Call center appointment scheduling means a third party's agents answer the practice's phone and book into its diary, and for a small practice with one receptionist it is the difference between a call answered and a call lost to voicemail at lunchtime. It works when three things stay with the practice: the rules the diary runs on, the recall list the agents are working from, and the record of what was booked and what was confirmed. Kheirkhah et al. 2016 found a centralized phone system moved the no-show rate from 16.3% to 15.2%, a modest change, which is the honest expectation: the call center books; the reminder and the record are what move the rate.
The diary rules must be written down before the first call
An agent who does not know that a new-patient exam takes an hour, that hygiene runs in the second column, or that the doctor does not do extractions on Fridays will book something the practice cannot honour. The rules that live in the receptionist's head have to be on paper the agent can read, and the software the agents book into has to enforce the ones that can be enforced, like slot lengths and columns.
The agents should work the recall list, not just answer the phone
The value of a call center is idle agent time pointed at the recall list: patients due and unbooked, phoned in the quiet hour and booked. Give the call center a list with the last contact on it and a script, and the diary fills; give them only the inbound line and the practice pays for waiting. Recallvia Pro keeps that recall list and shows who is due, so the list handed over is current rather than last month's report.
The reminder and the confirmation stay the practice's
A booking made by a call center still needs the practice's reminder at the practice's lead time, and the confirmation still needs to file against the appointment. Ruby publishes virtual receptionist plans from $250 per month for 50 receptionist minutes to $1,725 for 500 minutes, so every minute an agent spends reminding by phone is bought; the reminder should go out from the practice's own schedule and the agents' minutes should go on the calls that need a person.
Questions people ask about call center appointment scheduling
Will a call center reduce our no-shows?
Modestly, on the evidence: Kheirkhah et al. 2016 measured a centralized phone system moving no-shows from 16.3% to 15.2%. The reminder schedule and the confirmation record are what move the rate further; the call center's value is the answered call and the worked recall list.
What should we give a call center before they start booking?
The diary rules in writing, the slot lengths and columns enforced in the software they book into, the recall list with last contact, and a script for the confirmation question. Without those, they book what they can and the practice fixes it the next morning.
What must a call center never do for a practice?
Decide whether a symptom is urgent. It books, reminds and confirms; anything clinical goes to the practice on a line that is answered.