Type of content

Østfold Hospital

2017-04-10

by Louise Wahlström

In the Fredrikstad and Moss Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinics, the stressful noise of ringing telephones can no longer be heard. This is down to Aurora teleQ, which organises incoming calls to make everyone’s lives more peaceful: patients, telephone operators and the hospital management.

Patients call the department they wish to speak to and are greeted by an answering machine that tells them that the office opening hours are from 08:00 to 14:00. They can then choose from the following options: 1 to cancel an appointment, 2 to make an appointment, or 3 for any other queries. Once the patient has made their choice, they receive a message telling them that they will receive a callback at a specific time. If they’d prefer to be called on a different number, or at a different time, they can choose this too.

A well-managed reputation

“The way we have configured Aurora teleQ is great for our reputation. Before phoning a patient, the secretary can prepare for the call, which creates a positive dialogue. If the patient wants to cancel a series of consultations, for example, the secretary can give them useful suggestions. The quality of communication with our patients has seen a real improvement compared to when we used a traditional telephone system. Patients can’t believe it when the secretary calls them back at the scheduled time!”, says Anne Borgersen, Department Director.

Flexibility

At the Fredrikstad and Moss Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinics there are seven secretaries responsible for patient contact. Three nurses who manage the waiting lists in the Orthopaedics office can also work with Aurora teleQ.

Mrs Borgersen knows one thing for sure: without Aurora teleQ they would need more secretaries, which simply isn’t an option in times of budget cuts. Using Aurora teleQ also allows the secretaries to focus their efforts on other tasks during the breaks between scheduled calls. Appointments can be cancelled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and those hours can be filled easily with other patients on the waiting list.

“Aurora teleQ equals a well-managed reputation!”

– Anne Borgersen, Department Dierctor

Work with Aurorar teleQ

The Services Manager in the Orthopaedics office in Fredrikstad, Susanne Fagerhøi, never gets tired of singing Aurora teleQ’s praises; they no longer have to answer phones that ring incessantly and can instead focus on the patients, caring for them in a much more pleasant environment. There is still a high volume of calls coming in, but they can be spaced out. With Aurora teleQ, each secretary can deal with between 30 and 45 patients a day. Of these, around 50% are requests to change appointments. Another advantage is that the strain is removed from the hospital switchboard, as all calls are answered in the departments themselves. “Our workday has completely changed; it’s now structured and systematic. The best thing for us, though, is seeing how easily our patients are able to get in touch,” she adds, smiling.

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