Photo by Giorgio Trovato

The operators who man medical answering services know how to take a good telephone message. Check out these great tips from real-life operators trained to handle calls for medical offices.

If you’re thinking about how to make your business better, communication is going to be a big part of it. The way you answer your phones means a lot and will signal your professionalism and care to your customers.

It’s especially important for you to know how to take down thorough messages. This will help your medical practice or any other business you run.

Keep reading to learn more about taking a telephone message in a way that counts.

Make sure that you’re learning about phone etiquette in all its forms. You might not know that phone etiquette begins before you even answer the call.

Don’t let the phone ring any more than three times before answering. This signals that you are available and that you take your customer’s concerns seriously.

It’s especially important to be on top of this level of attentiveness when you run a medical practice or other such business.

Next, you need to have somewhere that you can accurately record your phone messages. The last thing you would want is to record your information somewhere that can easily get lost or misplaced.

A pen and paper are fine, but make sure that they’re stored in a centralized location where they won’t be lost or damaged. You can also create digital messages in the cloud that people can immediately access.

There are three Cs that you need to know when it comes to taking telephone messages. These are clear, concise, and correct.

When you nail all of these, you’ll be better able to pass along the right message to the people who need it. Train everyone who answers the phone to remember these 3 Cs when taking messages so everyone can become clearer communications.

Make sure that you’re constantly working on clear communication in your company and posting these sorts of protocols regularly. Using a phone message template can help you make sure you hit every point.

Never forget the most important information when taking phone messages. Ask their name, contact information, a summary of what they need, and the best time to call back.

Forgetting a vital piece of information could render an entire message useless. Repeat it back to the caller and spell out any information to make sure it’s correct.

Find out if the message is urgent or if the recipient can call back at their leisure. This always tells you a lot about the message.

If it’s urgent and the recipient has a familiarity with the patient or customer, you might even think about reaching them directly or after hours so that they can return the call.

These tips will help you take the best telephone message in your business. Your business or practice will be better when you master these techniques.

If you need to improve your company’s communication, we have the resources that can help. We can provide you with the best professional medical answering service you’ll find.

Be sure to contact us when you’re ready to learn about the prices for the services we offer.