Open-ended questions are a tool that educators use to help students figure things out on their own. They are also a tool used by sales professionals to help potential clients understand their own needs better. It turns out that open-ended questions are a valuable tool for medical answering services as well. Even office staff can ask such questions when answering medical calls.
What Are Open-Ended Questions?
An open-ended question is one that cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Answering requires a more thoughtful response. In some cases, open-ended questions cannot be answered with a single answer. Multiple answers might apply.
An open-ended question in a medical setting might be something like, “What are the symptoms you’re experiencing right now?” It can be utilized to glean information, to start a conversation, or even to dig more deeply into the situation at hand.
How Do They Help in a Medical Setting?
Open-ended questions are extremely helpful in a medical setting because they allow the person asking the questions to move beyond the initial inquiry. On the phone, medical receptionists need as much detail as possible in order to assess the caller’s needs and offer a positive solution. The more details, the better.
Asking open-ended questions also gives callers ample opportunity to thoroughly explain themselves. Sometimes that is necessary because an anxious caller might not always be clear in the early stages of a call. Asking open-ended questions can help clarify situations that would otherwise be confusing.
As a medical answering service, we train our operators in how to use open-ended questions to better answer medical calls. Some of the questions are scripted; others are asked outside the script, as an operator learns more about why a caller has reached out.
What Are Some Examples of Open-Ended Questions?
Discussing open-ended questions with clients can lead to them asking for examples. We are happy to provide them. Below are some common open-ended questions appropriate to medical call scenarios:
- Can you tell me more about what happened? (regarding an injury)
- When did you first notice symptoms? (regarding an illness)
- What solutions or treatments have you already tried? (Illness or injury)
- What are your main concerns? (Illness, injury, or customer service)
- What would you consider a satisfactory resolution? (any concern)
- Has any other staff member already tried to help you with this? (any concern)
- What has been most frustrating to you about the situation? (any concern)
Open-ended questions facilitate good discussions. Let’s use concerns about customer service as an example. A caller wants the medical clinic to know that he is dissatisfied with something that happened in the office. But for the office to correct the situation, they need to know the details.
Asking open-ended questions, in a calm tone and with empathy, invites the caller to go beyond expressing mere dissatisfaction. It invites the caller to recall the situation and give specifics. As an added benefit, being able to explain things in detail gives the caller a sense of being validated.
Phone Conversations Should Be Just That – Conversations
Whether your office handles calls in-house or pays for medical answering services, all calls have one thing in common: they represent conversations between receptionists and patients or their caregivers. They should be just that – conversations.
Open-ended questions serve the purpose of facilitating conversations that ultimately lead to solutions. It is good when people talk. It’s good when they share ideas, details, thoughts, frustrations, etc. A skilled phone operator who knows how to ask open-ended questions can elicit that kind of information. That is what one hopes for in a medical setting.
