Medical Call Centers Can’t Afford to Ignore These 5 Metrics

Over the past year, the medical field has been facing one of its greatest tests in history, as frontline workers continue to fight against the global pandemic.

Medical contact centers have been inundated with worried members seeking answers and support. While not physically on the front lines, call center agents have been facing their own challenges with massive call volumes as they attempt to help callers navigate health networks to get the support they need.

It may be difficult to think of metrics and reporting during times like these, but proper data collection can offer insight into what’s working in your call center and what’s not. This can help you alleviate the burden off your agents so they can better support members.

We’ve put together the most important KPIs for medical call centers to track:

Average Response Time

When a patient is in crisis, every second counts. The longer callers are left waiting, the higher the risk of complications. For this reason, you should pay close attention to your agents’ average response time.

If you have a high average response time, ask your agents for feedback on the issue. Solutions can lie in different areas of your operations – for instance, improving server speed, hiring more staff, or providing additional training.

Abandonment Rate

Hold time is one of the biggest problems in a medical call center. If you’re looking for support with a medical concern, waiting on hold is probably the last thing you want to do. If your abandon rate is high, it represents lost business — and what’s worse, it means that you’ve failed to serve someone in need.

Hiring additional staff is the most traditional way to improve this metric but call centers around the world are quickly adopting call-back technology, making it an industry standard. This tool offers your callers a call-back as an alternative to waiting in queue and connects them with a live agent when available.

First Call Resolution (FCR)

In the call center, it’s not always about how quickly you work — it’s about the quality of customer service you offer. After all, your members won’t be impressed if they receive poor service at record-breaking speeds. That’s why FCR should always be on your radar, especially if you’re in the medical field!

Ensure your agents can resolve caller issues the first time they reach out. Review service levels, member interactions, and identify gaps in their approaches so you can provide training and support. Empowering your staff is important as well; if they don’t feel qualified to go the extra mile, they likely won’t be able to resolve the issue properly.

Net Promoter Scores (NPS)

NPS is a customer experience metric used to measure your members’ loyalty to your business and brand. It’s typically displayed as a number, ranging from –100 to +100. This information is typically gathered through a single question survey: “How likely are you to recommend our products/services to a friend or colleague?”

Your call center should aim for a score as close to +100 as possible. To boost a low score, explore the customer journey and identify areas of friction. Are they waiting on hold for long periods? Are they receiving proper support and service from your agents? Is the process confusing for them to navigate? By putting yourself in their shoes, you stand a better chance of improving their experience.

Member Attrition Rate

For medical call centers, callers can represent patients or members of your organization. But if they feel undervalued from your services, they won’t hesitate to take their business elsewhere. Your member attrition rate is your best indicator for this — and trust us, if yours is low, you’ll want to address it immediately.

The best way to keep your members from leaving is to listen to them. Create channels for them to share their experiences and feedback — this can be done through a survey, questionnaire, email, or even social media channels. Once you collect this feedback, analyze it for trends and address the most common concerns. Your members will take notice if you improve their experience and reward you with their loyalty.