2021 Volume 35 Issue 5 Pages 713-723
Objective: Response rate (RR) is one of the key performance indicators of operational efficiency. As the number of medical examinees increases, it becomes difficult to make a reservation by phone smoothly because of an increase in number of abandoned calls at our medical check-up. To enhance customer satisfaction (CS), we aimed to reach a 90% RR by starting a call center and using an interactive voice reaction (IVR) system. Here, we report the findings.
Methods: In 2012, a call system to calculate RR and a work force management (WFM) system to arrange human resources were introduced. In addition, we established a call center, and provided guidelines for the reservation service and a script for operators to be able to provide a unified response for customers. In 2014, we upgraded the reservation system, allowing customers to make reservations not only by phone and post, but also by fax. In 2017, an IVR system was introduced to reduce customer inquiries. CS was evaluated using questionnaire surveys in 2011 and 2020.
Results: RR increased from 46.5% to 64.6% after the establishment of the call center. Furthermore, RR reached 72.0% after the introduction of the fax reservation system, and further increased to 98.5% after the IVR system was introduced. The result of the questionnaire survey showed a decrease in customer dissatisfaction with phone connectivity in 2020 compared to 2011.
Conclusions: Our initiatives, including establishing a call center and using IVR, realized over a 90% RR. As the RR improved, CS also increased.
