Joy Thompson

How Belfast surgery boosted patient satisfaction with babblevoice telephony

GP practice team now has complete control over their phone system.

As Practice Manager for a larger than average practice, Joy Thompson and her colleagues serve an area of deprivation on the outskirts of Belfast. They provide essential support to vulnerable people - including long-term chronic health conditions, mental health problems, and family health issues.

The challenge

Joy and her team would often deal with complaints from frustrated patients who couldn’t get through to the surgery and were exasperated by the engaged tone.

Joy was increasingly worried that Woodbrooke Medical Practice was failing to give the timely, responsive care they worked hard to provide. She felt their phone system was ineffective. The practice sought a combined system - integrated with EMIS Web, that offered the flexibility to make changes, and allowed them to meet rising patient demand.

I was concerned with the negative patient feedback. I wanted to be in control of our telephone system so I could programme it to do what we needed.

The solution

While hunting for a new VOIP phone system, Joy was drawn to babblevoice because it was less expensive than alternatives. In addition, with all the main providers based in England, it was important that her team would be well supported by an attentive remote helpdesk.

Furthermore, babblevoice’s flexible design enabled Joy to gain the functionality that was important to her, such as call recording and EMIS integration.

It’s a real benefit to have a range of extra functions built into the system. We recently introduced a new prescription ordering line. Babblevoice transcribes the orders so we receive them via email which is brilliant as it saves the team significant time.

The results

• Unlimited lines have banished the engaged tone.
• Patient satisfaction has improved.
• Time savings have been achieved, such as:
  • Improved system oversight – managers can see call queuing and call holding numbers easily and can act accordingly.
  • The reception team can resolve patient queries and complaints much quicker with the help of call recording now it is easier for supervisors/managers to find the call and listen back.

We now have good control of the system. We can quickly make changes when needed. Earlier this year we had a red weather warning and remotely set up a new message about when the surgery would be closed so patients were fully up to date.

Additional benefits

• GPs can save time now they have speed-dial and can access their patients’ EMIS records more quickly.
• Ability to run reports for governance, quality improvement and contractual obligations.
• Excellent and prompt response to helpdesk calls, followed by emails to confirm what was discussed and the outcome.

We feel very well supported by the babblevoice team. When we need help their response times are very prompt. They keep us well informed and I have excellent clarity about progress. Resolution times are rapid.

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