Healthcare contact center best practices

Here is a statistic that shows how much the world has changed since we first heard the term ‘COVID-19’ – in early 2020, telehealth or telemedicine services accounted for less than 1% of outpatient encounters¹. While there were plenty of headlines about the future of healthcare, very few hospitals and health services had invested in technology that allowed patients to access care without commuting to a physical location.

Hasn’t that changed. A 2023 study found that 80% of people have now accessed care via telemedicine at least once in their lives², while a ground-breaking GlobalMed report revealed that 74% of millennials prefer teleconsultations to in-person appointments³. Given the demand for telehealth services is only set to grow, it is essential for healthcare providers to not only stay ahead of this trend but adopt strategies that enhance the digital patient experience.

Nowhere is this more important than in the realm of healthcare contact centers, the crucial hubs that act as a link between patients and clinicians by managing communication and facilitating access to vital services. As the sector continues to evolve on the back of new technologies and innovative practices, this article will outline the benefits and challenges of healthcare contact centers, real-world examples and the key differences between large and small-scale operations.

What is a healthcare contact center?

A healthcare contact center is a designated communication hub that manages outbound and inbound interactions for hospitals and health services. It acts as a crucial point of contact for patients and facilitates administrative services ranging from booking appointments, health inquiries, billing, insurance verification and even emergency needs. Like most contact centers, they traditionally revolved around telephone communication but have evolved to feature solutions that use advanced technology such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, chatbots and messaging apps in recent decades.

^{Source: Behind The Healthcare Call Center KPI Metrics (enverahealth.com)}

What are real-world examples of healthcare contact centers?

Healthcare contact centers come in various forms, with their size, scale and services dictated by the unique needs of the hospital, medical clinic, insurance company or wellness center they represent. Here is a selection of the healthcare contact center solutions patients may encounter.

• General contact center: when most people think of hospital staff, their minds immediately turn to doctors and nurses, but, they are supported by a virtual army of administrative colleagues. This includes contact center teams (both internal and outsourced) that handle patient interactions across multiple communication channels. Modern contact centers are all about omnichannel experiences and be it phone, two-way SMS, live chat, email or social media messaging, the aim is to create an access point for each stage of a patient’s journey.
• Health insurance contact center: the size of the global health insurance market is tipped to reach $2.38 trillion in 2024⁴ and contact centers play a vital role in generating revenue and ensuring customer retention. From selling policies and processing claims to liaising with health services regarding inclusions, having a reliable health insurance contact center is essential for standing out from the crowd in today’s highly competitive insurance market.
• Inbound contact center: as the name suggests, inbound contact centers exclusively handle incoming queries. Tasks include scheduling appointments, making referrals, resolving patient concerns and providing advice, with a calm and measured demeanor an undeniable asset for agents in what can be a delicate environment.
• Outbound contact center: while less common than their inbound cousins, outbound healthcare contact centers are sometimes utilized for the likes of patient engagement, research enquiries and even fundraising.

What are the benefits of healthcare contact centers?

Healthcare contact centers offer a host of benefits to patients, clinicians and administrators.

• Streamlined patient communication: as centralized hubs, healthcare contact centers allow patients to seamlessly connect with health professionals via their communication channels of choice. The option of choosing to phone, email, live chat or engage through social media means they have extra convenience and can access personalized interactions.
• Efficient scheduling: anyone who has engaged with the healthcare sector knows that booking an appointment can be a frustrating experience. This is one area where contact centers shine, with quality staff and processes able to combine to streamline appointment scheduling and result in minimizing time and effort for both patients and providers. The latter also benefits from a reduction in costly no-shows.
• Enhanced patient experience: quality contact centers rely on quality staff but new technologies are playing an equally important role in delivering superior ‘customer’ experience. High-tech solutions such as call routing and intelligent IVR can ensure prompt responses, accurate information and fast resolutions to issues that result in greater patient satisfaction and loyalty.
• Data collection: data-driven insights is one of the keys to improving healthcare delivery and contact centers are the perfect place to mine them. Gathering and analyzing information such as patient interactions, appointment trends and clinician demand allows health managers and executives to pinpoint areas for improvement and financial investment.
• Reduced wait times: long wait times are the bane of the health sector. They cause frustration among patients, guilt among clinicians and an erosion of goodwill. Healthcare contact centers that target the management of incoming inquiries and appointments are a step closer to reducing wait times and, in turn, boosting patient experience.

What are the challenges of healthcare contact centers?

For all the benefits of healthcare contact centers, there are several challenges that managers need to be aware of in their pursuit of success.

• Tech limitations: the saying in business goes that one’s staff is their best asset. That may be true but in the healthcare contact center space, technology is not far behind. Health services that fail to invest in quality solutions and tools risk glitches and system downtimes that can disrupt operations and even impact the ability to deliver timely assistance to patients.
• Data security risks: healthcare contact centers are a hotbed of patient data, which is why every effort must be made to maintain the highest levels of security and privacy. This starts with investing in technology and compliance measures that prioritize data security and ensuring contact center staff are equally committed to maintaining impeccable standards.
• Staff workloads: healthcare, especially at the hospital level, is an around-the-clock operation that can put an enormous strain on resourcing. Contact center agents often find themselves at risk of burnout, which is why to pays to consider strategies that ease the burden. This includes outsourcing to quality providers that can help reduce costs, increase efficiencies and enhance experience.
• Integration with other systems: as a central hub for health coordination, contact centers require seamless integration with the likes of electronic health records and appointment scheduling platforms. Unfortunately, too many patients and agents find themselves at the mercy of disparate systems that fail to communicate effectively and result in data silos and fractured care delivery.

^{Source: Cloud-based Contact Center Market Size to Hit USD 155.74 Bn by 2033 (precedenceresearch.com)}

What are the differences between small and large healthcare contact centers?

Not all hospitals are multi-block behemoths. Not all local clinics are boutique, family-run services. That means not all healthcare contact centers are the same size, with key differences between small (5-25 agents) and (100-plus agents) large operations.

• Resourcing: with less staff and leaner budgets, small contact centers typically have fewer specialized roles and do not operate 24/7. Conversely, large centers often operate around the clock, can deploy agents to specific knowledge areas and offer individual departments that assist with addressing patient concerns.
• Personalization: one of the strengths of a small contact center is its ability to offer personalized, direct communication with patients. This can be more difficult to achieve in a larger, less intimate operation.
• Tech requirements: bigger budgets allow large contact centers to invest in more sophisticated solutions such as AI and data analytics but it is essential to ensure return on investment. A smaller team may not need as much technology, which can help keep costs low.
• Flexibility vs structure: the personalized nature of a small contact center can be hugely beneficial for patients as it often means a better understanding of their medical histories and, in turn, greater flexibility when their needs change. This is in contrast to a large center where processes and protocols are typically more formal and regimented.
• Knowledge base: large contact centers undoubtedly benefit from teams and agents being able to specialize in specific areas such as billing, appointments or insurance. Staff in smaller centers typically need to perform multiple functions, which can be a hindrance for patients and agents alike.

What issues can a quality healthcare contact center address?

Investing in a quality contact center can help healthcare executives tackle various issues including:

• Appointment follow-up: patient retention is an important KPI for many hospitals and health services. Healthcare contact centers can assist greatly by providing personalized follow-up care in the wake of appointments and even patient education, which can increase engagement.
• Call volumes: there are few worse feelings for a contact center manager than drowning under the weight of excessive call volumes, all the more so when those calls are health-related. A contact center that combines adequate staffing and assistive technology can ease the load.
• Infrastructure costs: the transition to a cloud-based contact center has allowed many healthcare providers to avoid high infrastructure costs while ensuring continuous access to vital patient information from anywhere with an internet connection.

Conclusion

Between a quality contact center solution and innovative strategy, healthcare organizations have never been better placed to empower their agents, assist their clinicians and, most importantly, deliver a better patient experience. The ultimate goal is to unlock the full potential of one’s contact center operations and help deliver healthcare worthy of the modern-day patient.

In a challenging environment, it is no surprise an increasing number of hospitals and health providers are partnering with external agencies. Discover five benefits of outsourcing in the healthcare industry.