VoIP explained
VoIP is simply the transmission of phone calls via the internet rather than telephone landlines. VoIP is completely digital, allowing you to make and receive phone calls with the same phone number from any combination of your digital VoIP phone, traditional landline phone, cell phone and computer.
Benefits
VoIP systems are beneficial for any business. They streamline your communications services and eliminate the need for landline telephone service, but they also have other benefits that can specifically help medical practices. Check out how VoIP can improve the following areas of your office.
Patient experience
Your medical practice exists to help patients, so of course you want to make sure your patients are happy. One easy way to do this is to make sure communication with your patients is easy and seamless.
Besides having crystal-clear voice quality and a reliable connection, VoIP services can interface with patient- or practice-management software, so, for example, a patient’s account information might pop up on your screen whenever they call in. Having everything streamlined and readily available cuts down on time and frustration, which is great for everyone.
VoIP can also improve your patients’ experience in other ways:
- Forward, reroute or block phone calls to and from multiple phones both within the office and to remote locations as well
- Route calls to different lines based on incoming caller ID
- Customizable answering systems—set up automated attendant menus with custom messages based on day and time, and turn them off with ease. You can even customize your hold music.
- Call rollover sends unanswered calls to another designated line to be answered before going to voicemail.
Productivity
Given the ways that VoIP systems can streamline services and quicken operations, it follows that the office will be more productive. One such service is virtual voicemail and transcription services. In the old days, messages were either relayed to doctors and other personnel by a receptionist, or they simply sat in a voicemail box. But with VoIP, voicemails can easily be sent directly to individual voicemail boxes, and those voicemail boxes can be accessed from a computer or smartphone app connected to the VoIP service.
On top of that, VoIP has a voicemail transcription service that converts the message into text and sends it as an email to the intended recipient (though you’ll want to ensure it’s an encrypted service to remain HIPAA compliant). Being able to pass important messages along instantly and reliably is a huge benefit for any medical office.
Finally, VoIP systems are easy to set up and customize. You can set up and change call flows and answering options at will and with ease, and you can check to see if the changes help by monitoring call stats and information.
Flexibility
VoIP systems not only make your office more flexible, but the VoIP system itself is also flexible. Unlike traditional landline telephone systems, VoIP systems are easily scalable to any business size. If your office grows and requires more extensions, that is easily done with VoIP.
At Digifone, we have three tiers of VoIP services depending on the size of your practice, starting with up to 20 phones and extensions for smaller business and going up to over 150 phones and extensions for large enterprises.
Cost
At the bottom line, VoIP services are less expensive than traditional landline services. For the sake of comparison, a typical landline service costs about $24 per line, while Digifone service runs about $19 per line—and that’s before the additional benefits.
With a one-year commitment to Digifone service, the equipment cost is included in the service, meaning you won’t pay additional for your handsets. With a two-year commitment, you gain a 10% discount on top of the subsidized handsets, and with a three-year commitment, that discount raises to 15%. That’s a lot of money saved for a simple switch to a phone system that also makes your life easier.
No matter which way you look at it, VoIP systems have landlines beat. If you’re thinking of making the switch from landline to VoIP, get started with a consultation from one of our experts. Call Digifone at (614) 635-9676 or fill out our contact form to learn more about what VoIP can do for you.