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KPIs for Non-Licensed Healthcare Call Centers

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Updated on October 3, 2024

The US healthcare industry is more significant than ever. 

National health expenditure projections say the US healthcare market will reach as high as $6 trillion by 2026, proving how dynamic healthcare has become.

Healthcare providers have to make significant business decisions to remain competitive. 

But healthcare isn’t like any other industry. 

While driving success remains crucial, patient well-being must always be front and center. The healthcare industry must strive for consistent, competent, innovative services for their patient base.

One way healthcare providers can guarantee better patient services is by outsourcing customer support to non-licensed call centers. Outsourcing can address key industry pain points by providing cost-effective and scalable solutions.

However, leveraging outsourced solutions and maximizing them are two different things. To unleash the full potential of your outsourced teams, you must understand the value of key performance metrics (KPIs) for non-licensed healthcare call centers.

If you’re considering outsourcing customer support for your healthcare business and want to learn which KPIs to monitor, you’ve come to the right place.

This blog will focus on the essential success metrics of non-licensed healthcare call centers. We’ll discuss the importance of KPIs in these centers and the most critical KPIs to monitor.

The Value of Non-Licensed Healthcare Call Centers

Non-licensed healthcare call centers function almost the same as any general call center. The difference is that the former addresses healthcare-specific problems.

To adequately serve patients, non-licensed healthcare call center agents need special training in the following areas:

Patient Privacy

Confidentiality is imperative in non-licensed healthcare call centers. In a 2022 survey, 75% of patients said they want to protect the privacy of their health data.

Patients don’t want to share their most personal information with just anyone. One factor behind this is the stigma associated with some significant medical conditions.

Trust is the hallmark of any doctor-patient relationship, which extends to non-licensed staff and their customers. So, all agents must learn to keep all patient information confidential and assure their patients of that fact.

When agents foster trust, their patients will be more willing to seek the help they need. 

Empathy

65% of patients in the US admit that they would consider switching to another doctor if the doctor or their staff were rude or aloof.

It’s normal for patients to feel isolated and misunderstood when experiencing discomfort or pain, so empathy is paramount in healthcare, even in outsourced services. 

Agents must show compassion and kindness whenever they interact with patients. Humanizing the patient experience increases satisfaction, which should be the goal of your healthcare call center team.

Medical Knowledge

42% of patients say connecting with the healthcare provider is their biggest communication hurdle.

Your call center teams need to know how US healthcare works, down to the most basic medical terminology, to help simplify patient communication. 

Even though your agents aren’t licensed healthcare professionals, they must understand the various and sometimes complex daily problems patients face. Providing accurate care is the top priority for any healthcare call center.

Healthcare Regulatory Compliance

In 2023, 26% of data breaches happened in the healthcare and the health sciences sector.

Compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other healthcare regulations is mandatory to mitigate patient data risks and regulatory issues. Patients are unlikely to trust you again if you put their data at risk, and they’ll likely move to one of your competitors.

Healthcare call centers must comply with all relevant regulations (state and national) because compliance helps ensure the patient’s safety and the providers’ integrity.

Compliance training ensures healthcare providers (and their call centers) remain faithful to their moral, ethical, and legal obligations.

The Importance of KPIs in Non-Licensed Healthcare Call Centers

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help streamline operations and enhance the patient experience. Furthermore, call center success metrics provide essential information about your agents’ performance. Tracking your call center’s progress is crucial for service improvement and making data-backed decisions.

The 5 Core Non-Licensed Healthcare Call Center KPIs

Knowing your relevant KPIs and how to use them is vital in ensuring lasting growth. So, which non-licensed healthcare call center KPIs should be on your list? 

We’ve listed down some of the most essential KPIs in healthcare call center performance:

1. Average Handling Time (AHT)

AHT measures the average time it takes for an agent to complete a call or patient interaction (generally via voice calls). 

This metric helps you measure your staff’s efficiency and determine when more support or training is necessary.

Most patients prefer phone calls when starting their healthcare journey. 88% of healthcare appointments are made via phone, making AHT an important KPI to monitor.

2. First Call Resolution (FCR) Rate

The FCR rate determines the number of customer calls your outsourced team resolves in the first interaction. A high FCR rate indicates an effective service delivery. 

Patients expect you to provide solutions quickly, especially in emergencies.

88% of customers expect agents to resolve their issues in the first call. Monitoring your FCR rate helps you improve customer satisfaction and boost your team’s efficiency. 

3. Patient Satisfaction Scores

This metric measures patients’ satisfaction with your outsourced support teams’ services. 

Patient satisfaction scores are integral to the success of healthcare providers and institutions, significantly impacting treatment outcomes, customer retention, and financial performance.

Conducting post-interaction or post-call surveys is an effective way to collect data on patient satisfaction, and call centers across industries commonly use this strategy.

4. Error Rate

This KPI measures how frequently your agents commit mistakes on the job, whether mishandling patient information, giving inaccurate advice, or setting up conflicting schedules.

88% of customers have stopped doing business with a company due to poor customer service, so minimizing error rates is vital to any healthcare call center operation.

5. Compliance Rate

HIPAA compliance is non-negotiable in healthcare.

Non-compliance can have dire consequences, including (but not limited to) financial penalties reaching an annual penalty limit of up to $1.9 million.

Attention to your compliance rate is critical for preventing severe financial and legal ramifications. Furthermore, this metric measures how well you adhere to legal and ethical standards like HIPAA and other state-specific laws and regulations on healthcare.

Enhance Your Healthcare Operations With ClearSource!

Healthcare outsourcing doesn’t stop at finding an exceptional healthcare BPO partner. You must also understand how to monitor performance and which metrics to track to maximize non-licensed staff performance metrics

ClearSource has partnered with healthcare leaders across the country over many years. Our valuable experience has given us a deep understanding of the healthcare sector and its patients’ needs. 

We take pride in our rigorous performance tracking and quality assurance protocols, which have helped us deliver exceptional solutions and enrich the lives of countless Americans nationwide. 

Learn more about what makes us the right outsourcing partner for your healthcare support operations. Set up a call with one of our experts today!

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