The term ‘medical answering service‘ is a bit of a misnomer in the sense that doing it correctly requires more than just answering. Handling urgent medical calls properly requires engaging with callers in order to truly understand their needs. We see it this way: where answering is a mechanical task, engaging is a clinical one. And at the heart of engagement is the practice of active listening.
A good answering service will leverage active listening regardless of the industry represented. But in the medical industry, active listening is so much more important because operators are dealing with lives. We consider active listening a force multiplier for the medical practices for whom we work.
It Starts With Slowing Things Down
The ironic thing about active listening is that it starts with slowing things down. This might seem counterproductive in the case of an urgent medical call requiring proper triage and immediate follow-up. But slowing the conversation down enough to actively listen should actually speed up the call in most cases.
Active listening reduces confusion. It eliminates the need to ask so many follow-up questions. Active listening encourages clear, concise communication that almost always results in faster calls being handled more quickly and effectively.
Answering vs. Engaging
To make things a little clearer, let us talk about the difference between answering the phone and engaging with a caller. For starters, answering is a passive exercise wherein an operator picks up the call, greets the caller, and sits idly by while the caller explains the purpose for the call.
Engaging creates a two-sided conversation aimed at gathering important data. In the case of an urgent medical call, the operator is after clinical data necessary for triage. With engagement, answering the call as quickly as possible is not the priority. Gathering the right data is. When answering is the strategy, the goal is to get the call concluded as quickly as possible.
In an answering scenario, an operator follows a script word-for-word. In an engagement scenario, an operator can adapt the script to certain cues. This is important because no single script matches every call scenario 100%. Especially during urgent medical needs, scripts need to be modified.
Active Listening Controls the Call
Even though answering is designed to conclude calls as quickly as possible, engagement tends to lead to shorter calls by maintaining control. Think of it this way: a caller facing an urgent medical issue is a patient in distress. The caller is likely practicing what we call ‘looping’ – the caller repeating the same things multiple times to ensure they have been understood.
Active listening stops looping, thereby saving precious time. How? Through another practice known as ‘vocal mirroring’. Vocal mirroring occurs when the operator repeats a phrase back to the caller. Here is an example: “I understand you’ve had difficulty breathing for the last 30 minutes.”
Vocal mirroring makes it clear that the operator understands what is going on. The caller feels both heard and understood. They are less likely to fall into the looping trap. This cuts precious time out of the call.
Active Listening Adds Direction
Equally important is the fact that active listening adds direction to the call. A skilled operator can gently redirect the conversation in order to gather all the necessary information in as short a time as possible. Such redirection doesn’t occur in an answering scenario. But it is a critical part of engagement.
When urgent medical needs arise, callers are better served by operators who know how to engage. Answering is fine, but engagement is better for both patient and practice alike.
