How Much Does a Medical Answering Service Cost?
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An answering service for medical practices will cost most healthcare businesses around $1.00 a call but your specific needs are what will determine the final monthly cost and this post will explain what you’ll need to plan to pay.
Many suppliers today have been required to update their technology to meet the HIPAA guidelines and protect the private information of patients and their medical records, and this has caused a slight increase in price over the last year or so.
Here are the biggest factors that will determine your actual cost.
Here’s What Determines A Medical Answering Cost:
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# of Calls – More calls require more agent time
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Time/Usage – Price per call is reduced when call operator time is less
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Appointment Setting – A small fee may apply if call center must access your web calendar
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Holidays – An average rate of $7 is charged on most major holidays
How Many Medical Calls Will Be Answered For Your Office?
We have found that one practice may only need a doctor’s answering service for after hours, while another may use it just for overflow calls, and yet another will use the service 24 hours a day.
The amount of calls your office receives is the single largest measure for deciding what your cost will be. Most medical offices have no idea what that number really is, and for this reason, most quality call centers will provide a free trial before requiring any commitment.
See below for price quotes and free trial opportunities.
How Long Will Each Phone Call Last?
If your practice only requires that a call either be transferred to the doctor on call or that a basic message be taken the cost can be kept relatively low.
However, if the service will be scheduling appointments or handling triage service calls then each call will take longer to field and as such the cost will increase, perhaps to around $2.00 each, depending on just how detailed it gets.
On average a professional answering service for doctors runs about $40.00 a week, and that includes message delivery and after-hours service.
For an exact quote, the provider must fully understand how you will use their services. We recommend comparing the prices of differing medical answering services through us or another third party. These services are free of charge, require no obligation, and remove the stress of hunting down the suppliers that match your actual needs.
Finding the Right Answering Service
The average answering service cost can be a lot lower than you think. It all depends on the type of service you need, how often you are going to need to use the service and what you will be paying for it.
If you only need your phone answered for one time, it’s a good idea to get a one time deal. You will save a lot of money by getting an answering service for that one time. Also, there are times when people do not answer their phones that often. If this is the case, you should probably just hire your own personal receptionist to take care of it. This can be more expensive in the long run but will not have to pay for anything extra.
If you are using your services for long term and expect to use it on a consistent basis, you may want to consider a monthly service. You can usually save a lot of money with this type of plan because you only have to pay for the number of calls you receive. You won’t have to pay for any service fees like you would with a one time deal. However, this will be the most expensive option available. However, if you only need a few numbers every week then a monthly plan will probably be fine for you.
Factors Affecting an Answering Service Cost
Answering Service Cost depends on a different per-minute rate. The most common rate is the flat rate for unlimited number of calls made within a specified time. However, there are also other plans which will provide different features or packages depending on the number of calls made and the time of the day. For example, if you wish to have a toll free customer service, it is more expensive. However, if the customer service provided by a company is of superior quality and the company is able to help the customer at any time in the day, it will be more affordable.
It is very important to determine the answering service cost of the business before setting up the service. This will ensure that the company has the right amount of money to pay its employees and to take care of any other expenses. The amount of money can vary greatly from company to company, as each one has its own profit margin.
It is very important to choose the services which provide excellent customer service. This can make a huge difference in the company’s bottom line as well as the amount of revenue generated from the customers. Therefore, it is very important to know which companies have excellent customer service before choosing the one that offers the best deal.
The quality of customer service provided by these services is directly related to the amount of money paid. If the customer service offered by a company is of superior quality, it will not cost as much as those companies who offer poor services. The best part about answering services is that they are not fixed based. There are many companies who offer their services through teleconferencing, live answering service, and the like.
The amount of money paid for an answering service will also depend on the type of service provided. If the service provider offers toll-free services, then the service cost will be low. There are also some companies that offer different services for different types of people. Therefore, it is important to compare the rates and services offered by different companies before choosing the one that will benefit the company most.
The other factor that has an effect on the answering service cost is the amount of information provided by the company. Some companies offer only basic services such as answering the phones and providing the address and name of the customer. These companies do not require any kind of technical knowledge or ability to provide customer support to the customer. However, if the service provider provides extensive customer support, then the service cost will increase substantially.
The time it takes for the call center to process the call will also affect the amount of money required. The more complex the problem is, the longer the time it takes for the call center to provide the solution. Therefore, it is very important to choose the calling center carefully before making the final decision.
Another factor that can significantly increase the answering service cost is the amount of manpower required to process the calls. Therefore, the amount of staff needed will be directly proportional to the amount of money spent and the amount of information that must be provided by the service provider.
Therefore, it is important to know the exact cost of the services that will be provided before deciding which company to go with. If the answering service cost is higher than the amount expected, then there are chances that the services provided by the company will be inferior to the expectations.
Before deciding on the best answering service, it is important to make sure that the company is reputable in providing quality services and that the company is providing the service at the same time at a reasonable price. There are certain guidelines that should be followed when choosing a good answering service provider.
A good reputation should be provided by the company to its customers and by the company itself. The reputation of the company should be established by the positive comments left by satisfied customers and by its employees. Good reviews and testimonials should be left by satisfied customers for the company, so that other customers can understand what the company has to offer and what it offers to its customers.
Are their any free medical answering services available for small practices that have few calls each month? My guess is no. I keep seeing free offers but in the end still have a cost tied into them. Assuming just a trial to get you hooked?
We pay more than the average doctor because we don’t use non HIPAA compliant providers. This was interesting thought, perhaps we need to shop prices again. thx for article
Thanks for sharing the article. Patient access services are cost effective and valuable and they are helping the people in various critical situations. Most of the medical call centers are working 24/7,and they are available at any time at your convenience.