Problem
A dental practice was having difficulty connecting patients after hours with the on-call dentists during dental emergencies. The office also needed assistance with incoming calls during their busier times. The practice often experienced an increase of 50% to 150% of their standard call volume.
Search for a Solution
The patients of the dental office who experienced a dental emergency would call the office to reach the on-call dentist. Since the on-call dentist was a revolving list, it would often be troublesome for the patient to contact the proper dentist.
Additionally, the on-call dentist would receive calls from patients about routine issues and questions that could be addressed during regular business hours. The practice needed a dispatcher to take the calls and triage the problem before contacting the on-call dentist.
Solution
The Ansafone management team examined the needs of the practice and developed and implemented a plan covering both objectives.
To address the after-hours calls, all calls outside of regular business are routed to Ansafone and answered by an agent who takes the caller’s information. Based on pre-determined criteria, a call is placed to the designated on-call dentist, and the caller’s information is relayed. The on-call dentist then determines how to handle the request.
To address the temporary high call volumes, Ansafone accepts incoming calls that are not answered by the office and provides virtual receptionist services. By doing so, Ansafone helps ensure that all calls to the practice are responded to and that the callers get the assistance they need.
Results & Benefits
By utilizing Ansafone’s services, the practice simplified the process of contacting an on-call dentist for both the callers and the staff. Ansafone’s agents provide a uniform and high-quality customer service experience for all callers regardless of the time of day.
Additionally, by transferring the unanswered calls to Ansafone, the practice ensured that all calls to the practice were responded to and that the callers get the assistance they need, without the need for additional staffing or reallocating of internal resources.
