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Discover What Really Motivates Your Employees

Posted: 11 Dec 2019 09:00 AM PST

A question that all company leaders grapple with is how to motivate their employees. Various carrot-and-stick methods can bring short-term results, but there is a better way. True motivation is intrinsic and powerful. It guides behavior, fuels innovation and lies at the root of why we do what we do.

Leaders need emotional intelligence to unlock what really powers their people and to identify their own motivations. According to a World Economic Forum report, emotional intelligence is one of the top skills needed in today's workplace. Emotional intelligence helps leaders predict behavior and understand how people will respond to threats and opportunities, making for smoother sailing as a company navigates different stages of growth.

Understanding how motivation works

Motivation is not always simple to get right. In fact, the traditional workplace often has it completely backward. According to old-school thinking, people don't like work and would prefer not to be there. Operating through that negative lens, leaders attempt to motivate workers by coercion, control or threats. This approach impedes progress, leaving employees afraid of making mistakes and trying new ideas.

One manufacturing company I worked with had a high error rate in its plant, and the company wrote up people up every time an error occurred. But that wasn't solving the root issue. We began working with the leaders and employees on employee engagement and building emotional intelligence. Within five months, the error rate dropped by 70%, saving $70,000 per month. Once company leaders began to truly engage employees and show that managers cared, employees were more invested and more careful.

Incentive programs that are meant to be a form of positive external motivation often aren't any better. In addition to causing employees to fear losing, they also distract employees from the company's goals.

Organizations are now offering perks like espresso machines and beer on Fridays to retain employees. I know one woman who worked for an organization that offered great perks, but she quit her job. She said her manager never gave her feedback and let her continue making a mistake she didn't realize she was making for a year. She was motivated by learning and growing. You could have offered her many perks, but if her core motivational drive wasn't being met, it wouldn't keep her there long-term.

External motivation will never be as powerful as intrinsic motivation simply because of the way our brains are wired. According to Nobel Prize winner and psychologist Daniel Kahneman, humans consistently prioritize avoiding threats over maximizing opportunities.

Think back to grade school, when you likely participated in a reading incentive program – you read books to get a reward like pizza. Did you enjoy reading as much when the external bribe was in play? Probably not. In fact, school districts pulled out of programs that offered pizza coupons because students were reading shorter books beneath their reading level. Instead of being a pleasure, reading became an obstacle to a reward.

It works the same way in the workplace. External motivation leads you to set more attainable goals in an effort to avoid failure – not exactly great for innovation.

Six catalysts of intrinsic motivation

Emotionally intelligent leaders understand that intrinsic motivation spurs people to action because they find the job personally rewarding. To get at intrinsic motivation, emotionally intelligent leaders don't tie lofty goals to compensation.

Intrinsic motivation comes in many forms. Here are six common catalysts that leaders should use to identify what makes their employees – and themselves – tick and steps you can take to encourage employees who fall into these categories.

1. Theoretical

From the time we arrive on this planet, we have an innate desire to learn about the world around us. Company leaders and managers can encourage this thirst for knowledge by offering opportunities for employees to learn and solve problems. Rather than put people on the spot, give them a chance to dig into a problem and research solutions.

Give employees who fall into this category opportunities to share what they've learned with their coworkers. These employees would be a great fit for training and mentoring programs, so find a program to challenge them. And make sure to give them time at meetings to provide specifics on the data and information they've uncovered that can be helpful to others.

2. Utilitarian

These are the people who like to dig in and get the job done. These employees hate wasted effort, busywork, or feeling like they are spending their days on meaningless tasks. They like practicality and efficiency. Give these employees projects with real outcomes that use their skills.

These people like getting a lot done in a short amount of time, so give them jobs that can be done quickly. Because they value efficiency, give them jobs that can be done with limited resources. Also, encourage their efficiency by putting them in challenging roles that make the most of those skills.

3. Aesthetic

These are employees who value flexibility, beauty and balance. They want their bosses to respect that they have a life outside of work, so they work best with flexible processes to help them achieve balance and encourage creative thinking. They also tend to understand their own motivations and others as well.

Give these employees a chance to make a difference by using their creativity on projects, but be sure to set clear expectations and timelines, as these workers often struggle with perfectionism. Environment is often important to these people, so provide opportunities for them to make improvements in the look and functionality of their workspace.

4. Individualistic

Many individuals hold themselves personally accountable for success and have an innate desire to lead. Let them. These are the people who are energetic and ambitious. Provide opportunities for advancement, don't micromanage them and celebrate their accomplishments. While you're at it, don't forget to celebrate your own wins as well.

Let these employees set reasonable rules and ask them to develop a plan for a project at work – and be sure to provide feedback on that plan. Have conversations about their careers and provide coaching and feedback about their futures.

5. Altruistic

These workers are motivated by the desire to help others. You should provide opportunities for them to collaborate and socialize with others. Make sure they understand the impact of their work on others and ask them to help with mentoring and training on the job. 

One good path for these workers is to make them a resource for onboarding new hires, helping them adapt to their new workplace and guiding them in the company's culture. Any opportunity you can find to allow them to boost camaraderie on the job will benefit them and your business.

6. Traditional

Some individuals are motivated by a desire for order and rules. These workers are organized and devoted to causes they believe in. They will flourish better under structure. Assign them to projects that reflect this.

Ask these workers to provide feedback on process improvements, something they will thrive on. Make sure to provide clear rules, requirements, and specifications around tasks. They also value fairness, so focus on ethics, standards, equality, and inclusiveness with them.

A Gallup engagement survey says that employees often leave their jobs because of a poor relationship with their boss. Frequently, the cause of this poor relationship is that leaders lack emotional intelligence and do not truly understand what motivates their people.

Using these catalysts as a guide to unlock your team's (and your own) intrinsic motivation will not only lead to greater employee engagement and retention, but will also fuel innovation and success. You and your team will find greater meaning in your work and derive greater satisfaction in your accomplishments.

How to Increase Empathy in Your Business

Posted: 11 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST

  • Empathy is the key factor in engaging your team, and visibility is the key to fostering empathy.
  • The more visible employees are to each other – and managers are to employees – the more engaged the team will be.
  • It's easy to keep everyone in the loop when you have only 20 employees, but how do you scale visibility as your business grows?

Watercooler chats are the lifeblood of a small company. Everyone seems to know what's going on, seemingly through osmosis. With only a few people on the team, all employees constantly collaborate and work together to solve problems. Company news travels through the grapevine almost instantaneously.

As companies grow, though, visibility lessens. Five hundred employees can't all huddle around the coffee machine to exchange the latest firm updates – especially when the team is spread out over more than one location.

Ultimately, that reduced transparency leads to a loss of empathy. Some companies attempt to solve this problem by circulating weekly email updates, but those often end up trashed with employees still complaining they don't feel "in the loop." That's because a scalable communication strategy must include dialogue.

You're in or you're out

Why is dialogue important? It keeps everyone included and on the same page. Think of your high school days – remember how there was always one lunch table where the "cool kids" sat? That social construct never seems to change, even as we get older. There's always an "in" group and an "out" group. When an "in" group identifies an "out" group, the "in" group tends to rally against the "out" group.

 This is a dicey aspect of social psychology when it shows up in the workplace. It's natural to develop connections within your personal "in" group (i.e., your team). But you have to be conscientious about not alienating yourself from other groups within your organization. In fact, studies show that people tend to give preferential treatment to others in their own "groups," even when the groupings are arbitrary. On an individual level, this can manifest itself in unequal treatment. At a team level, it can create toxic silos.

The visibility-empathy link

When employees don't feel they know what's going on, they start to imagine what other team members' day-to-days are like, even if they have no context or basis for those assumptions. When they don't understand the more high-level challenges, they start to fill in the blanks themselves. Then, they start to believe that story in their heads – and tell it to others.

Full visibility is virtually impossible, so you have to find a balance between giving and getting enough transparency. This aligns employees toward a common goal and empowers them to ask for the tools they need to monitor their own work and progress. Employees become their own "mini-managers" when they have stakes in the game and feel responsible for their own decisions.

Rally the troops with trust

Nothing motivates people more than feeling seen, heard, and/or recognized. By creating trusting relationships, you'll improve retention rates, bolster company culture, and even motivate employees to work longer hours when needed. You'll also help employees overcome disengagement and loneliness, which is a major problem; according to Businessolver's 2019 State of Workplace Empathy Report, nearly a quarter of survey respondents said there isn't a true sense of belonging in their workplace.

Ready to increase visibility in your company? Start with these three strategies: 

1. Tackle the tough conversations head-on

Employees want to work for managers who practice authenticity and transparency, yet many leaders are lacking in this area. Leaders must be willing to share first to open up the door for dialogue. This is especially important in tense situations or when different groups don't seem to be on the same page.

Those difficult conversations are critical. As a leader, the onus is on you to set the example for your employees and also to have tough discussions when needed. It's up to you to proactively nudge folks to give feedback, and there needs to be an established cultural strategy of actually doing it. 

Managers and direct reports may need to reach a compromise to understand each other's perspective and context. But if both parties listen, you'll find people start to recognize those stories they made up from their own confirmation biases.

2. Galvanize your group with all-hands meetings

As a leader, it's important to control your own narrative by properly educating employees on company happenings, as well as the strategic vision and actions of the leadership team. When employees have a better sense for the "why" of what they're doing – and they feel like you're all working toward the same goals, albeit at different levels – they'll be much more motivated and engaged.

Get everyone physically together in a room when sharing and measuring metrics. This could happen in a monthly operating meeting, for example, or a webinar. Send the information over email if necessary, though that method loses the value of having people physically focused and working together.

When done well, these all-hands meetings energize your team, reinforce shared goals, and provide clarity of purpose. They also help employees feel needed and purposeful, especially when leaders are open about sharing challenges. To keep your meetings effective, make sure you're surfacing major issues, celebrating wins, spotlighting team members, and providing a forum for all levels of employees to ask questions. Create a steady cadence of these meetings to foster a dialogue-based culture that helps employees feel more "in the loop" and therefore more empathetic.

3. Cultivate personal relationships

All too often, leaders err on the side of aloofness when socializing with their employees. Sharing any personal detail feels unprofessional; it's easier to stick to "just business."

You don't need to divulge all the details of your private life, but you should make an effort to develop personal relationships with employees. After all, we spend more waking hours at work than at home, so it's only to be expected that employees want to feel understood and supported. Seize those in-between moments to cultivate relationships: Invite a manager to lunch to ask how her new direct report is doing; or ask your colleagues how their weekends were while you're waiting for a video chat to start. Grab lunch with the intern. Get coffee with a rock star employee who usually flies under the radar. The more you seek out opportunities like these to connect with people, the more you'll build rapport and earn respect.

It's also up to you to help employees connect with one another: Schedule opportunities for peers to engage in meaningful conversations or open up a casual dialogue in the coffee line about a new employee's family. Rather than just ask how someone's day is going, inquire about something they're excited about in their personal lives.

I'm fond of saying that "empathy is the grease that turns the trust train." Empathy gives employees context, better tools to make decisions, and a more solutions-focused mindset. As a leader, it's up to you to set an example of empathy in the office by having tough conversations, fostering a sense of team cohesion, and pushing yourself to show your "human" side. No watercooler can give you that.

What Is an Agile Social Media Policy and How Can It Help Your Business?

Posted: 11 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST

Most companies have woken up to the fact that a strong presence on social media platforms is a necessary part of attaining commercial success these days. Despite the fact that more companies are tapping into the power of social media than ever before, however, countless brands keep making the same silly mistakes over and over. Chief amongst these mistakes is the belief that your company can maintain a sluggish presence on popular platforms instead of needing an agile, fresh-faced approach.

Do you have an agile social media policy? Here's how to determine if you're making the best of social media.

Stay proactive to create brand-building opportunities

Perhaps the best way to determine if you have an agile social media policy is to ask yourself whether you spend most of your time on social media platforms reacting to errors instead of creating opportunities that your brand can exploit. If you're hopping from one fire to the next in an effort to tamper down scandals whenever they arise, you're mostly spending huge sums of money for little to no good reason at all. Companies which manage to use social media services to create valuable opportunities which can then be leveraged to heighten profits, on the other hand, are making the wise decision that will pay off more in the long run.

Agility comes into play because it's impossible to take initiative in the world of social media unless you're fleet-footed and prepared to react to digital trends as they just begin to form. If you try to jump on a hashtag bandwagon to go viral but do so too slowly, for instance, you'll just end up making yourself appear sluggish in the eyes of your followers. That's why having a dedicated social media specialist is a worthwhile investment to make for most businesses. Figuring out how to hire the right social media guru isn't always easy, but it's often the difference between being ahead of the curve and being behind it.

You shouldn't be concerned about hiring a massive amount of social media staffers right off the bat. One or two specialists will work at first, and you can expand this team of tech gurus as time goes on. What's important is ensuring that you have access to expert insights when it comes to understanding the future of social media platforms, as you can't be expected to follow every little development yourself while you simultaneously run an entire business. Delegating some authority to them can help you enjoy peace of mind while ensuring that your social media operations don't break down the minute you turn your back on them.

Creating valuable opportunities to exploit with social media campaigns and buzz-worthy posts aren't the only thing you should be paying attention to, either. Being flexible on social media necessitates understanding your audience, and these days people ae more concerned about surveillance and corporate snooping than ever before.

Don't forget about privacy

You should also be paying attention to broader cultural trends so that your social media presence doesn't come across as creepy or improper in the eyes of your customers. More digital users are concerned about their privacy now more than ever before, for instance, which means they're keeping close tabs on the companies they do business with to see if they're snooping on them. Trying to inappropriately collect user data or launch a misleading ad campaign on popular social media platforms will do nothing but generate consumer backlash that will diminish your brand's popularity and profitability.

If you keep social media privacy in mind from the get-go, your social media strategy will be much more flexible and agile when it comes to responding to modern consumer expectations. More importantly, it will also ensure you avoid harmful scandals which can permanently taint your public image. Users don't want to be affiliated with a company that possesses a nasty reputation and will unfollow you en masse if you really make a mistake, so focusing on social media privacy will keep your reputation sterling.

Besides focusing on securing the valuable information provided to you by users, you should also ensure that your workers know not to step over boundaries. When advertising on social media or responding to consumer feedback, for instance, you can try to be witty and humorous, but that may ultimately backfire. Take a look at a list of brands which have embarrassed themselves on social media, for instance, and you'll find that trying to be in tune with cultural developments can backfire. This isn't to say it's not worthwhile to connect the users, but rather to note you must do it cautiously.

How to improve social media agility

Now that you understand the importance of being agile on social media, you can begin to make improvements to your current strategy. Begin by considering a social media audit, which is a lengthy but worthwhile process whereby you can determine your current effectiveness when it comes to wooing consumers on popular platforms. Properly-conducted social media audits can be completed in as little as 30 minutes, but always be willing to dedicated as much time as is needed to ensure you have a solid understanding of your current operations.

After you've identified weak spots in your existing social media strategy, consider expanding the amount of resources you're willing to invest in online agility and flexibility. After all, if you're not constantly on the prowl for new developments which can be exploited then you're all but wasting what money you are already investing in social media activity. Quickness is the name of the game; when consumers react negatively to an ad campaign, for instance, it needs to be pulled from as many platforms as possible, as quickly as possible. Similarly, whenever you generate a slew of positive responses, it's worthwhile to supercharge that effort in the near-term to ensure your message hits as many feeds as possible.

Sometimes, responding quickly means delegating authority, as no entrepreneur can single-handedly manage the social media presence of a business that's rapidly burgeoning with growth. If you're dealing with dozens or hundreds of comments and inquiries a day, you'll need to be able to hire helpful individuals who can respond to social media criticism without needing you oversight. After all, you should be paying attention to other and more pressing matters while qualified workers help spread your message across the online world. Never become personally unengaged from your social media operations, however, as you won't be able to determine how agile your operations are in the future if you totally tune out after hiring some professionals. As always, the business owner must walk a fine line between delegating authority and keeping a distant eye on things beyond their total control.

Having an agile social media policy thus necessitates hiring qualified social media gurus and empowering them to make decisions quickly in the face of consumer criticism and feedback. Social media audits and an emphasis on privacy won't hurt you, either. Before long, you'll discover that a brand with a flexible and agile social media presence is much more likely to win over the hearts and dollars of customers everywhere.

4 Key Strategies for Growing a Successful Business

Posted: 11 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST

As an entrepreneur with more than ten years of experience, I've come across my fair share of articles and tips for running a successful business. Some of the wisdom passed down to me became instrumental in my own journey, allowing me to take our organic food delivery startup from a one-bedroom apartment in Southern California to a nine-figure brand.

Today, I'd like to share some of the key lessons I've picked up on the way. My hope is that the next wave of entrepreneurs can take what resonates with them to create their own success stories.

1. There's always a solution.

One of the main things I've learned on my entrepreneurial journey is that what can go wrong, usually will. Now, on the surface that may sound pessimistic, but I see it as a threat mitigation strategy. When you hope for the best but plan for the worst, you're less likely to be thrown by unexpected obstacles.

With this mindset, it's easier to stay solutions orientated, as opposed to freezing in place when things go pear-shaped. Instead of dwelling on the negatives and passing the blame, you instead have the space to be creative and find unique solutions so you can keep moving forward.

With this in mind, whenever someone in the business comes to me with a problem, I make a conscious effort to sit with it for a little while, as opposed to making a rash decision. Sure, in some cases, decisions need to be made quickly. If a production machine breaks down mid-shift, food production stops, so we need to act sharp. Even then, I like to take five to 10 minutes of quiet time to think things through.

In my eyes, it's much better to have this pause as opposed to rushing in, acting on impulse and then regretting it later. It's about considering the ripple effect and foreseeing how a decision will impact us not just in the short term, but several years down the line.

I'll run various scenarios through my head and ask myself some key questions:

  • What could be the consequences of acting this way?
  • What will it require?
  • What are our alternatives?

Sometimes I'll consult people close to me, but I always make sure I have some semblance of a plan before doing so. Then it's a case of coordinating with the team, taking action, and making adjustments as we go until we find the best solution.

2. Stay cool and confident.

Stress is the antithesis of productivity. When we're agitated, we enter fight or flight mode, and the brain is unable to think about long term consequences. Not a great place to be if you're trying to run a business. This was something I struggled with to a degree in the early days of Fresh n' Lean.

As a young female entrepreneur, many would doubt my abilities or ignore me completely in business meetings. I learned from my dad the value of observing and listening to take things in and read the room. I often felt that people would underestimate me, and in many cases, I would take it personally. On a few occasions, I even found myself lying about my age to gain respect.

This all changed when I started viewing the naysayers as people who were suffering, almost as if they had some kind of disease. It may sound kooky, but this switch in mindset took away a lot of the stress. I began to feel more empathetic about their perspectives on life and I stopped taking things so personally.

As opposed to feeling frustrated and having an insatiable need to prove myself, I now feel compassion for them. I realized that degrading comments and raised eyebrows were not about me, but instead reflected their lack of understanding.

With that weight off my shoulders, there's a definite sense of freedom and satisfaction. There will always be naysayers, but I have much more clarity of mind and confidence in the decisions I make.

3. Get your hands dirty.

In the early days of Fresh n' Lean, I was largely acting as a one-woman-band. In addition to studying for my degree, I handled the meal prep packaging, shipping and customer service for Fresh n' Lean too. There were plenty of long days and sleepless nights at the office.

Ten years later, we now operate out of a dedicated 55,000 square foot facility with a state of the art, gluten-free kitchen. I'm still so grateful for those tough beginnings. Because I've been there, I understand intimately the logistics of the business, and I appreciate the hard work that goes into creating nourishing meals and delivering them to people's doorsteps on time.

Even though much of my time is now spent in meetings and is split between the production plant and our retail store, I'm still not one to shy away from getting my hands dirty. There have been times where I've had to dive in and help kitchen staff with meal prep so we could ship them out on time.

I think if you're not prepared to get in the trenches, it's easy to lose touch with your business and what it really stands for. I'm fortunate enough to have a team of employees that really believe in what we're trying to achieve, and because I've been in their shoes, I'd never ask them to do something that I wouldn't be comfortable doing myself.

4. Persistence pays off.

In pursuing any new venture or a big goal, you're bound to come up against obstacles. The secret to getting through them? Good old fashioned grit.

Thankfully this is something I developed from a young age. Whenever I heard a "no," I took it as a "maybe," which then could become a "yes." This is something I've taken into my business, pursuing my goals until the end and not taking no for an answer.

Until recently, I had zero experience in retail, but that's a direction I felt the brand needed to explore. At first, we were told by the city that we didn't need a health permit, and that the previous store owners operated without one. We set up shop, but before long were informed that the health permit was in fact needed. This meant we had to close the store, liaise with the health department and essentially redraw the whole plan from scratch.

Anyone who's dealt with permits knows how slow things can be to get going. We essentially had to push our way through to the chief of the LA health department so she could sign it off. It was only through persistence that we were finally able to get government officials to see our project as a priority, and now we're back up and running again!

The takeaway? When you have your eyes set on making things happen, pursue that goal with everything you have. Expect setbacks and obstacles, and view them as an opportunity to grow, then keep moving.

How to Choose an Answering Service for a Medical Practice

Posted: 11 Dec 2019 05:30 AM PST

Running a medical practice is a demanding endeavor that requires a seamless connection between front office staff, clinicians and back-office operations. It can sometimes be difficult for a medical practice to juggle all the tasks needed to keep daily operations running smoothly, especially while fielding incoming calls. For practices that need extra help manning the phone lines (and possibly improving patient engagement) medical answering services offer a potential solution.

What is a medical answering service?

Geared toward the healthcare industry, medical answering services offer secure management of a medical practice's phone lines in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). They also convey the appearance to your patients that it is an in-house receptionist who is answering their phone call.

Medical answering services can perform a range of tasks. It can be as simple as a live receptionist taking down specific information and passing it along to relevant parties or allowing callers to set appointments. You can also use an answering service to call patients and remind them when they have an upcoming appointment.

Medical answering services vary in what they offer, but many include the following core features:

  • Live answering: Generally available 24/7, a live receptionist answers incoming calls. They may be able to answer patient questions if you provide the service with a list of FAQs and scripted answers.

  • Message taking: Message-taking services capture information and then forward messages to the relevant parties at the medical practice.

  • After-hours answering: When the practice is closed, a live receptionist can respond to incoming calls and forward messages to providers and staff.

  • Overflow call answering: If your practice experiences spikes in call volume, rather than getting a busy signal when patients try to reach your practice, the answering service will have a live receptionist available who can speak with callers.

  • Appointment setting: Answering service receptionists can use a medical practice's calendar to set appointments for callers. Some services offer insurance eligibility verification services.

  • Appointment reminders: Many medical answering services can remind patients of upcoming appointments. This feature can reduce cancellations and no-shows.

  • Payment processing: Some medical answering services accept debit card and credit card payments over the phone so patients can pay their copayments or outstanding balances.

  • Secure messenger: Some medical answering services offer a HIPAA-compliant messenger service that allows receptionists or medical practice staff to securely text patients. These messengers are typically available through a mobile application.

  • Call recording: Medical answering services can record calls and archive them for later access and review.

Generally, a medical practice can select the services they require, which –  along with call volume – can influence the ultimate price that the answering service charges.

Editor's note: Need a call center services for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you with free information.

 

 

Do you need a medical answering service?

If you're unsure whether you should manage incoming calls in-house or outsource it to a medical answering service, step back for a moment and ask yourself a few questions. These questions will help you identify whether it is worthwhile to hire a medical answering service and if it would improve the way your medical practice interacts with patients on a daily basis.

  • Am I missing calls? Missing calls is one of the most obvious reasons to forward your phone lines to a medical answering service. If your staff is busy with other tasks and unable to reach the phone, a live receptionist can make sure your callers are taken care of and the messages are passed on to you quickly and accurately.

  • Are patients canceling or not showing up to appointments? Medical practices often must contend with appointment cancellations and no-shows. Practice management software often includes appointment-reminder features, but medical answering services are another layer to ensure your patients receive a reminder about their upcoming visit.

  • Do I receive a lot of after-hours calls? Most medical practices aren't open around the clock, but patients still call in to ask questions or set appointments. Medical answering services can handle after-hours calls and help improve your practice's customer engagement.

  • Does my call volume unexpectedly spike? If you ever have unexpected spikes in call volume, some of your patients might have difficulty getting through to your front office. By hiring a medical answering service to handle overflow calls, all of the calls placed to your office are answered – even at the busiest times.

Can a bad medical answering service hurt your medical practice?

At worst, a bad medical answering service that doesn't abide by HIPAA-compliant practices can cause data breaches or leave sensitive information unsecured, leading to HIPAA violations and potential consequences for your medical practice. Even when that isn't the case, a bad service could harm your practice's brand, with representatives who are rude and/or who are unresponsive to callers.

It's not just important to test the security and customer service quality of an answering service, though. You should also find out as much as possible about the answering service's infrastructure. For instance, what kind of uptime can you expect? Does the answering service have redundancy in place in case it is affected by blackouts or natural disasters? If you're going to pay for a medical answering service, you need to know that your service won't be interrupted.

The best medical answering services are upfront about their services, pricing, fees, and terms and conditions. Request all of this in writing and thoroughly review it before you decide whether to partner with the answering service or not. If possible, have an attorney review the contract. Obtaining a written document with these details will help both you and the medical answering service maintain a mutually beneficial partnership moving forward. 

What are the unique elements of a medical answering service?

Medical answering services offer some unique aspects that answering services focused on other industries do not provide. One of the most obvious is security, which needs to be, at a minimum, in compliance with HIPAA and HITECH standards. This means staff are trained regularly, callers are informed how their personal data will be used, and data is secured by encryption and other means. Medical answering services are required to abide by HIPAA, too, just like other healthcare organizations.

Some medical answering services and healthcare IT companies offer integrations with leading electronic medical records (EMR) systems and practice management software. These integrations include features such as saving audio recordings and messages directly in the EMR system and practice management software, or displaying a patient's chart when they call the practice.

How much does a medical answering service cost?

Answering services range in cost significantly; prices largely depend on call volume and the types of services you require. Generally, you should expect to pay between 75 cents and $1.25 per minute. Buying a larger package of minutes each month often drives down the per-minute cost.

Some answering services charge additional fees such as setup fees, overages and holiday fees that drive up the cost.

Scrutinize how answering services calculate call time. The best medical answering services calculate call time from second to second, but many round to the nearest sixth second. In other words, for a 1-minute and 7-second call, the answering service would charge you 1 minute and 12 seconds.

Some answering services round up even more, which can drive up costs and cause you to incur overage fees. Inquire about how call time is recorded and which increments the company uses. Ideally, look for a medical answering service that calculates call time in 1-second increments.

Some medical answering services offer free trials, so you can test the quality of their service for a limited time (a week or two) before making a purchasing decision. Take advantage of the limited trials, because it is important to know the level of service that you – and your patients – will receive from an answering service. After all, your relationship with your customers is on the line. For a closer look at some of the best answering services out there, see our best picks.

Medical answering services aren't a necessity for every medical practice, but they can help busy offices run more efficiently. Medical practices can rely on a good medical answering service to cut costs or enable investment elsewhere, or these service can serve as a backup for after hours or when overflow calls need to be taken.

If you need help managing your phone lines, setting appointments and following up with your patients, a medical answering service might be right for you.
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