Learn how Contact Center and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Can Benefit Your Medical Practice
Medical practices that want to harness the power of call distribution software need to partner with a provider who understands HIPAA compliance. While most ACD providers can educate your team about EHR/EMS integration, omnichannel presence, AI powered capabilities, it’s important that your medical practice partner with an ACD provider who understands the medical industry.
At SafeCall, we are a provider of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions. We understand the responsibilities involved in providing these services to customers who are required to comply with HIPAA regulations. We partner with a neutral third party provider to conduct regular HIPAA audits and reviews, ensuring we are meeting HIPAA compliance standards.
If you’re just starting to research Contact Center, Call Center, or Automatic Call Distribution services or you’re ready to choose a provider, you can have confidence in knowing that SafeCall has experience working with medical practices and understands the requirements for safeguarding sensitive data.
What is ACD?
Automatic Call Distribution, or ACD, is a piece of software that sorts and redirects calls to the relevant services. It works side by side with Interactive Voice Response, or IVR, which is a different piece of software that allows callers to interact with an automated answering machine before being sent to an agent.
IVR asks callers relevant questions and the caller can respond by pressing a key. ACD then receives these responses and sorts them according to relevant departments then send you to the appropriate agents.
How does it work?
Identification of callers
First, ACD identifies the caller using information received from IVR. If there is a caller ID system, it can be used to show the callers' location and language. This allows ACD to send the call to the appropriate agency that will best serve the caller.
Queuing calls
ACD sorts the calls into waiting lists based on the status, query and waiting time of the customer. These factors help determine the order of the waiting list. It can also prioritize VIP callers if pre-programmed to do so.
Routing calls
This is the last step in caller distribution. At this stage, ACD routes calls to the relevant departments. It does this based on your distribution method. It can redirect calls to the first available or highest qualified agent depending on the distribution method of your choice.
What is automatic call distribution for medical practices?
Medical call centers and telehealth are in great demand today. High call volumes in medical call centers can be better managed using ACD. The call centers need to be HIPAA-compliant and ensure the confidentiality of patients' medical records.
ACD in the medical industry is relevant in the ways below:
Cloud-based calling
A stable internet connection allows medics to keep in touch with patients in every location. They'll be able to contact you anywhere you are.
Decision-making AI
Automatic call distribution uses artificial intelligence, or AI, to route calls and predict future call volumes. This will help you serve your patients better and attend to them in the best possible ways.
AI-powered tools can also help make routine tasks like billing and appointment scheduling fully automatic. This reduces the time you spend organizing calls, writing up bills, and making appointments for patients.
Integration with medical record software
ACD allows you to see the patients' medical history and other important information. This helps you serve the patients better and give them comprehensive care. When you have a holistic view of your patients' history, you can give them relevant and informed medical advice.
Omni-channel presence
This means that you have the ability to communicate with your patients over a wide range of communication channels. ACD allows you to have a multi-channel communication approach to your patients such as call, text, and email. The ability to reach your patients over a wide range of channels gives you the opportunity to better care for your patients.
We at Safecall can help you reach your clients better, and develop lasting relationships that translate to more productivity and profitability. We offer flexible Contact Center, Call Center, Automatic Call Distribution services to our clients. Contact us for more information.