Business office customer service units pay dividends

Healthcare Financial Management, May, 1996 by Kevin R. Baldwin

PATIENT ACCOUNTS MANAGEMENT

Business office managers, pressured to meet cash collection goals, sometimes fail to plan and implement restructuring and training initiatives that would improve customer relations. Even when customers complain about poor service, little may be done to address those concerns.

But savvy business office managers are realizing that the potential benefits of forming a dedicated customer service unit within the business office include a well-run, customer-focused operation and improved customer satisfaction.

Customer service delivery within a healthcare organization's business office can be defined as a core set of responsibilities that include:

* Answering all customer and third-party payer telephone inquiries;

* Greeting walk-in customers;

* Reviewing and responding to written customer correspondence;

* Processing applications for a provider's charity program;

* Establishing appropriate credit terms with customers; and

* Initiating appropriate follow-up communication with guarantors as a result of previous correspondence.

The following benefits can be derived from a properly run customer service unit in a business office:

* Consistent communication of department credit and collection policies;

* Easy monitoring of staff productivity;

* Well-defined tasks that require fewer specially trained staff members;

* Concentrated feedback about possible process or system problems influencing customers or providers;

* Prompt execution of claim adjudication and submission; and

* Focused outgoing inquiries to payers and guarantors

Business office operations require staff to answer telephones and correspondence related to billing, insurance follow-up, and collections. But to provide good customer service, every staff member must be trained to answer a wide range of customer questions. When various staff members lack training customers often receive inconsistent or incomplete answers. As a result, customers can become frustrated.

By developing a specific unit dedicated to customer service, staff members of this unit are better able to communicate consistent information regarding department policies and procedures. As a result, customers can get their inquiries answered quickly and accurately, increasing their satisfaction levels. In addition, the productivity of staff members responsible for billing, insurance follow-up, and collections can be enhanced. Furthermore, statistical information regarding the number of customer inquiries, nature of inquiries, and amount of time needed to satisfy inquiries can be captured more consistently.

With responsibilities focused solely on customer service, unit staff members have the sole responsibility for responding to customer inquiries. Although cross-training is important, specialized customer-service training is especially beneficial. During off-peak hours, customer-service unit staff can provide departmental clerical support.

In many business offices, it often is apparent that some individuals are more people oriented than others, and thus better suited for customer service activities. The creation of a customer service unit allows management to reassign these staff members to positions that require not only the ability to analyze and make accurate and authoritative decisions but also the ability to soothe frustrated and sometimes irate customers. Although customer service positions can be challenging, they expose staff to a variety of situations and problem-solving opportunities which, if handled successfully, can be extremely rewarding.

Working knowledge of a business office's overall operation is key to a customer service unit staff member's success. Ideally, employees with such knowledge and customer-service experience should be recruited and hired for unit positions.

Implementing a customer service unit

The following steps should be taken to ensure the successful implementation of a customer service unit within a healthcare organization's business office.

Objectively assess current staffing patterns. The correct number of customer service personnel needed must be determined, based upon inquiries received and the types and amounts of other ancillary duties to be assigned. Unit staffing may change once the unit is established and processes are refined.

Provide initial customer service training. Training in telephone etiquette and the skills needed to deal with difficult situations often is offered by colleges, universities, and vocational training institutes. This basic skills training should be provided to staff before the unit is implemented.

Provide extensive business office overview training. Customer service unit staff should be familiar with all aspects of business office operations. Such familiarity will allow them to answer inquiries quickly and correctly without excessive call transfers or callbacks. A supervisor specifically responsible for the customer service unit should be assigned. This supervisor can assist unit staff with problem situations and can respond to written inquiries from customers, physicians, and administrators, allowing the business office manager time to handle more pressing issues. The supervisor should be available to respond to customers when they request more information than customer service unit staff can provide.