Let’s be candid about the customer service most eye doctors have grown comfortable with.
- 20% of patient calls are missed. It’s okay; I’ve missed calls for years. They will call back.
- 30% of appointment requests are not booked. That’s a lot of patients.
- It takes two phone calls for most patients to complete the eye doctor visit after the appointment call.
How is this real? RingIQ knows from helping with 350,000 patient calls. Here is the situation.
While the average OD office doesn’t answer 20% of patient calls, two very important facts are that 80% of the missed calls occur during regular business hours; these are not after-hours calls that can be excused. Additionally, half of your missed patient calls never call you back.
30% of patient-requested appointments are not booked. You can say, “So we don’t take their insurance.” The most frequent reason not to book an appointment is that the “patient desired appointment time” is unavailable. It’s not insurance or pricing. Here’s the compounding problem. Your young phone receptionist, the lowest-paid staff person, just says thank you for calling without suggesting an alternative appointment time. This equals lost business.
Service calls account for more than half of your phone calls. Are my glasses ready? We know eyeglasses are custom-built frames with patient-specific lenses. This is not an overnight Amazon product. AI cannot solve the delivery problem, but not answering these frustrated patient calls is a practice killer.
AI Call Attendant – Hey, Iris
What if you had artificial intelligence working for your office? Hey Iris. She can stand by and pick up any call your office might not be able to answer by the third ring. Always available, smart, intelligent, and fluid in conversation. Have an emergency call, Iris knows what to do. Just an urgent call for today? Iris knows when to get the office staff. Want to book an appointment? Hey, Iris, do you have an appointment available tomorrow? Do you take my insurance? When will my glasses be ready? Iris knows how to help.
Iris also has a complete dashboard where you can see every AI-answered call and know your practice is in good hands. Iris can standby 24/7 and answer about-to-be-missed calls, answer weekend calls, and if there is a rough day when you are short-staffed… Iris is ready to answer your calls.
Hey, Iris … ready to help
We realize your front desk has to do more than answer the phone. Most greet patients, direct traffic, manage intake forms, prepare invoices, verify insurance benefits, process credit cards, dispense merchandise, and answer the phone. It’s amazing that this entry-level staff position does so much and still answers 80% of your phone calls.
There is a better answer to assist your front desk operator and let Iris pick up those missed calls. Iris can also stand by and be there for the days you might be short staffed.
Check out Iris at RingIQ.ai. Listen to how she answers patient calls. Check out the dashboard to see what’s possible. You can even call and talk to Iris on a special demo line.
So, if you are talking with Siri, Alexa, or Google, why not let Iris help you in your practice?
