If the call center is the only way patients can book an appointment or get a physician referral, your organization will quickly find itself obsolete.
The 'me-too' haste to develop an online presence over the last five years has resulted in several healthcare organizations being stuck with static e-brochures instead of
interactive Web sites that handle popular consumer inquiries.
One way to advance to the next online level is by no longer allowing your call center to upstage your Web site.
The Internet's infectious reach is as much about information as it is about convenience. Healthcare consumers want multiple communication options when choosing a provider - via
a phone and/or mouse. By 2005, 88.5 million adults will use the Internet to find health information, shop for health products and communicate with payors and providers via online
channels, according to a recent Cyber Dialogue study.
Perhaps the most compelling argument for expanding your call center capabilities online is that it resolves key customer service complaints.
When consumers call a health plan to get basic information about benefits and available providers the process can require several minutes on hold.
Providing instant access to this information online can win consumer appreciation and loyalty as long as patient privacy isn't sacrificed, says Alan Bingham, director of
marketing for MaxSol, an e-business communications company that recently launched an online call center program.
The biggest hurdle marketers face is convincing executive management why such an online makeover is necessary. A solid ROI plan of action, market research-driven rationale and
making sure your call center vendor is capable of working seemlessly with your Web master is the best way to get this buy in.
When St. John's Health Center (SJHC) in Santa Monica, Calif., married its call center and Web site capabilities last year, the hospital saved more than $60,000 by using the
same call center vendor to overhaul its Web site.
The integration cost SJHC $17,000 but if it had used an outside vendor to upgrade its Web site the price tag would have been closer to $80,000, according to Barbara Bishop,
SJHC's director of PR and communications. SJHC used the Beryl Co., which has managed the hospital's call center for more than six years, to update its Web site with a physician
referral section.
And when St. Barnabas Healthcare System in New Jersey learned through focus groups that one of the top reasons people visit the hospital's Web site is to search for doctors, it
responded by launching a physician locator service online and developing individual physician home pages with Beryl's online help. Beryl also manages its traditional call center.
Twenty-five percent of St. Barnabas' Web site traffic is generated from online call center services, says Mike Slusarz, St. Barnabas' VP of marketing and PR.
Shifting some of your call center volume to the Web from the phone can result in tremendous cost savings.
On average an online call center inquiry costs 5 cents to 35 cents to manage while a traditional call center inquiry cost $2 to $3.
In spite of these increased efficiencies, online call centers should never replace traditional call center programs, says Paul Spiegelman, Beryl's president. "It will always be
important to make a live person available [via traditional call centers] because hospitals need to maintain a high-touch image."
(MaxSol, Alan Bingham, 978/461-4000; St. John's Health Center, Barbara Bishop, 310/829-6506; St. Barnabas Healthcare System, Mike Slusarz, 732/240-8070; Beryl Co., Paul
Spiegelman, 818/597-8453)