception and the number of angry or frustrated patients.
  • Call recording and display of actual waiting time can dissuade abusive patients from ranting and protect reception staff from complaints.
  • Appointment management and recorded information reduces call volume and avoids wasted appointments, including the ability to inform patients automatically when there are no same-day appointments remaining.
  • Provision of SMS templates gives reception fast options for communicating messages to patients.
  • Visibility of call queues and ability to automatically distribute calls to other staff at peak times reduces stress.
  • Headset or handset working with full accessibility.
  • Staff online directory and ability to see the status of, and transfer calls to colleagues, regardless of their location.
  • Real-time display of calls waiting and recent calls received or made.
  • Access to recent call recordings to assist with training, patient disputes and system fine-tuning.

The patients are a lot friendlier now because they have an understanding where they are in the queue. And if they’ve opted for Patient Callback, we call them back and they’re actually a lot calmer because they didn’t have to wait.

Dieter Gomm, IT Administrator, Willow Green Surgery

Modernising patient-to-practice communications for all

Patients

Improving patient access to care

Clinical Staff

Facilitating better patient care

Managers

Data and insight to manage demand

PCN

Delivering communications at scale

ICBs

Deliver more coordinated care

Transform your Communications with Surgery Connect