How To Make Answering Service Complaints a Thing of the Past with Modern Technology

Founded in 1957 and based in Denver, Cherry Creek Eye Physicians and Surgeons, P.C. is an ophthalmology practice offering eye exams, corrective lens surgeries, contact lenses, and more to the surrounding Cherry Creek community. The practice had used more than one answering service over the years, and most recently, the live answering service they implemented wasn’t cutting it. Though they were willing to try just about any answering service because of their repeated poor experiences, Practice Administrator Lea Petersen was looking for a solution that checked all the right boxes.

Challenges

Cherry Creek Eye Physicians and Surgeons, P.C. is home to one MD, one MO, one resident, and other office staff. The ophthalmology practice was using a live answering service to manage inbound calls during lunch hour and after hours. Though the live answering service worked well for the practice at first, problems soon arose that affected provider satisfaction.

When patients called and left a message for their provider, there was no way for them to leave a callback number. There was no solution in place to accurately route inbound calls, nor educate patients on specific office hours or what to do next. When doctors or staff at Cherry Creek encountered problems with their live answering service, customer support was usually nowhere to be found, and when they did answer, they weren’t much help. Unfair and inconsistent pricing, which Petersen described as being “nickel and dimed to death,” marked the final straw that led her to look for a better solution.

“When you’re running a business and this is a big part of our liability, if a patient needs us, they need to be able to find us and call us. And [our practice] didn’t have that for a long time,” said Petersen.

Solution

After conducting some Google research, Petersen found PerfectServe’s Practice Communication solution. After a demo, she could tell immediately that the automated answering service solution stood out from the rest. She particularly liked the flat-rate pricing based on the number of providers, the ability to have a one-touch callback number on patient messages, and the 24/7 access to customer support. As a bonus, PerfectServe even promised that their support agents would be responsive and knowledgeable!

Implementation

Ms. Petersen decided to implement PerfectServe’s automated answering service to manage inbound patient calls. Within 30 days, users had been trained and the solution was up and running. Dr. Stuart Lewis, Cherry Creek’s resident ophthalmologist, was able to quickly install the PerfectServe app on his phone and remarked at the overall ease of use. When he encountered an error, Petersen quickly connected Dr. Lewis with PerfectServe’s customer service team, and his issue was resolved in one brief session.

For Petersen, the comfort of having a support team just a phone call away gave her immense peace of mind. She shared that before PerfectServe, she heard regular complaints from her providers about the previous live answering service. Since implementing PerfectServe, she hasn’t heard a single complaint.

Results

Since implementing PerfectServe, Cherry Creek’s answering service experience has improved in a number of ways:

Easier Workflows

• Providers receive all patient communications as secure messages in PerfectServe—including patient context and phone number
• Petersen can easily make adjustments to the practice’s on-call schedule, which is now hosted and managed in PerfectServe
• Petersen can also make adjustments to other PerfectServe settings without having to contact support
• Providers haven’t complained about the service at all—a stark contrast to previous solutions

Consistent, Clear Pricing

• No variable rates and surcharges
• Flat-rate pricing based on number of providers/users

Better Support 

• PerfectServe offers 24/7, always-on support 
• Customer service agents are thoroughly trained on PerfectServe’s products and pleasant to interact with

“You guys have done a great job; I have no complaints. You’re easy to get a hold of, I learned how to change the schedule, I like that I have control of the call system because we get changes all the time … I can go in there and just fix it. I love it; [the providers] are happy. That’s all that matters. I love the price.” – Lea Petersen

Using Technology to Fill the Gaps

Cherry Creek Eye Physicians and Surgeons, P.C. had tried a number of live answering service solutions to manage their inbound calls during lunch and after hours. They faced some of the common issues seen with live answering services: unreliable coverage, variable operator performance, and the threat of the service provider going out of business or being acquired by another company. Their providers had to deal with cumbersome workflows, the pricing was inconsistent and included surprise fees, and customer service was frequently nonexistent.

Enhanced call routing technology was able to fill the gaps in Cherry Creek’s after-hours coverage. The ophthalmology practice needed a solution that would ease provider stress, offer better pricing, and provide patients with an intuitive call-in experience. By implementing PerfectServe’s automated answering service and tapping the company’s 25 years of industry expertise, they quickly realized the benefits of dynamic call and message routing and improved communication workflows.