| The call queue is particularly important in the dentist's office, and this feature is available in many of the common business VoIP systems at low incremental cost. The last thing a caller with a toothache wants to hear when they call the dentist is a busy signal. That busy signal is a disservice to patients, and in many cases, will mean that they will go someplace else to handle their emergency. Nor do the patients want to be told that they will be called back later. However, a busy dentist's office faces a dilemma. The office manager wants to provide good service to everyone on the phone, and attend to everyone's questions, requests for appointments, and emergencies. Yet, the phones may be "ringing off the hook," and it may prove difficult to manage that many calls without losing a few. |
The most efficient way to handle it, and the best way to service a busy office, is to use a call queue. The call queue may be tied to an auto attendant feature, or alternately, may be routed by a live operator. Either way, the caller is placed into a queue to wait for somebody to answer their call, make their appointment, call into the pharmacy for them, or reassure them that the pain will come to an end.
This inbound call queue should include convenience features, such as a periodic announcement indicating the caller's position in the queue or how long they will have to wait to be connected to a live person. Some business VoIP systems that offer this feature will allow the office to implement more than one queue, which can be quite useful for handling calls of a different nature. Emergency calls could be placed into one queue to ensure that they are given priority; appointment calls can be placed into a second queue, and callers needing general information could either be placed into a third queue or given access to recorded information such as location and hours.
Since within these busy law offices, staff members often have multiple tasks that may transcend the traditional departmental divisions, the business VoIP feature that allows for a "virtual department" is often quite useful. This option works with the auto attendant function to direct calls to individual extensions or a group of extensions, based on job description category, rather than the extension number alone. This allows for the creation of multiple, even overlapping, virtual departments within the law firm. When the caller indicates the reason for their call, the PBX then analyzes the response and directs the call to the individual or group which most closely addresses that specific need.
Dentist offices that are exceptionally busy or have a large staff will benefit from call queues. Smaller offices with one or two doctors and one or two staff persons may not have need for such a system, but may instead benefit from simpler options such as call waiting. This simple option, available on virtually every business VoIP system available, allows a caller to ring through even if the line is busy. This is especially handy for smaller offices that have only a single phone line.
The call waiting option in the small office will allow dental patients to all be served, without having to endure a busy signal; and will further ensure that the dentist not miss a call or an opportunity to serve a client.
Some of the criteria any business should use to evaluate multiple VoIP service providers are technology capabilities, quality of customer service, reputation for reliability of company in the industry, costs for implementation including up-front costs and of course operational costs. The bottom line - for businesses to get the best of their investment, finding the right business VoIP provider is critical. Fill in the form above to have a specialist contact you and start saving money now.
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