Telephone Techniques Improve Your Office’s Communication Through Better Messaging

Telephone Techniques

How To Improve
Your Office’s
Communication
Through Better
Messaging

© 2012 Dexcomm
All Rights Reserved

TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES Improve Your Office’s Communication Through Better Messaging 2

PREFACE:

Operating as a 24/7/365 Telephone Answering Service and
Medical Exchange since November of 1954 we have
developed skills and techniques that allow us to delight a
wide range of clients. As we have grown and prospered for
over 50 years we feel now is a great time to give something
back to the community. Included in this book are tips and
tools for use in your office that will enhance your
communication and productivity. One of the great learning
tools we have employed is the willingness to learn from our
mistakes. Please take advantage of our many years of
experience and avoid some of the pitfalls that we have
experienced. Our hope is that your office can adopt some of
these tools to make your life a bit less complicated and allow
JAMEY HOPPER you a bit more uninterrupted leisure time.
PRESIDENT

“Our passion is properly Thanks for Listening!

serving customers.”

PLEASE NOTE:
Our e-books are designed to provide information about the subject matter covered. It is distributed with the
understanding that the authors and the publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other
professional services. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, the services of a competent
professional person should be sought.

CORPORATE: 518 Patin Rd. Carencro, LA 70520 • 337.236.8300/ 877.Dexcomm (339.2666)
AsktheExpert@dexcomm.com • Dexcomm.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MEET OUR EXPERTS  Understanding the Challenge

DANA KARL
 The Importance of Customer
TRAINING
SUPERVISOR
OPERATIONS
SUPERVISOR Service
 Self Evaluation
KIM HETTIE
QUALITY
CUSTOMER  Training is the Key to
SERVICE
ASSURANCE
DIRECTOR
OFFICER
Success

Our Dexcomm Customer Service  Options
Experts would like to share with you
some tips for bringing top notch
telephone techniques into your
 Toolbox
business by sharing this information
with you.  Appendix




Understanding the Challenge

IN THIS SECTION

 The Issue
 The Challenges
 The Obstacles

KARL SCHOTT

OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR

“Every office is different. Understanding
the unique challenges the people answering
your phones face is the first step to
providing outstanding customer service.”




What does it sound like to patients and other callers when your staff answers the phone?
That is a question that every business owner should ask when evaluating customer service practices. Your customers and
patients form an impression about your office based on both their experiences in person and over the phone. The operations of
a medical office or any business can be tested while managing a high volume of incoming calls. The challenges presented
during high call volumes can be overwhelming for your staff and cause patients to often feel neglected and/or frustrated.

Do these challenges sound familiar?
 Multiple phone lines ringing
 Receiving incorrect or incomplete messages
 Patients or callers demanding doctor or supervisor
 Patients in need of appointments or prescriptions calling repeatedly
 Patients in the waiting room feeling frustrated with failed customer service expectations
 Vendors and reps waiting with correspondence and issues
 Office personnel complaining that they are too busy for lunch breaks
 Managing after-hour calls and messages that are not emergencies
 Overwhelming feelings of tension spilling from staff to patients
 Decreasing referrals due to slow communication

In addition to the presented challenges, obstacles such as non-verbal cues
like facial expressions, eye contact and body language that often help resolve a
communication breakdown are absent when communication is in the form of a phone
call.

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The Importance of Customer Service

IN THIS SECTION

 The Critical Component
 What Makes a Good Patient Call
Experience
 What Customers are Really
Thinking
 Customer Service QUIZ and
HETTIE DUNWOODY ANSWER KEY
CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICER

“A customer’s expectations of service
is established with their first
impression of your business…
which is usually done by phone.”




The Critical Component

Good customer service training is vital for any key position that has contact
with your patients and clients. The same applies to the person handling your
business’s phone calls. Reviewing this information with your staff and coaching
them on phone interactions will improve your office communication and lead to
better messaging and improved patient experiences.

What Makes a Good Patient Call Experience?

A recent survey by Ernan Roman Direct Marketing, in which respondents said:

What Customers are Really Thinking...
 Listen to me  Don’t waste my time
 Know more than I do (about your product or service)  Be honest
 Be easy to work with  Offer alternatives if you don’t have what I want
 Give me what I came for  High quality and low prices
 Smile  Don’t try to sell me just help me
 Tell me your name  Do what you say you’re going to do
 Acknowledge my presence  Keep me informed
 Don’t treat me like an interruption
 Show me you care
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Customer Service QUIZ ANSWER KEY

TRAINING TOOL

Use this answer key to test your staff’s customer
service knowledge.

GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE LOUSY CUSTOMER SERVICE
Smile Don’t answer the phone promptly

Sound like a real person and not automated Can only help via email, no phone contact

Treating customers like real people Act like customers are a burden
Reliable Treat people like numbers, not people

Offer solutions, not excuses Waste their time

Admit when you make a mistake (we are all humans) Act like you (or your company) never make mistakes

Move forward with a solution Ignoring customers

Take responsibility for their actions Argue with customers

Are able to answer customer’s questions Lack of knowledge about company’s product and situations

Always friendly Poorly trained

Strive for accuracy Don’t finish helping others
Let their stress or personal problems interfere with helping
Show genuine concern for making their customer happy
customers
Bring fast resolution of problems Don’t recognize how long they’ve been a customer

Do what you say you will do Obviously don’t care
Have empathy Sound or act like robots

Are flexible and adaptable Put customers on hold for a long time

Always courteous Transfer customers too many times

Follow up consistently Fail to do what you say you will do
Take notes Are inflexible or not adaptable

Deliver on their promises Don’t have the authority to resolve problems

Say “thank you” Do not listen
Use prompt and clear communication Take too long to respond or call back

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Customer Service QUIZ
Determine which of the following items are great customer service or lousy customer service.
Write a G for GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE or L for LOUSY CUSTOMER SERVICE to the left of each item.
Admit when you make a mistake (we are all humans)
Act like customers are a burden
Act like you (or your company) never make mistakes
Always courteous
Always friendly
Are able to answer customer’s questions
Are flexible and adaptable
Are inflexible or not adaptable
Are not willing to correct bad service
Are rude
Are too slow
Argue with customers
Bring fast resolution of problems
Can only help via email, no phone contact
Deliver on their promises
Do not listen
Do not use common sense when helping customers
Do what you say you will do
Don’t answer the phone promptly
Don’t finish helping others
Don’t have the authority to resolve problems
Don’t recognize how long they’ve been a customer
Fail to do what you say you will do
Follow up consistently
Have empathy
Ignoring customers
Lack of knowledge about company’s product and situations
Let their stress or personal problems interfere with helping customers
Move forward with a solution
Obviously don’t care
Offer solutions, not excuses
Poorly trained
Put customers on hold for a long time
Reliable
Say “thank you”
Seem bored or indifferent about their jobs
Show genuine concern for making their customer happy
Smile
Sound like a real person and not automated
Sound or act like robots
Strive for accuracy
Take notes
Take responsibility for their actions
Take too long to respond or call back
Transfer customers too many times
Treat people like numbers, not people
Treating customers like real people
Use prompt and clear communication
Waste their time


Self Evaluation

IN THIS SECTION

 Evaluating for Positive Patient
Experiences
 Assuring Quality
 Situational Evaluation

KIM LIGHTELL
QUALITY ASSURANCE DIRECTOR

“We take pride in assuring our
customers receive the highest
level of quality.”




Evaluating for Positive Patient Experiences
 When do phone calls come in?
 Do you experience an increase in your call volume on different days or
during certain parts of the day?
 How many calls do you answer each day?
 Are your patients getting a busy signal because of how many calls are
coming in and how many are already answered?
 What type of calls do you get?
 How long do callers wait on hold?
 Do you have hold music or dead air?
 How easy is it to get to the person the patient needs to speak with?
 How do your patients reach you after hours?

Assuring Quality
Evaluating is important for maintaining positive patient/customer service. Think about times when you’ve called similar
businesses. How do your experiences relate to the experience a patient or customer receives at your office?

To achieve the level of quality that your office expects, we recommend utilizing a standardized grading form like
the sample below. The full Quality Assurance Evaluation form can be found in the Toolbox section.

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TRAINING TOOL
Listen to the phrasing your staff is currently using and use this chart to
evaluate if the techniques currently being used are reflective of the
experience you want to share with others. We recommend that this is spot
checked frequently.

THE SITUATION THE GOAL THE PLACE FOR IMPROVEMENT
Answering calls before the… Third ring After 6 rings
Your greeting when you answer the Warm and enthusiastic, make the caller Robotic without a smile
phone should be… feel welcome
My speaking voice should sound… Enunciate clearly, voice volume moderate Mumbling, speaking too softly ,too
and speak slowly loudly or too quickly
The language I should use on the Using phrases such as “Certainly” or “Very Using slang such as “OK” or “No prob-
phone is… well” to show you understand lem”

When you don’t have the information “I can find that for you.” “I don’t have that information.”
you need…
When I take messages, they should Accurate and complete. Ask the caller to Somewhat accurate and complete
be… repeat or spell the words you don’t under-
stand.
When I return phone calls, they The next business day Two business days
should be within…
When I train my employees… All calls should be answered the same To answer however they think best
way
Closing the conversation with a caller Thank the caller, let the caller know you Not thanking the caller, and not assur-
appreciate the call and let the caller know ing the issue will be resolved
the next step
When you have to put the caller on Ask them to hold, tell the caller what work Telling the caller to “Hold, please” and
hold you are going to do before you put them not waiting for a response
on hold, wait for a response, and when
you return thank them for holding
When you don’t know how to solve “Mrs. Jones from the billing department “This is not my responsibility” or “This
the problem can help you with that.” department doesn’t handle that.”
Handling difficult callers or calls Before you make the call, develop an ac- Arguing with the caller instead of lis-
tion plan. Greet the customer friendly, tening and trying to help
state the purpose of your call, deliver your
message professionally, ask for agree-
ment
Responding to a complaining caller Listen with understanding, show sincere Not listening and not showing willing-
interest in their problem, and a willingness ness to help. Losing your temper and
to help. Do not interrupt and never give placing blame
excuses.
Responding to a vague caller Maintain patience and good humor, keep Losing patience, being abrupt and get-
a smile in your voice and keep your pro- ting sidetracked.
fessionalism
Responding to an unfriendly caller Smile as you speak, deal with the matter Making personal remarks, and being
as quickly as possible sarcastic
Responding to an aggressive caller Speak calmly at an even pitch, control Responding with aggression, and tell-
your temper, ask and keep asking for facts ing them you can’t deal with their be-
havior
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Training is the Key to Success

IN THIS SECTION

 Telephone Phrases EXERCISE
 Waiting Room/Lobby Role
Playing EXERCISE
 LISTEN POSTER

DANA LEWIS

TRAINING SUPERVISOR

“We dedicate time and resources
developing our partnerships with
our clients and friends through our
staff and their development.”




Telephone Phrases EXERCISE

TRAINING TOOL
Use the phrases below to ask your staff if they
would give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. This
will give you a tool to start the conversation and
training on telephone techniques.

THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN

Let me check if the doctor is available. Do you mind holding one One moment please; one sec; hold; hold please; one mi-
moment please? nute.

I apologize if no one called you back. What can I do to help you
I’m sorry I didn’t call you back; I was tied up in a meeting.
right now?

Feel free to call if you have a problem. We may be able to
Please contact us immediately if you have a concern.
solve it.

What can I do to help? I don’t understand why the last person didn’t help you.

The doctor is away from his/her phone. What is your name and The doctor is not available right now. Why don’t you call
contact information? I will ask him/her to return your call. back in an hour?

I’m sorry for the long wait, how can I help you? I’m sorry it took so long. Now, what do you want?

Thank you for waiting, how can I help? I’m sorry you had to wait. The other receptionist is so slow.

Our policy is to require_________________ in this case. I’m pretty sure that’s against our policy.

We have a poor connection -or- I’m having trouble hearing you. Your phone is breaking up.

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Waiting Room/Lobby Role Playing EXERCISE

TRAINING TOOL

Have your staff role play the situations below and then
ask them to give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

*The blanks are left for you to customize the training to
your office.

THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN

Friendly greet patients/customers upon arrival Chewing and popping gum while playing with your cell phone

Make sure you are ready to help in any way possible Not being attentive or multitasking during the conversation

Stand up straight Sighing deeply, folding your arms and slouching in your chair

Make eye contact and smile Not making eye contact, or if you do look sullen and bored

Listen to what the customer is saying and try to solve their
Repeatedly looking at your watch
problems

Maintain a presence at the front desk Leaving the front desk for long periods of time

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Listening takes the whole body to get it right!

L – Legs (as in your posture): Stand up straight, look at the speaker, be alert, be
attentive, show the speaker that you are concerned about what they have to say.

I – Intelligence (as in your brain): You must think hard as you listen to try to best
understand what the speaker is saying. Try to understand their perspective; their
point of view. You can never walk in their shoes but you can try to imagine what it is like
to be in their situation. Use the imagination your brain allows to fully understand where
they are coming from.

S – Stomach (as in your gut): What does your gut tell you about what the speaker
means by what they are saying? This goes beyond just their words; what is their
real meaning?

T – Tongue (as in your mouth): Use it only to reflect what the speaker is saying
or to ask for clarification. Otherwise, do NOT open your month or use your
tongue. Listening is not debating. Listening is focusing on the speaker and
comprehending their message.

E – Eyes: Watch for any signals your eyes can pick up: energy & enthusiasm
come across in body language. So do anger, hurt, disappointment and most
other emotions. Pick up the emotions with the eyes, not the ears.

N – Nervous System (as in your sensory receptors) : As you can tell from the
above comments, much of communication is non-verbal. Some say that non-
verbal communication contains as much as 85% of the speaker’s message. Use all of
your senses to pick up the 85% that is not coming from the words the speaker is using.


Options

IN THIS SECTION

 Other Options
 Top 10 Considerations When
Looking for an Answering or
Messaging Solution
 Our Dedication to Development,
Training and Compliance

Gil Brassard Jr.

Sales Manager

“An answering service is an
extension of your business—
don’t allow just anyone to
represent YOUR VOICE.”




Remember….
Ensuring your patients or clients are receiving excellent customer service is vital to the success of your practice.

 Evaluate phone traffic by reviewing recorded calls or by performing live quality assurance checks of your staff’s performance
 Train receptionists and/or healthcare workers on customer service skills
 Consider contacting an expert, like Dexcomm, for answering and messaging solutions

Other Options
Running a medical practice or another business
doesn’t always leave time for managing the customer
service side of your company. That’s when businesses
like ours can help you out!

Top 10 Considerations When Looking for an Answering or Messaging Solution
1. How long has the answering service been in business?
2. Is the answering service HIPAA compliant? What does the training program look like?
3. Will the answering service supply you with references?
4. Does the answering service have back-up power and a Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan?
5. Is a long-term contract or commitment required?
6. Are there additional charges for nights/weekends, holidays or emergency evacuations? Are you being quoted a monthly
rate?
7. Does the service charge based on time or number of calls answered?
8. Will all of your calls be recorded? (This will provide valuable information for any legal or quality assurance issues)
9. Is the service customizable to your business? Does the company offer a variety of message notification methods such as
email, fax, SMS broadcast, alpha paging, voicemail and patching to meet your current and future needs?
10. Can you make real-time updates to your on-call schedule?

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Our Dedication to Development, Training and Compliance
All new hires are put through an extensive application process
involving several interviews with multiple company executives. We
insist upon the successful completion of a full background check and
drug screen. Additionally, the operator must sign a confidentiality
agreement. We ensure that potential employees exemplify our core
values, fit within our company culture and have the skills needed to
serve our customers. Upon hire, we enter them into an extensive
classroom-based training setting where they are educated on our
operating system and our focus on customer service under the
supervision of a dedicated and experienced training department.
During the classroom-based training period, potential operators are
educated on phone etiquette, customer service, how to handle a
variety of situations, and are equipped with an industry-leading
training manual. Additionally, operators are provided one-on-one
training with management, exposed to live calls in peer-to-peer
training, and are supported by floor managers during independent
live calls.
Since 1989, before HIPAA was implemented, Dexcomm focused on
and conducted confidentiality training because of our long history
and understanding of the medical community. Starting in 2003,
operators were introduced to two subject matter experts (SMEs); one
with a registered nurse (RN) who has over 25 years of experience
and an attorney who is specialized in HIPAA regulations. The RN
explains in detail what to expect when speaking with doctors, other
nurses and various health-care providers. The attorney educates the
operators on HIPAA rules and regulations. Our operators are then
given a written test on both SMEs seminars.
Once the initial training program is completed, their education is not over; operators are moved into advanced training. In this
ongoing phase, they attend monthly in-services and are consistently monitored and evaluated by a large team of managers.
The Training Department, who oversees this process, ensures HIPAA compliance, maintains our high-level of customer service
and enforces quality control.
To produce “best-practice” telephone techniques, our Training Department developed a thorough closed-loop system. Calls are
reviewed by a dedicated Quality Assurance Department, a division of the Training Department, who listen and score the
operator’s calls in real-time and for review. The department meets regularly to calibrate their scoring and provide feedback to
the Training Department. Operators are given monthly, sometimes weekly, reviews on their performance.

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Toolbox
Downloadable Forms Websites
 Quality Assurance Evaluation  http://officeskills.org/telephone_etiquette.html
 http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/
 Voicemail Samples - Medical
timemanagement/a/telephonetips1.htm
 Voicemail Samples - Non Medical

How To...
CALL FORWARD REMOTE ACCESS
Call Forward Remote Acess gives you the power to control your business line from nearly anywhere you have access to a tele-
phone line. There are literally hundreds of reasons you may not have access to your main business line, but would like to change
the final destination of any call that comes into that line.
Suppose you lose power in your office during the day and suddenly you don't have access to your main phone lines. What if you
could pick up your cell phone, dial a number, enter a code, and then forward your business line somewhere a live person could
answer the phone? Call Forward Remote Access gives you this power.
Suppose your secretary leaves the office, makes her normal commute home, and then realizes she forgot to forward the lines to
the answering service when she left. In most cases someone has to make the drive all the way back to the office and forward the
phones so that sales aren't lost, patients are taken care of, or service calls can be handled. Call Forward Remote Access elimi-
nates the need to ever have to drive back to the office to forward your telephone lines.
HOW TO FORWARD YOUR PHONE LINE
1. Check with your phone provider and make sure you have the feature enabled on your line. Your
phone provider should also provide you with the feature code you’ll need to enable and disable call
forwarding.
2. Pick up the line that has forwarding enabled and enter your feature code (this is usually 72# or *72
depending on who the phone provider is). Don’t hang up!
3. When you hear your dial tone again, enter the number to which you wish your calls forwarded.
4. Once that number starts ringing, you can be confident that your lines are forwarded.
5. Test the lines! Pick up another phone and dial the number you tried to forward. Make sure it’s be-
ing answered the way you want it to.

HOW TO UNFORWARD YOUR PHONE LINE
1. Check with your phone provider and make sure you have the feature enabled on your line. Your phone provider should provide
you with the feature code you’ll need to disable the call forwarding.
2. Pick up the line that is forwarded and enter your feature code (this is usually 73# or *73 depending on who the phone provider is).
Then you can hang up.
3. Test the lines! Pick up another phone and dial the number that was forwarded. Make sure it’s being answered the way you want it
to.




Appendix
Works Cited
“Cheapest Telephone Answering Service-10 Tips For Finding the Best.” 9 Feb. 2012 http://tips.artcony.com/2012/02/cheapest-telephone-answering-service-10
-tips-for-finding-the-best/.

Stirtz, Kevin. “The Amazing Customer Service Toolkit.” Amazingserviceguy.com. Copyright 2008. <http:www.AmazingServiceGuy.com>.

“Tips for the Receptionist or Secretary.” Office Skills.org. http://officeskills.org/telephone_etiquette.html.

Ward, Susan. “Time Management Tips for Outgoing Telephone Calls.” About.com. http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/timemanagement/a/telephonetips1.htm.

Looking for More?

A SPECIAL THANKS TO
Our Dexcomm Contributors

TONI NEWKIRK
Baton Rouge Supervisor
MARY BETH TIPTON
Business Office Administrator

RACHEL MCELROY
Director of Strategic Planning
and Corporate Communications
REBEKKAH SONNIER
Human Resources Associate



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