Industry Spotlight: Virtual Phone System for Healthcare Professionals

The healthcare industry is a rather unique field. There are many things to consider, from timeliness to organization to proper record keeping and accountability. That’s why it’s one of the most prestigious industries to be part of. In order to do their jobs to the best of their ability, healthcare professionals need all the tools available to them to stay on top of their game. A virtual phone system can provide many of these tools on one easy to use platform.

One of the biggest concerns in the healthcare profession is timeliness. People want to know that when they reach out to a doctor’s office or pharmacy that they are met with a prompt response. A virtual phone system offers many features that aid in the timely and efficient management of incoming calls. For instance, robust phone trees provide callers with plenty of options and help them reach exactly who they need as quickly as possible.

Client satisfaction is also a high priority in the healthcare industry. With the Live Receptionist feature, callers will feel a sense of relief that their calls will always be answered, regardless of time or date. They’ll also be happy to know that they’ll never receive another busy signal when they call. Virtual phone systems also help lower operational costs. By not having to house expensive equipment or worry about costly updates, your healthcare operation can save money.

Another concern that healthcare professionals face is availability. There’s no question that it’s a hustle and bustle field which often makes for long, stressful and incredibly busy days. Features like IVR help to alleviate some of the repetitive work healthcare workers face. You can easily provide answers to commonly asked questions and other information like office hours and directions on a customized recording so that callers can retrieve the information without ever having to speak to a live person.

So what type of healthcare professional can benefit from a virtual phone system?

• Hospitals
• Medical Offices
• Dental Office
• Health Plan Providers
• Medical Supply Companies
• Pharmaceuticals
• Medical Reception
• Appointment Services

Don’t see your healthcare industry extension on the list? Well, consider this: if you can benefit from time and cost savings, improved productivity and efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction then you can benefit from a virtual phone system.

In order to be successful, healthcare professionals must focus on doing their job with efficiency and providing superior service to their clients. Accomplishing this means leveraging all of the tools and technology available to them. A virtual phone system is one such tool, which can dramatically improve the process of doing business in this industry.

Labels: healthcare, virtual phone system

Is Your Website Making it Easy for Customers to Communicate with You?

One of the main reasons to have a business website is so that customers can communicate with you. That said, simply having a presence on the web doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s making it any easier to reach you. Chances are if someone has to search your site endlessly to find contact info they’ll just get frustrated and leave. Here are a few simple ways you can optimize your website so that when someone needs to reach you, they can do so quickly and efficiently.

• Clearly display your contact information at the top right corner of your site, where it has come to be expected. If visitors have to search high and low to locate your information, forget it. There are plenty of other ways to be unique and different – don’t try it with this important detail.
• Keep it simple. If you’re using a contact form, don’t make it so long and drawn out that it takes 20 minutes to complete, or you might as well kiss your leads goodbye. Ask for only the necessary information, like name, email address and phone number.
• Consider every angle, including mobile users. To make it easier for visitors using their mobile devices, list your phone number as HTML rather than an image so they can instantly launch their call to you by clicking on it.
• Reassure visitors with a promise to keep their contact information in the strictest of confidence. In the age of spam and phishing, people are much more careful about sharing their personal info, so it’s important to assure them that you’ll handle all communication with them with integrity.
• Offer chat options. Nowadays, many customers prefer to have the option to speak with someone instantly over live chat, rather than having to spend time on the phone. This feature provides state-of-the-art technology for your customers, which also lends to a more professional image (and increased client satisfaction to boot).

You don’t have to be an ecommerce company to use the web for business. In fact, online communication is one of the most efficient ways to gather leads, especially if you’ve optimized your site with SEO and are participating in social media. But once you get someone to come to your site, you have to make sure you’re making it as easy as possible for them to get ahold of you when they need to. These five simple things can mean the difference between a page view and a new paying customer.

Labels: communication, small business tips, web management

A Holiday Poem from Synclio

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the office

Not a creature was stirring, ‘cept the virtual phone service.

The headsets were hung by the cubicles with care,

In hopes that their batteries would last through next year

The employees were nestled all snug in their beds

While visual voicemails danced through their heads

And I in my skirt-suit and you in your tie

Had just shared a toast to the year that’s gone by

When over near the phone there arose such a clatter

I jumped from my chair to see what was the matter

Away to the switchboard I flew like a flash

Picked up the handset and dialed in a dash

The phone tree was programmed, the greeting was set

The IVR was scheduled, and I realized, “No sweat.”

With our virtual phone system we needn’t worry,

All our calls would be routed, it’s a simple story.

Find me / follow me would track us wherever we wander,

And group calling would bring our team together from yonder.

Our toll free number would make us professional,

While running our call reports would keep us on schedule.

As I thought about Synclio, I realized with glee,

Our virtual phone system had set us free!

Now we can travel or work right from home,

Because we’ll stay connected wherever we roam.

Our customers will love us, our employees will be thrilled,

Our dreams of a remote office have now been fulfilled.

I looked all around and I said with delight,

Happy dialing to all and to all a good night!

~ Happy holidays from the Synclio family!

Using Analytics to Tackle Your 4 Biggest Marketing Problems

When you’re sick, you probably go to the doctor to find out what’s wrong, right? You don’t simply guess at what might be the problem and hope for the best. Marketing your business is no different. Taking a shot in the dark at what works and what doesn’t without properly examining each process and campaign is sure to end badly. That’s why analytics are so important. By understanding what is generating leads, and more importantly what is happening to those leads once they reach you, you can maximize your chance of converting browsers into paying customers.

Let’s take a look at how good analytics can help you tackle four of your biggest marketing concerns.

Problem #1: I don’t know what content will work and what won’t. Should I just guess?

Marketing on the internet is a science. To truly make the most out of your web activities, you must optimize your interactions so that when someone searches online for a business like yours, it’s your company that will show up at the top of those results. This is done through search engine optimization. A number of reputable sites, like SEO Moz, offer some fantastic (and better yet – free) SEO keyword tools to help you with your targeted keyword analytics. Once you understand exactly what words and terms your audience is using when they’re conducting searches, you’ll know precisely what words and terms to use throughout your site, blog and social media interactions to best capitalize on them.

Problem #2: Something’s wrong but I have no clue how to figure out what it is.

Successful marketing is about more than just designing and implementing a plan. It’s also about being able to recognize when there’s a kink in that plan that may be threatening to derail the entire operation. Otherwise you risk throwing away valuable marketing dollars on things that simply aren’t producing results. Using closed-loop analytics to examine the entire marketing process, from lead to conversion, you can identify what areas of your marketing funnel need work. For example, perhaps you’re getting a ton of traffic but very few conversions. This could mean that you’re focusing your marketing efforts on the wrong areas, so the wrong traffic is being driven to your site. Fix this and you’re back in business without wasting valuable time guessing at what the problem might be.

Problem #3: I’m using social media, but I have no idea how to measure the results.

One of the biggest myths about social media marketing is that ROI can’t be accurately measured. That’s simply not true. In fact, most of the popular platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, allow you to access detailed analytics information about your activities, which you can use to integrate with the other web analytics you are conducting to see the big picture. This helps you narrow down which interactions are producing the best results. Using tools like Google Analytics you can track which social media channels are generating the most traffic, and then narrow it down by specific campaign to further analyze the results.

Problem #4: I know I can track my leads online but I have no way of tracking offline leads.

We say ‘nay, nay’ to this! With tools like our Google Analytics Integration tool, you can now take the guesswork out of your offline advertising campaigns and ROI calculations. You can gather detailed call tracking information to learn exactly how many of your leads were generated through which channels, allowing you to focus your efforts (and marketing budget) on those methods that you know for certain are working. Now you can combine both your online and offline analytics to get “whole picture” results.

If you want to truly understand how your marketing activities are performing (and you should, or you’re most certainly losing money), analytics can help you do so and provide solutions to just about all of your marketing problems. By accurately measuring your results, you’ll be able to maximize your efforts to achieve the best possible return on your investment.

Labels: how to improve marketing performance, marketing, small business tips