When a medical office opts for a professional answering service over an answering machine or in-house receptionist, they reap a number of benefits, including increased efficiency, 24/7 availability, cost savings, and more.
If you’re in the market for a medical answering service and have been researching your options, we can imagine you might have some questions. In this blog, we’re going to answer a few of them, so keep reading if you’re wondering about things like:
- What are the advantages of a medical answering service?
- What does an answering service cost in the medical industry?
- What should I look for in a medical answering service?
How Does an Answering Service Assist the Medical Office?
A medical answering service enables healthcare providers to better-serve their patients, whether they’re calling to schedule (or reschedule) an appointment, provide updates, or simply ask basic medical questions.
Of course, if patients are calling the office for any of these reasons, and you’re considering an alternative to an in-house receptionist, it’s important to ask questions like: What is the difference between an answering service and an answering machine? Simply put, an answering machine is basic and inefficient in comparison with a comprehensive answering service. An answering machine merely answers calls and takes messages—like a voicemail or system with tedious menus. An answering service, on the other hand, has a live person answering calls and handling them appropriately and efficiently. Here are some of the top benefits of using a medical answering service like Answering Service Care:
- Ensuring that incoming calls are answered promptly and professionally, so no patients’ calls go unanswered.
- It enables you to provide 24/7 availability, so someone representing your practice can be there when patients need them the most.
- It provides cost savings, as a medical answering service is typically more affordable than hiring one or more in-house receptionists—especially when you consider the costs associated with recruitment and training.
How Much Does an Answering Service Cost?
Generally speaking, the national average monthly cost of a medical answering service is $275 – $380” (according to PriceItHere). Over 12 months, that would amount to between $3,300 and $4,560 per year.
Even at the high end of that average range, an answering service costs far less than even a single in-house medical receptionist’s salary, which is around $40,000. That price is roughly 10 times the cost of an answering service. And that’s just for a single receptionist who, at most, can provide coverage for around 40 hours a week—far from 24/7 coverage. Consider, too, the additional costs associated with hiring a receptionist, such as recruiting, onboarding, training, and so on, and the savings really add up.
You can view Answering Service Care’s plans on our medical answering service pricing page. At the time of this writing, plans range from $25/month plus minutes for the Starter Plan to $599/month including 500 minutes for an Enterprise Plan.
We get it! So you don't have to.
What Is the Best Answering Service for Medical Offices?
The best medical answering service is the one that fits your budget and offers the features your medical office needs. Among the features you should expect include:
- 24/7 availability
- After hours answering services for medical offices
- Automated features and add-ons
- Bilingual agents
- Chat and SMS services
- Customizable offerings
- Integrations with other applications
- Quality control monitoring
- Payment plans
Of course, just as no two answering services are the same, neither are the medical answering service companies behind them. When you work with a medical answering service, you have to be able to trust that they will be able to not only meet your needs at the time you sign a contract—but that they’ll work with you over time to meet your evolving needs as well. When evaluating your options, here are the top 6 things we think you should consider:
- A Reputation You Can Trust | We’ve been providing our services for over 50 years, with our reviews and testimonials supporting our reputation for quality.
- Personnel Trained for the Medical Office | While we also provide services in other industries, when you opt for Answering Service Care’s medical answering service, you can rest easy knowing that no matter what they’re calling about, patients’ calls will be answered promptly and professionally.
- 24/7/365 Availability | You never know when your patients might experience a crisis, so offering around-the-clock accessibility with a live medical answering service helps to elevate the patient experience and overall quality of care.
- Sensible Pricing and Contract Terms | When you work with Answering Service Care, you benefit from straightforward and sensible pricing—backed by a 21-day money back guarantee.
- Bilingual Agents | With the United States currently ranking as having the second-largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, bilingual agents offer tremendous value for any practice striving for inclusivity and accessibility.
- Versatility | Whether you’re looking for unique and custom-tailored features, integrations with other applications or services, or modern automated features, Answering Service Care offers a wealth of features ready to scale with your practice.
Get Started with Answering Service Care Today
If you’re ready to see how Answering Service Care can benefit your practice while saving you both time and money, it’s easy to get started today. Just answer a few questions and choose your plan. If you decide it’s not for you, we have a 21-day money back guarantee. Still have questions? Check out our FAQ, or contact us directly. Needless to say, we’ll be ready to answer your call!
