Some answering services place restrictions on when you can use them. Perhaps you picked a rate plan that locks you into a certain schedule that doesn't allow for variations. And some answering services don't answer holiday calls unless you specify that you need them to. Or maybe you signed up for after-hours coverage, only to find out they won't take your overflow calls during the day.

With all these things to cause problems, that's why it's important to use a full-service medical answering service that provides you with round-the-clock coverage, whenever you need it. This gives you the most flexibility and puts you in control. And isn't this why you hired a medical answering service in the first place?

A full-service medical answering service with total, around-the-clock coverage provides you with all these options:

After-Hours Coverage​

Most practices and clinics are concerned with after-hours telephone coverage. They'll handle phone calls when they're in the office treating patients, and they want you to cover calls the rest of the time, when they're not in the office. This makes sense.  

Weekend Coverage

In addition to after-hours coverage during the weekdays, it's important to have your phone answered on the weekends as well. This provides continuous phone coverage outside of your business hours, seven days a week. 

Holiday Coverage

Not all answering services answer your phones on holidays. However, if you're in healthcare, this is a problem. That's because your patients need you on holidays just as much as any other day of the year. Make sure holiday phone answering is part of your medical answering service's coverage offering. 

Office-Hours Coverage​

The opposite of after-hours coverage is office-hours coverage. This is ideal if you need help answering your phones during breaks, lunches, and vacations. It's also ideal for answering your phone during staff meetings and for overflow calls when your staff gets busy.  

24/7 Coverage​

Combine these and it gives you around-the-clock, 24/7 coverage from your medical answering service to handle your phone calls whenever you need them to. Unfortunately, for some medical answering services, their rate plans or processes can get in the way of this. Make sure your answering service doesn't have any of these restrictions that will keep them from answering your calls when you need them to.  

Flexible Coverage​

 The results of after-hours coverage, weekend coverage, holiday coverage, and office hours coverage provides you with 24/7 comprehensive coverage. The outcome is the flexibility you need to manage your calls the way you need to, when you need to.

Conclusion

 When you go with a comprehensive medical answering service, this means your medical answering service works with you to help you communicate with your patients and callers whenever and however you and they want it to happen.

This is why that when you use a medical answering service, make sure they have an always-available attitude when it comes to you and your calls.

Learn how medical answering service from MedConnectUSA can help your practice, clinic, or facility. Then get a free quote to discover how affordable their healthcare communication services are. Peter Lyle DeHaan is a freelance writer and call center authority.