So you’re looking for a new phone system for your GP surgery? Maybe because you’re facing one of these problems with your current phone system:
- You feel that frequent engaged tones may be leading to frustrated patients.
- You’d like a phone system that links to your practice management software (EMIS) so you can greet patients by their name and save time.
- You would like to monitor and improve the way your staff communicate with patients.
If so, there’s hope! Yo Telecom has helped over 450 GP surgeries successfully overcome these challenges. In this short article, we’ll outline the differences between the phone systems that are available to you and tell you which one is the best choice for your GP surgery.
What is the Best Phone System for GP Surgeries?
There are three main types of telephone systems available:
- Digital phone systems
- Internet (VoIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol) or cloud-based phone systemsÂ
- Hybrid phone systems (the best of both worlds)
Digital Phone Systems for GP Surgeries
A digital phone system is a physical telephone system that is located somewhere in your GP surgery. They are small boxes that are usually mounted on a wall or placed in a cabinet. They connect to your phone lines and all the handsets you have in your building. A benefit of a digital phone system is that it’s very reliable. This system ranks #2 out of the three systems in reliability. However, a disadvantage of a digital phone system is that it is restricted to physical phone lines (digital or analogue phone lines). This means it’s not that future-proof.
Internet (VoIP) Phone Systems for GP Surgeries
An internet phone system, also known as a VoIP or cloud based phone system, is a virtual phone system which unlike a digital or hybrid system will not be located in your surgery. Instead, it will be located in a data centre somewhere in the world. A benefit of VoIP systems is that they can save money on call charges. However, a disadvantage of VoIP systems is that if your internet connection goes down, or is too slow at certain times of the day you will not be able to use your phones – at all.
Hybrid Phone Systems for GP Surgeries
The hybrid system is a mixture of a digital phone system and an internet (VOIP) phone system. The system will be located in your GP surgery and offers flexibility with your choice of cordless and fixed handsets. A benefit of a hybrid phone system is that they offer more reliability than both VOIP and digital phone systems. If one type of line fails for you, it can automatically route calls in and out from a backup line. Hybrid phone systems don’t really have any disadvantages. They truly are the best of both worlds.
The Hybrid Phone System is the Best Phone System for GP Surgeries!
As well as being the most reliable phone system you can buy, hybrid phone systems also offer a range of other useful features for GP Surgeries. You can find these listed below:
+ EMIS Integration
Yo Telecom offers the only system in the world that will directly integrate into your EMIS software. Allowing you to WOW your patients by knowing their name and their details before you’ve even answered the phone. Our system will also allow you to dial directly from your EMIS too. Impressive right?
+ Call Waiting
Rather than your patients getting an engaged tone while your team are on the phone, your phone system will automatically greet the caller, notify them that you are busy on the line and play them some music or important announcements while they wait for you. This keeps your patients on the line rather than hanging up and becoming frustrated.
+ Call Recording
Make calling your GP surgery a pleasant experience, always, by monitoring and improving the way your staff communicate with your patients. If a caller has a bad experience on the phone with you, it can be damaging to your reputation and your patients may lose trust in you. With Call Recording you can listen to any call that has been made or received as many times as you need!
+ Business Continuity
This is a Yo Telecom package feature that ensures communication between you and your patients can happen at all times. If your internet fails and your phones cut out, this system allows backup lines to kick in so that your patients can still get through to you.
+ Auto Attendant
Auto Attendant is a feature that will allow you to give your patients a message before you have even answered the phone. For example, ‘If you are calling to book an appointment, press 1.’ or ‘If you have a medical emergency please call 999’ This will help organise the traffic of your calls and give your patients peace of mind that they are speaking to the right person.
+ Call Logging
Never let an unanswered call turn into a missed opportunity, bad impression or upset patient again. You may miss calls when you’re busy on the line, helping patients or even when you are closed. With the Yo Telecom Phone System you can easily return your missed calls so they don’t turn into missed opportunities!
If you’ve liked what you’ve read, I recommend you book a free demo of medical phone systems. You can do this by calling us on 02382 146115.
