Proper communication with patients is crucial for medical practices. That’s why it’s important to know the difference between POTS and VoIP, and the benefits they can bring to your business.
VoIP vs POTS
The environment in the medical field includes packed work days, a fast pace, time pressures, and emotional intensity. This can put doctors and their employees at high risk for burnout. Burnout is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment.
Burnout was a serious problem in the medical field even before COVID hit, although it did add extra layers to the formula. One of the biggest contributing factors to burnout is taking on too much work, and that’s exactly what happened when COVID hit. Not only are there normal day-to-day tasks, but now added tasks like sanitation, extra planning, and pivoting to new practices like telemedicine.
Benefits of VoIP For Your Medical Practice
Technology is always evolving and rightfully replacing outdated systems. If you never updated your practice, you would still be using dial-up internet and computers that are the size of a microwave. Newer technology like VoIP brings many great benefits and keeps your practice up to date.
Medical practices can take advantage of using VoIP in their business because it’s more productive, reduces employee workload, cuts operation costs, and it’s easy to integrate with other features or software that can help you track data.
More Productive
The VoIP phone system promotes collaboration and interaction. It allows doctors and staff members to communicate and collaborate in real-time by using features like video conferencing and instant messaging. It also allows you to send missed-call texts, transcribe voicemails to emails, and send automated texts and emails. That could save your staff members hours of time during the day that can be used on more crucial tasks.
VoIP also helps with productivity by having access to advanced call analytics. When a patient calls, you can see all their information on your screen, allowing you to help them quicker. Having access to this important data is beneficial for rebooking patients and analyzing calling trends.
Cost Efficient
VoIP cuts operational costs tremendously. It offers a more cost-efficient option for in-house, international, and long-distance calls. You also won’t need a significant upfront investment; only a small set-up fee and minimal hardware expenses if necessary. You won’t get stuck paying for the PSTN or POTS line that operates on old copper wires and charges expensive per-minute rates.
Lightens Employee Workload
With VoIP, your front desk employees no longer have to worry about stopping what they’re doing to answer a call. A popular VoIP feature is having virtual receptionists who act as a backup front desk. This feature will ensure every call is answered by a real person who can help the incoming patient. This is great to use so callers are greeted in a professional and personalized way on the weekends and holidays, if your current staff is busy with in-office patients, and during other special events when your front desk may not be able to get to the phone in a timely manner.
Easy To Integrate
VoIP will easily integrate with other software that you may use for your CRM, email, or marketing. This allows you to manage all of your processes in one place.
Should You Use VoIP For Your Business?
All of these benefits are a great reason why VoIP is the perfect solution for businesses small and large. No practice owner wants to pay more than necessary for basic services. Especially during COVID times when you may not see as many patients as you did pre-pandemic. Gain productivity, analytics, time, and money when you use a VoIP.
If you’re worried about it being too complicated to switch from your POTS system, know that integration is easy and there are many learning tools and training your VoIP provider will take you through. Some people also worry about the quality of the call since it’s over the internet. If you have access to high-speed internet, as most practices do, this will allow VoIP voice quality to match that of POTS.
The functionality and features you will gain from using VoIP alone will make the switch worth it.
UPbook
We at UPbook would love to help your medical practice transition to a better, more scalable phone system. UPbook will completely transform your phone service and, consequently, your front desk and entire business. It includes all the benefits you get by having a VoIP and more.
One added feature is the automated rewards program where you can monitor and incentivize the performance of your front desk staff. Another great additional feature is the rebooking opportunities. UPbook outlines which patients can be called back and rebooked, leading to additional revenue that might be left on the table if you continue to use your POTS.
Upbook will increase your patients, improve your front desk productivity, and help you scale your business.
>>Watch an instant demo of UPbook<<
