Importance of a mapped call flow in customer service & care
Picture this: a patient calls a local healthcare clinic, seeking answers about a concerning symptom, and she’s anxious to book an appointment with a specialist.
But instead of reaching a helpful voice, she is greeted by long hold times, tedious phone menus, routings to the wrong departments.
When she finally connects with a staffer, the staffer struggles to determine the correct care path for the patient; they lack the guidance and data to make effective decisions. So the staffer scrolls through medical records, examines scheduling protocols, looks up physician information…
And finally, the patient gets scheduled… with the wrong doctor.
So she has to call back and do it all again.
Unfortunately, this is a familiar scene at many healthcare contact centers. But it doesn’t need to be.
Imagine a world where every incoming call is answered promptly, resolved quickly, and routed accurately and only when necessary. That’s the power of mastering call flows at contact centers.
We’ve entered the age of healthcare consumerism. Patients consider themselves customers, and they expect to receive the same caliber of customer service they (usually) get in other industries. Healthcare is 1,000 times more complex than other industries—which makes customer service 100 times more difficult—but not impossible.
In an era where most care happens outside the doctor’s office, trust is built through exceptional service, both online and over the phone. Gratifying contact center interactions can make or break relationships. A study by Accenture found that 26% of patients have switched healthcare providers, even if they loved their doctor, due to poor customer service.
Contact centers are the heart of service. They circulate patients through the healthcare system. Some industry leaders are nonetheless reluctant to invest time and energy into improving their call centers; they don’t think the ROI will be worth it. In reality:
Contact centers have a profound impact on organizational success.
Unlocking your organization’s full potential requires making methodical changes. Call flow enhancement is an important step, and it requires no expensive software purchases, IT development, or complicated integrations.
Let’s dive into the world of cutting-edge call flows and talk about how simple changes in your staff’s processes can enhance the patient experience, resolve inbound calls faster and with less errors, streamline routing, and help you hit key metrics.
Tips To Start From Gina Tabone, Cleveland Clinic’s Former Head Telephone Nurse
Precise, easy-to-follow, and meticulously-mapped call flows help guide agents to the right decisions for each call type. This allows agents to answer patient questions with confidence and accuracy, quickly schedule appointments with optimal providers, route calls to triage nurses or other facilities, and so on.
All contact center agents have a call handling workflow. But many of these call flows are deeply flawed or completely broken. Common defects:
❌ No clear guidelines for tasks; no access to essential information
❌ Confusing formatting; confusing instructions
❌ No standardized call handling procedures; no systematization
Fixing these deficiencies won’t happen overnight, but adopting these 3 guiding principles will set you on the right path:
- Be prepared to encounter resistance and change fatigue during the process mapping phase. Approach it with a thick skin and patience.
- When mapping out processes for doctor-to-doctor calls, consider factors such as the urgency of the issue and the availability of the receiving doctor.
- Incorporate ways to reinforce relationships and make calling doctors feel heard and valued, even if the receiving doctor is unavailable.
Myths about call flows:
Myth #1: “Call flow processes are only for tech experts.”
Truth: You don’t need a computer science degree to create effective call flow processes. With the right strategy, anyone can design a flawless call flow for any staffer.
Myth #2: “Building call flows is complex & painful… and it isn’t worth it.”
Truth: The call flow creation process outlined below is straightforward and painless. Further, the reality is that well-designed customer service call flows are vital for delivering high-quality patient experiences, so they should not be ignored or neglected, regardless of how time-consuming it is to fully optimize them.
According to a report by The Ascent Group, clinics that measure and optimize their First contact resolution rate (FCR) through effective flow processes can see up to a 30% improvement in overall call center performance.
The Rule of ONE: simplifying your call flow strategy
Let’s talk about a fundamental principle that can transform your call center operations: The Rule of ONE.
This rule is beautifully simple:
1️⃣ ONE place to go, for ALL call flows, fitting ONE standard format 1️⃣
What does this mean in practice for your contact center?
- ONE place to go: Your agents should have a single, centralized resource for all the call flow information they need. No more frantically switching between systems or rifling through binders.
- For ALL call flows: Whether it’s scheduling an appointment or addressing a billing query, this central resource should cover all your flow processes.
- Fitting ONE standard format: Consistency is key. When all your call flows follow the same format, it’s easier for your contact center team to learn, use, and update them.
The benefits of following this rule for your call flows are immense. It improves consistency across your team, boosts efficiency (goodbye, time-wasting searches for information), enables flexibility in cross-training, and even reduces training time for new hires in your call center. One healthcare provider reported a 40% reduction in onboarding time after implementing a unified management system for call flows.
The Rule of ONE creates a cohesive patient experience. When all your contact center agents are working from the same call flow playbook, patients receive consistent, high-quality service regardless of who they speak to.
Aim high, achieve higher
Now that we’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to set some goals for your contact center. These should be audacious, patient-focused targets, including:
- Maximum wait time goal: 60 seconds. Because in healthcare, every second counts.
- Average handle time (AHT) goal: Under 2 minutes. Quick resolution leads to happier patients.
- First-call resolution rate (FCR) goal: 80%. No more frustrating, expensive callbacks and transfers.
- Customer satisfaction rate goal: 95%. Yes, it’s high. But isn’t that what your patients deserve?
- Time saved weekly goal: 20 hours. Imagine what your call center team could do with that extra time!
These might seem like lofty ambitions, but they’re achievable with well-designed flow processes. Each number represents tangible improvements in both patient service and organizational strength.
Creating a perfect call flow: 4 key steps
Ready to create your own successful customer service call flow for your contact center? Let’s break it down into manageable tasks.
#1: Identify Call Types
Start with a provisional list of common call types in your specialty. Group similar types together for easier handling. For example:
- Scheduling
- Symptoms and medical advice
- Test results and prescriptions
- Billing and insurance
Pro tip: Don’t try to account for every possible scenario in your call flow process at first. Start with your most common call types, which often account for 80% of your call center volume.
#2: Develop a Call Flow Template
Every customer service call should follow a general outline:
- Greeting
- Identify caller
- Determine call type and acuity
- Handle the call
- Closing
- Document the call
#3: Create Handling Rules for Your Call Flows
Prioritize high-priority rules (like emergencies) first, then create rules for general inquiries. Don’t forget to include backup plans for when your first-choice agent isn’t available.
When creating handling rules for your flow processes, consider the following:
- What information needs to be collected?
- What data needs to be looked up?
- What actions can be taken or services performed?
- What call routing steps should be taken?
Use the answers to build comprehensive protocols. 30% of healthcare costs come from administrative inefficiencies; communication errors are a major driver of malpractice lawsuits; 37% of patients end up rescheduled. Strong call handling rules reduce the prevalence of these issues.
#4: Continuously Refine Your Call Flows
Implementing new call flows isn’t a one-and-done task. To ensure your system remains highly effective and reliable, you need to regularly review and refine it. The key is to implement the key changes, and then to continuously refine your system by leveraging tech advances and other breakthroughs.
Some tips to ensure constant progress:
- Review existing data: Analyze call logs and customer service tickets to spot trends in your call flows.
- Talk to your agents: They’re on the front lines of your contact center and have valuable insights into how the flow processes are working.
- Monitor calls: Listen to live or recorded phone calls to identify common themes and potential improvements in your call flows.
- Consult other departments: Medical staff and admin teams can provide valuable input on your flow processes.
- Test and refine: Implement your categories, monitor effectiveness, and adjust your call flows as needed.
Implementing a culture of continuous improvement motivates your call center team to contribute to the organization’s success. When agents see their feedback implemented, it boosts morale and engagement.
More on results:
Benefits of optimized call flows
Operational & patient service improvements
Reduced Average Handle Time (AHT): By guiding agents through phone calls efficiently, you can significantly cut down on call duration in your contact center. One of our clients reported a 20% reduction in AHT after implementing structured flow processes.
Improved Customer Satisfaction: When incoming calls are handled quickly and effectively through well-designed call flows, customer satisfaction quickly rises. A study by Press Ganey found that call center performance is directly linked to overall patient satisfaction scores.
Enhanced Compliance: In the heavily regulated healthcare industry, call flow mapping ensures your contact center agents consistently follow required protocols and provide necessary disclosures during customer interactions.
Better Resource Allocation: With clear data on call types and durations from your call management system, you can more accurately forecast staffing needs and allocate resources efficiently in your call centers.
Benefits for departments & stakeholders
For call center agents:
- Clear call flow guidance reduces stress and mental fatigue.
- Faster issue resolution boosts confidence.
- Improved ability to deliver consistent, high-quality service during intense, high-stakes, and stressful patient interactions.
A survey by Health Leaders Media found that 67% of healthcare call center agents reported higher job satisfaction after implementing structured call flow processes.
For supervisors and managers:
- Easier training and onboarding of new hires.
- Enhanced collaboration as everyone works from the same call flow playbook.
- Increased team-wide first-call resolution rates.
One healthcare network reported a 15% increase in team productivity and a 20% reduction in training time after standardizing and meticulously mapping their call flow processes.
For clinical staff:
- Reduced interruptions as more issues are resolved at the call center level through effective call routing.
- Better prepared patients who arrive with the right information and expectations.
- More efficient use of clinical time as administrative tasks are handled effectively by the contact center.
A study found that an efficient healthcare call center significantly reduces interruptions for clinical staff, as more issues are resolved at the call center level through effective call routing. This leads to better-prepared patients who arrive with the right information and expectations, ultimately making more efficient use of clinical time (Gridlex) (Five9) (PracticeIQUSA).
For the C-Suite:
- Improved data for decision-making from call flow analytics.
- Better resource allocation based on call flow insights.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction leading to improved reputation and potentially increased revenue.
A study by the Advisory Board found that healthcare organizations with highly effective call centers and optimized flow processes saw a 3-5% increase in patient retention rates, translating to significant revenue preservation.
Let’s transform healthcare, one exceptional patient service experience at a time
As you implement the strategies summarized above, challenges will arise. You may face resistance to change, technical hurdles, or moments of doubt. In these times, remember your 'why': the patients whose lives you're improving, the stress you're alleviating from your team, the positive long-term effects for your organization.
Rely on these core guiding principles:
- Embrace the Rule of One: Simplify and standardize.
- Think holistically: A great call flow impacts the entire patient journey.
- Evolve continuously: Regular refinements keep your system sharp.
- Empower your team: An engaged staff creates happy patients.
The healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly, with rising patient expectations and intensifying competition. In this environment, an expertly crafted call flow isn't just nice to have—it's a powerful differentiator that sets you apart. Are you ready to dial in to the future of patient service? Your patients are waiting.
