Key Takeaways
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OnCall scheduling routes after-hours calls to the on-call provider based on the schedule and rules you set.
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Call routing sends urgent calls to live staff and routine calls to the right person, reducing manual transfers.
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Patient texting gives patients an alternative to calling for routine communication.
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Automated call answering directs routine and after-hours calls without extra staff.
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Call queues help practices manage high-volume periods and reduce missed calls.
5 Ways to Reduce Front-Desk Call Volume Without Hiring More Staff
More than 85% of physician specialties are projected to face shortages. It’s not just doctors, either. Many healthcare practices lack sufficient staff, from front-office professionals to allied health professionals. The result is delayed care, reduced access, longer wait times, and increased provider workloads.
Roughly 80% of physicians say that staff shortages are negatively impacting their organization. So how can your practice lower front desk call volume without hiring more staff? You might be surprised to learn that it can start with your phone system.
Reducing avoidable front-desk phone workflow doesn’t even have to be costly. It simply requires a communications system built with features designed to address the pain points healthcare practices face daily. In this blog, we’re highlighting the top five.
1. OnCall Scheduling: Keeping After-Hours Calls Organized
Patients often need to reach your practice when most of your staff is gone for the day. When patients call outside regular office hours or during on-call periods, the OnCall system screens and routes calls to the on-call provider based on the schedule and rules you set up. Urgent calls go to the provider, and non-urgent calls can be sent to voicemail or another destination.
RingRx’s OnCall capabilities include a powerful calendar, profile, and management system. Each provider sets a personalized profile that specifies which phone to call them on and whether to keep the caller on the line or take a message. Providers receive automatic shift reminders and real-time notifications of urgent calls, and administrators are automatically notified of uncovered shifts. OnCall groups give providers who share responsibilities a common calendar and workflow.
2. Call Routing: Decreasing Manual Transfers
This feature manages your practice’s communication flow by routing incoming calls based on operating hours or team responsibilities. Patients with urgent medical needs are quickly connected to live support staff. Those with common or routine questions are transferred to the appropriate voicemail box or staff member best suited to answer them. Fewer manual transfers give staff more time to focus on other pertinent tasks and in-office patients.
RingRx Call Routing screens and routes urgent calls to the on-call provider and sends non-urgent ones to voicemail boxes or other destinations you’ve previously customized based on your practice flow. The feature also lets staff pick up a call for a specific extension, even if it’s not part of their pickup group, and transfer calls either directly or after an announcement.
3. Secure Text Messaging: Giving Patients an Alternative to Calling
In one study of surgical patients whose procedures were postponed during COVID-19, 85.6% preferred text updates to email, phone calls, or patient portal messages. Patients can message on their own schedule, even when your practice is closed, without waiting on hold.
Routine text updates can reduce phone tag and give patients another way to handle simple appointment communication without calling the front desk.
At RingRx, our text messaging lets staff text patients from a business number using the mobile app or portal, while HIPAA-compliant team texting supports encrypted messages between co-workers. Keep sensitive patient details in approved secure workflows and follow your practice’s messaging policies.
4. Automated Call Answering: Handling Routine Requests First
Front-desk teams often spend substantial time answering repeated questions, manually transferring calls, and reviewing voicemail after busy periods. Automated call answering uses greetings, menus, routing rules, and voicemail workflows to direct calls to scheduling, billing, voicemail, staff, or after-hours coverage based on practice rules.
With RingRx, practices set the greetings, menus, and routing rules that handle routine and after-hours calls without adding overnight staff. This lets your front desk staff focus on calls that require judgment or escalation. We recommend mapping your common call reasons, deciding which calls require live handling, and testing greetings before rolling automated call answering into your practice’s daily workflow.
5. Call Queues: Manage High-Volume Call Periods
Call queues help practices manage high-volume call traffic by placing callers in a defined queue until staff are available. This can reduce missed calls and give teams a more controlled way to work through peak periods.
RingRx Call Queues automatically distribute calls to the next available staff member. You can play on-hold music for callers in the queue, re-offer calls when staff availability changes, and set a maximum number of callers in a queue before new calls route to a different destination. The feature also lets managers track wait times and agent activity, receive alerts when thresholds are exceeded, and monitor, coach, or join calls while supervising queue activity.
How RingRx Helps Reduce Front-Desk Phone Work
RingRx brings OnCall, call routing, patient texting, automated answering, and call queues into one healthcare-focused communications system so practices can configure workflows around their staffing model and call flow. Schedule a demo today to learn more!
Additional resources for optimizing your RingRx phone system include:
Ready to Transform Your Healthcare Practice’s Communication for Scalable Growth?
Discover how RingRx’s tailored VoIP solutions can help your practice to scale effortlessly, enhance patient satisfaction, and streamline operations. With features designed to support multi-location support, secure messaging, advanced call routing, and more, RingRx ensures your practice is equipped for growth without compromise. Schedule your personalized demo today and see how easy it is to adapt, grow, and excel with RingRx by your side.
