Efficiency is essential in every industry, but it is all the more important in the health care services industry because people’s wellness is on the line. The more patients clinical practices can offer services to effectively, the more people they are helping, and the more money they make, but there are a lot of roadblocks to efficiency that healthcare organizations face. The complexity of health care is an inherent roadblock, but this isn’t something that can change, certain structural issues with how customers are served have led to medical centers being some of the most poorly performing businesses in terms of customer service and speed. According to Fierce Healthcare, "The average wait time for a doctor in America is more than 18 minutes." Emergency rooms are even worse, "With the average wait time being more than 40 minutes," according to The Washington Post.
The healthcare industry is suffering from inefficiency, which detracts from patient outcomes. Medical practices have to consider what is causing these problems to understand how to fix them. Several core issues are repeatedly considered the industry’s biggest bottlenecks and customer complaints.
Below, we’ll break down what these core problems are and discuss how queue management software and an improved appointment management system like QLess can transform the performance of a medical practice.
A significant part of customers’ dissatisfaction with their healthcare providers comes from a lack of communication and an impersonal process. According to Silverline CRM, "82% of customers said quality customer service is the most important factor they consider when choosing care, with 62% saying communication and continuous engagement was the biggest aspect of this." Health care leaders find ways to meet the unique communication demands of their customers.
A significant aspect of great patient care is excellent customer service, and communication and personalization are integral parts of customer service. It is common in the healthcare industry for patients to wait, barely talk to doctors or nurses, and then leave, it doesn’t feel personal or communicative.
QLess offers bi-directional communication features that lead to a more open and responsive patient experience. Patients can message the staff, receive updates on their appointments, and provide information on their health status. It can be difficult for health care providers to maintain communication with each of their individual patients, but they must do so. QLess enables easy communication, with health care organizations able to send individual messages back and forth to customers or message large groups at a time. What your customers think of your business is incredibly important. According to Software Advice, "94% of healthcare patients use online reviews to evaluate providers." If you use healthcare appointment scheduling software with communication features, you can ensure you are providing a more open and personalized experience for your patients.
The wait times in the medical industry can be a serious drag, while the medical industry performs an essential function, they often do it at a rate below customer expectations. What compounds the issue is that not only are the waits long, they are in crowded waiting rooms where many of the people in them have a medical condition. It is both a long, unpleasant experience and a legitimate health hazard.
According to a report by Software Advice, "43% of patients begin to feel frustrated during waiting room waits of 20 minutes or less." Patient responses to these waits will differ, but they will generally be negative. What helps is cutting the wait time and making the wait experience less difficult. With a waiting line management system, medical providers can achieve faster waits and more pleasant patient experiences without sacrificing their quality of care. QLess has been recorded to reduce wait times by 97%, and it makes the waits a less arduous experience.
How a patient queue management system like QLess works is that patients can check into the line remotely, they can join the line through a mobile waitlist app or desktop version and receive accurate updates on how long it will take until their turn in line is up. They can simply monitor the line from wherever they are and coordinate their arrival time when their appointment is set to begin. Many medical businesses have a poor performance in customer service because the wait time is long and unpleasant. With a virtual queue software solution, medical offices gain a tool that reduces wait times and empowers customers to wait from wherever they are. This reduces physical congestion in offices and makes the wait a more pleasant experience.
There are many waiting rooms at clinics and primary care practices where the patient flow feels incredibly chaotic. Customers arrive late to appointments or don’t show up at all, there are walk-ins and scheduled appointments colliding, and juggling it all can feel impossible. With high health care costs, this type of disorganization and confusion is unacceptable to the average customer.
Healthcare organizations must take the necessary steps to improve their flexibility and flow management improving the patient experience and leads to better business outcomes. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, "Patient no-show rates range from 12-80%, depending on the healthcare business." While the actual cost impact of this is unknown, it is suspected to lead to billions in lost potential earnings.
When offices block off certain hours per day for appointments that don’t come, they are losing revenue and throwing their calendar into flux, that is why customer flow management software can be a differentiator. Fixing patient flow is one of the quality improvement methods that helps both customers and businesses.
With a virtual queuing system and flexible calendar management software, offices can handle anything their schedule throws at them. They can create customized, automated virtual lineups that blend with walk-ins to provide an easy solution for juggling customers, they can send appointment reminders and updates through bi-directional communication features and reduce no-shows; additionally, they can arrange lines according to pre-set rules, move customer appointments up or back, and overall have a more flexible and organized flow to their business. Disorganized patient flow leads to unhappy patients and a reduced capacity to handle change. A queue management software with customer flow features helps offices provide more organized and seamless care for patients.
Data is a fundamentally important thing for businesses of every kind, good data is unbiased, objective information that reveals essential truths about companies they may have overlooked. Data collection is considered one of the top challenges to overcome in the medical industry, many medical practices simply don't bother collecting data on customer flow and appointment no-shows because of how difficult it is which it is a mistake. Many businesses across industries have pivoted their focus to the importance of data collection. According to a Deloitte survey, "49% of companies believe the primary benefit of data helps them make better decisions, while 10% believe it empowers stronger relationships with customers." Medical offices should be hoping to improve these two crucial things, but good data requires the right tool.
QLess offers business intelligence features that can help clinical practices in several key ways. QLess provides analytics on several key topics ranging from median wait time and appointment no-show percentage to transaction time and the number of customers served. Because customers are using QLess for their virtual queue, the app automatically tracks the data of how long they were in the line, what time of day it was, and what they were in line for, providing medical centers with crucial information. If they see their no-show percentage hitting unacceptable levels, they can make that an action item and implement changes to ensure patients make appointments. If they see customers waiting longer during specific times or for specific appointments, they can shift their strategy to smooth out their processes at that time.
Sometimes, your business doesn't live up to the customer service expectations of individual patients which it is inevitable in every industry; however, learning more about the overarching problems that should be significant points of concern will help medical offices implement strategic changes to solve them.
QLess' business intelligence features give offices crucial information that should guide their quality improvement projects. Understanding the key areas medical offices may be letting down their patients is the first step to solving these problems.
Working in the medical industry can be difficult, there is typically a significant amount of inefficiency due to how stretched thin all the workers in the industry are, whether it is the doctors and nurses or front desk staff. They are handling patients in varying conditions, many of whom are dealing with sickness or injury of significant severity. Naturally, this creates an environment where staff finds themselves overwhelmed.
Because of the long wait times endemic to the healthcare industry, many customers end up frustrated and irate. For staff, this means their contact with customers can become contentious or unpleasant, this only adds to the significant burden that the average worker in the industry is dealing with. This issue has been doubly true during the pandemic when the healthcare system was overwhelmed, medical practice staff certainly have a lot on their plate.
Staff in the healthcare industry have made the employment decision to work towards helping people, and they deserve a straightforward work environment without all the complications. Investing in solutions that will improve the lives of your staff is investing in your business' livelihood. According to research from the University of Oxford, "Happy workers are 13% more productive than less happy workers." A patient journey application like QLess is designed to make the job of staff significantly easier. Arguably the most difficult business aspect for medical industry workers is the consistent disorganization, particularly at the busiest times of the day. When the office or health center is overwhelmed with customers, things can become agitating and confusing.
By organizing and structuring both the virtual queue and the appointment scheduling process, QLess helps to automate one of the more draining parts of most workers' days. QLess can be automated or managed, depending on the medical practice's preferences, but either way, it helps create a more consistent, organized workflow.
QLess organizes staffs schedule for them and can quickly adjust to changes like late patients or appointment no-shows. This streamlines the day-to-day work and frees up time for employees to focus on the more important aspects of their job. That is one of the reasons QLess has been shown to boost staff productivity by up to 90%.
When patients are looking to get in touch with your business, it shouldn't be a challenge. Accessing medical offices should not be an ordeal, but many customers find the appointment scheduling process to be a surprisingly difficult experience. Many health offices use archaic appointment systems, like phone call-only scheduling, which increases the burden on patients which shouldn't be the case.
If a customer is seeking assistance with their health affairs, booking an appointment should be a convenient process that can be done around the clock; yet, with a phone scheduling system, most offices limit appointment scheduling to business hours, a time when many customers are working. These systems are often very rigid and don't give customers the ability to change or cancel appointments according to their needs.
Empowering your patients with flexible appointment scheduling software will ensure the appointment booking process isn't a source of frustration and inefficiency. This is a surprisingly important consideration for customers. According to Accenture, "68% of patients consider the ability to book, change, and cancel appointments when picking their medical provider." Many find the experience difficult, according to a survey by Binary Fountain, "9% of respondents listed appointment scheduling as the most frustrating aspect of the healthcare experience, which was the 4th most common response."
QLess is the salve that can eliminate this issue for good, it is a medical appointment scheduling software that gives customers the tools they need to schedule appointments completely at their convenience.
Customers can use the QLess platform to view available appointments and appointment types and pick the time and date that works for them; as soon as patients book, that time is then blocked off, this resource is available around the clock. The more difficult it is for customers to schedule appointments with your office, the less likely they are to do so. Booking an appointment should be easy, fast, and accessible. The appointment scheduling features of QLess make it simple for customers to schedule, change, and cancel appointments. The communication features enable staff to message customers on the day of their appointment and ensure they show up. It is a feature that benefits all parties.
There are a lot of medical organizations that use technology to implement their health plans, this technology usually stays outside the waiting room and is used to treat patients as a part of their care cycle. While this focus on technology is important, technology shouldn't be limited to patient care, it should be implemented in every aspect of the business that will be helpful. While concerns over implementing new technology are high, it is important medical offices take the time to do so. Implementing a technology-driven infrastructure that your patients will get to use will accommodate the desires of the average consumer. The average person spends just under seven hours on the internet every day, an 85% of people in the United States own a smartphone. Our culture is incredibly technology dependent, and that dependency doesn't just stop in customers' personal lives.
Consumers want technology that makes things easier and more convenient in every aspect of their lives, businesses would be wise to meet this demand by implementing customer-facing technological solutions that solve key problems. There is a multi-step process to adding a new technology solution to a medical business, it takes time and effort but the payoff can be significant. The first step to adding new technology to a medical business is ensuring that the technology addresses a significant issue. QLess is addressing several; for instance, lack of communication, difficulty scheduling appointments, and arduous waits are three serious issues, another important step along the way is adding the necessary infrastructure. With QLess, the infrastructure is already established.
QLess is a solution that is smartphone accessible, easy to use, and effective, it is built for the modern consumer that is online for most of their waking hours and uses smartphones. It also has ADA-compliant features with on-site kiosks, so it can meet the needs of a larger variety of patients. Patients want technology that makes their experience easier, faster, and more convenient. By implementing medical office appointment scheduling software like QLess, healthcare businesses can provide that for them.
There is a massive focus on the customer experience across industries right now. Businesses have figured out that retaining customers is less expensive than adding new ones and that the happier customers are, the better your business will perform; however, the focus on patient experience hasn't fully entered the healthcare industry's mainstream.
This might be because the other aspect of the job, ensuring patients' health and safety, is so difficult and important, but the fact is that many businesses are overlooking the patient experience, and that is not overlooked by the people who frequent medical offices. According to Avtex, "68% of patients say their healthcare providers need to improve how they interact with them."
A significant majority of patients feel that their interactions aren't living up to expectations, to improve efficiency, it would go a long way for healthcare businesses to focus on the patient experience. The biggest roadblocks that patients complain about are wait times, scheduling difficulties, and a lack of pay clarity, and these all happen to be obstacles to an efficient business; essentially, customers' biggest complaint with the medical industry is inefficiency. If medical businesses commit themselves to a patient-centered approach, they will find that their business will become more efficient in the process. Customers' biggest problems with a business are the same problems that are stopping medical companies from achieving their best results.
QLess is the perfect solution for a medical business looking for a solution that dramatically improves the patient experience. The multi-pronged features of QLess, which range from patient appointment scheduling software to a wait-in-line app, can give customers pain-free scheduling and waiting experiences. These are the two aspects of the patient journey that precede the actual appointment.
QLess enables patients to wait for their appointment wherever they want with a highly accurate forecast of the wait time, it also provides improved accessibility with 24/7 scheduling and communication. Focusing on improving your customers' general experience will help businesses become more efficient and productive.
Providing positive health outcomes is the most important thing medical offices can do, but they also have to do it efficiently to match customers' expectations. Many of the health systems in place at medical practices are solid, but the customer experience tends to be lacking. Continuous quality improvement is essential to a successful medical business, and focusing on improving efficiency goes a long way.
Like every other industry, the medical industry has some flaws, one of the most common recurring flaws that are brought up in the medical industry is a lack of efficiency. While many businesses in the industry are overburdened, short-staffed, and facing a sea of customers, each with independent needs, improvements can still be made, particularly with the primary efficiency bottlenecks.
Some of the biggest roadblocks to an efficient medical practice include a lack of communication with patients, long and arduous wait times, and a lack of organization with customer flow. A virtual queue and appointment software like QLess can help with these issues, they provide medical offices with a flexible tool providing bi-directional communication, customer flow management software, and a virtual queuing solution that cuts wait times dramatically.
Patients deserve medical practices that put them first. By keying in on the patient experience with the QLess software, offices and clinics can become more efficient and patient-centric.
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University students attend higher education institutions with the hopes of expanding their minds and preparing for their future. Unfortunately, all too often they got lost in a system that doesn't cater to individual student experience. Instead of feeling that the administration exists for the students, attendees quickly realize that they must conform to the needs of administrators in order to be successful. Scheduling appointments, registering for classes, even asking advisors for help all become nightmarish experiences filled with long lines, tired and impatient staff, and inadequate information.
Oftentimes, students will enter university fresh-faced, excited, and ready for success. Over time, however, ineffective university resources begin to take their toll. When simple tasks like registering for classes or dealing with financial aid eat up so much of their time, their desire to continue with their education slowly decreases. Students struggle to gain support from on-campus systems, which explains why consistently negative experiences with campus resources are one of the main sources of attrition; unfortunately, universities struggle to increase student satisfaction with limited resources. While student experience often ranks as a top priority for administrators, improving on-campus systems seems like an insurmountable task. A large student population means long lines--there doesn't seem to be a way around the problem. Fortunately, online appointment booking tools and an effective scheduling application both provide a modern solution to a large problem in higher education.
By using an electronic scheduling application like the one from QLess, academic institutions solve the problem of impatient students before it starts. Instead of expecting students to show up, wait in a line, and hope for the best, scheduling applications allow students to book an appointment ahead of time, eliminating the need for physical queues. In an age of ever-evolving technology, an electronic solution like a scheduling application can simultaneously push academic institutions into the modern age and improve the student experience.
Perhaps the most instantaneous result of an effective scheduling application is the elimination of physical lines, without an electronic tool, students often run into long lines at every on-campus location. While long queues are frustrating at any juncture, they're particularly irritating during key points in the year. When students struggle to register for class, change programs, or ask advice about their courses due to long lines, attrition begins to develop. Instead of forcing long queues that lead to general frustration and discontent, a scheduling application assigns students a specific time with which they can complete their necessary necessary business. When each student knows the time and date they can sign up for new courses, registering for classes becomes a breeze. Even signing up to see an advisor becomes a stress-free task--each person is assigned an appointment time, eliminating the pressure on both the student and the administrator. By bypassing lines and allowing individuals to address their issues at a specified time, students no longer waste their time waiting for help. They gain more time to study, hang out with friends, or even just relax, all of which will contribute to higher student satisfaction.
While a scheduling application gives students more free time, it also tailors the university experience to a new generation. Current and incoming university students have grown up with technology. They're well-versed in mobile applications, and they actually prefer to handle most of their business electronically. Academic institutions, like any business, attract the most customers when they know their audience and tailor their services accordingly, for a mobile generation, mobile scheduling applications should be the norm.
The QLess scheduling application not only provides a mobile platform for students to access information from anywhere, it also sends text alerts to inform students of their appointment times. By creating a smartphone-friendly design, this scheduling application speaks to a main tenet of a new generation--consistent and reliable mobile communication. It ensures that students have simplified access to important academic information, and it lessens the possibility that they'll forget their appointment time and fail to show up.
While human error always stands as a distinct possibility, electronic scheduling applications allow students to feel comfortable an at-ease in their academic environments. By using technology they are already experts in, academic institutions create easy communication and connections between administrators and students. Students who feel comfortable in their academic environment are more likely to complete their university education, rather than cave to the pressures of campus life.
When students are constantly filtered into long lines and told to wait their turn, the personal element of higher education disappears. Students want to feel like their individual needs have significance, especially in an institution with the social weight of a college or university, many students accrue heavy debt in order to gain their degree. For instance, the desire to feel like their individual experience matters isn't misplaced. Difficulty gaining access to basic information and meeting essential needs for the future of their education is understandably frustrating.
Although electronic scheduling applications simply increase the organization and staff productivity on college campuses, they also allow each student to feel like they're receiving personalized attention. A specific appointment time communicates that each individual is important enough to receive focused attention, in which only their specific questions and needs matter. Simple as it may sound, a scheduling application can make all the difference in creating what feels like an individualized learning environment, despite the fact that each student receives the same time and attention to discuss their needs.
If students have a problem with campus systems, they want to make their opinions known; unfortunately, when it's difficult to even get a meeting in the first place, students don't feel that their concerns are being heard. Even if every individual problem can't be addressed immediately, allowing students to provide feedback on their experience can greatly improve student satisfaction with on-campus life. University processes may not change immediately, but allowing students to feel heard and appreciated subtly communicates that their opinion matters.
A scheduling application allows students the opportunity to address their concerns, without eating up the essential time of administrators. Instead of sitting in an office and listing off every complaint, students can fill out electronic surveys, effectively and quickly communicating the elements of the campus system that don't work for them. Feedback provides a two-fold opportunity for growth within the university. First, administrators hear student concerns quickly and easily, allowing them to adjust future processes to fix the most common problems. Second, students get their frustrations off their chest, lessening their irritation and providing hope that things will change in the future. A scheduling application allows universities to listen and react to the needs of their students, without decreasing the productivity of their staff. Students have a hand in the improvement of their education, and it doesn't come at a cost to either students or administrators.
Academic institutions are designed to push students towards graduation; unfortunately, the decision to leave university altogether is a common one. While each individual leaves their academic institution for their own reasons, dissatisfaction with campus resources often appears as one of the major sources behind drop-outs. Although it sounds like a no-brainer, it's worth stating that students who are satisfied with their college experience are far more likely to stay in school and eventually graduate.
An effective scheduling application increases student satisfaction with on-campus services. Students express their concerns, gain personalized attention, and generally improve their ability to function within a university setting. With a scheduling application, graduation seems like an achievable goal, rather than a faraway possibility. When students believe that they can graduate, they're much more likely to work towards that goal. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the work in front of them, students see a clear path towards reaching their degree. Sometimes a little hope and a plan is all it takes. Happy students who believe they can graduate are more likely to graduate. A scheduling application brings that goal to the forefront of their minds, encouraging students to stay in school and earn their degrees.
Using a QLess scheduling application can change the life of university students everywhere. By eliminating physical lines and cutting down waiting times, scheduling applications allow students to feel like they're experiencing the personalized education they deserve; in addition, the mobile platform results in easy use for a tech-savvy generation and an opportunity for instantaneous feedback on campus services. Happy students are much more likely to stay in school, and to spread positivity about their academic institution, both online and in their personal life. If you want to increase your graduation rates, you need to learn more about QLess systems today. If you think our system might be the right fit for you, contact us now. We'll answer all your questions about QLess solutions. For more on improving campus operations and retention rates, read about how we've created college campuses without lines.
A well-developed workflow management system simplifies business processes at colleges and universities tremendously. As a business, these institutions provide education and degrees to their customers, also known as their students. Although colleges and universities stand as one of the most essential business organizations in young adult life, technological systems on-campus are often not on par with the fast-paced, technology-driven environment of the day. As incoming students reflect more expertise in current technology, so should their places of education. A workflow management system can change life at your university, both for your students and for your administrators.
In a school environment, multiple departments and individuals work together to contribute to the larger education machine. While some units identify prospective students, review applications, and send out offers of admissions, other divisions focus on registering current students for classes, organizing appointments with advisors, and assisting students with on-campus problems. Each of these individual systems work together to contribute to the overall goal of the organization--educating students and pushing them towards graduation, hence the need for workflow management.
A workflow management system simplifies all these processes. It's a software that automates some elements of your workflow management, taking the pressure off of your staff members and increasing the happiness of your students. By creating a streamlined network for all your most essential campus processes, a workflow management system allows each student to feel valued and supported, and each staff member to increase their productivity and efficiency.
A workflow management system creates an at-ease campus environment; not only that, it also brings your institution into the future. Easy-to-navigate education processes attract students, allowing your campus to continue running like the well-oiled machine that it is. Keeping your campus in the dark ages of technology not only hurts your students, it hurts your entire business. A high-tech workflow management system is a necessity your school can no longer do without.
Whether fair or unfair, students expect a lot of of their colleges and universities. An individualized learning experience is the standard, but most students would settle for consistent help from their on-campus systems. Unfortunately, high enrollment rates, a limited amount of resources, an overworked staff, and a surplus of tasks to complete often leave students feeling confused and overlooked. The more difficulty students experience navigating their education process, the more impatient they become. If enough time passes, the decision to leave school altogether becomes an easy one.
They're not getting the help they need to prepare for their future, why would they stay?
Consistently negative experiences with student services are one of the primary sources of attrition among college students. When students don't get the help or services they need, they drop out of classes, refrain from attending courses, or even leave the school altogether. As an organization that seeks to prepare young adults for their future, the current attrition rates are unacceptable.
Thankfully, a workflow management system presents a wonderful solution. By simplifying student access to on-campus services, a workflow management system decreases frustration and confusion among the student body. With a system like the one from QLess, you can decrease attrition rates by as much as 50%. A workflow management system improves student satisfaction and increases retention rates by allowing each student to feel like their needs are being met.
While a workflow management system improves the lives of your students, it also leads to increased productivity of your staff. A higher education environment already deals with a lack of resources, but a larger problem presents itself in an ineffective use of the resources that do exist. Oftentimes, staff stretch themselves far too thin trying to meet the needs of all students, despite the lack of time or effective organization systems to do so. Advisors overbook themselves attempting to sort out class schedules, and the Registrar and Admissions offices are overrun with impatient students. While it's undeniably unfair to the students, it's equally as frustrating for the staff.
Workflow management systems streamline campus processes and effectively allocate your staff resources. By eliminating the need for physical lines and relying on technology-based systems for organization, workflow management systems allow your administrators to gain a clear view of the tasks they need to be completed. Instead of surprise assignments and a frustrating amount of work for staff members, each administrator focuses on their assigned tasks, increasing their overall productivity. Not only does it result in increased happiness for your employees, it also ensures that all your resources are used effectively, lowering operational costs and saving money in the long run.
In our technologically advanced world, physical lines and in-person wait times just aren't practical anymore. Many of the problems that develop in university settings stem from a general lack of organization. Without a workflow management system, students are forced to go to an office, wait in line, and generally waste their time in an attempt to progress in their college experience. At the same time, administrators have little control over the time and attention needed to help each individual student. With a finite amount of resources and an infinite amount of potential questions, administrators are unable to prioritize and organize accordingly. With that lack of organization, both staff and students waste their time, and neither leaves feeling happy.
A workflow management system sorts through the chaos in your offices and eliminates the inconveniences of poor organization. Instead of arriving at an unspecified time in a physical office, students are assigned an appointment time with which they can ask all their questions. Interactive virtual queuing simplifies the process if your student does need unexpected help, and mobile reminders ensure that each student arrives at their specified appointment time. Most importantly, all these processes are completed inside the system, without assistance from your staff, allowing them to save their abilities to actually help students and bypass the errors that often accompany in-person scheduling.
An effective workflow management system changes your on-campus life immediately. Improved allocation of resources, clear processes for students, and increased organization all lead to instantaneous changes in your business systems. However, workflow management systems also provide information on what needs to change in the future. As a completely automated process, workflow management systems collect valuable information on your student and staff patterns. Student wait times, staff efficiency, student needs--all these and more can be found within your workflow management system.
With QLess systems specifically, we provide a real-time dashboard that consolidates data from multiple offices. At a glance, you have a general idea of what's happening in all areas of your campus. In addition, surveys within the system provide even more information about student satisfaction and necessary changes. Improving your business is a constantly evolving process, workflow management systems provide valuable insights to ensure that you can provide the best resources to your students for years to come.
We don't need to tell you that colleges and universities need students to stay afloat. Enrollment and retention present a major challenge for higher education institutions. That explains why many student administrators list student retention and student experience as their top priorities. While students may drop out when dissatisfied with their education, the ripple effect extends much farther than a single loss. Unhappy students spread information online and within their communities about the ineffectiveness of the school, giving other individuals the message that your institution isn't worth attending. While an individual drop-out can already present a hefty loss, consistent dropouts can negatively affect your application and enrollment rates over time.
An effective workflow management system leads to increased student happiness and higher retention rates over time, but it also allows your students to talk positively about your institution. Not only are you saving money on attrition, you're also building a strong reputation that will draw more students to your school over time. Reputation matters, both for the present and for the future. Workflow management systems support your ability to meet your student's needs, building a strong reputation as an institution that cares. With a reputation like that, who wouldn't want to apply?
Workflow management systems are a necessity in the modern age. It increases the happiness of your students and staff, leading to higher productivity and increased retention rates. In addition, it organizes your office with little effort from your staff and provides valuable insights into how you can improve your processes in the future. If you're ready to build a strong reputation, meet your students' needs, and save money for your business, you need to take the QLess approach. Learn more about how our electronic queuing system can enhance your education systems today. Please contact us for more information about our system.
Waiting rooms have been an essential aspect of hospitals, doctor's offices, and other healthcare facilities. But it doesn’t take much thought to realize the idea is counterintuitive. Crowding individuals with ailments in congested areas while they wait for assistance is not ideal. This was only further emphasized as a person-to-person airborne pandemic struck the world. Patient queue management software can be the solution to remedy this.This experience caused many healthcare professionals to have to re-evaluate their waiting procedures. There were concerns about pandemic transmission in waiting rooms and the overall healthcare experience. Amid virus anxiety, would patients sit with others even with a mask on?For a while, there were no true means of eliminating the waiting room. But in recent years, to address these concerns, many healthcare providers have been implementing patient queue software like QLess. This software aims to help reduce patients’ anxiety and create a waiting room experience that meets customers' expectations. The healthcare industry is crowded, and consumers abandon providers that can't meet their needs. According to Medical Economics, 69% of patients would switch providers for better services. Patient queue management software is an impactful solution that can de-congest waiting rooms and provide a safer, more patient-friendly experience. In a time where consumers easily switch businesses, the patient experience is vital. Below, we will break down what patient queue management is, how a virtual queue management system creates safer spaces, and why this is so important for patients and healthcare organizations.
Before we go any further, it is important to fully understand what patient queue management software is. The idea is relatively straightforward, and it has changed the healthcare sector. Why not have a virtual waiting room to manage customer flow instead of a physical one? Patients can access this virtual waiting room from their phones, computers, or on-site kiosks.With key features that enable customers to track the actual wait times for appointments, monitor the progress of the line they’re in, and communicate with staff, patients have a drastically changed experience when using healthcare services. Some organizations still hesitate to embrace and implement digital technology into the patient experience. But data indicates that customers already rely on digital technology and expect organizations to accommodate that reliance. According to a poll from Healthfully, 80% of consumers want the ability to use technology to manage their healthcare experience. Furthermore, the average consumer uses tech constantly throughout their daily lives. The average U.S. adult spends more than seven hours a day on screens, according to Exploding Topics. Healthcare organizations should prioritize implementing helpful tech solutions like patient queue management to avoid customer alienation. Patient queue management software has substantial benefits that enterprises should not overlook. With features that allow customers to enter virtual queues from their phones, patients can remotely wait in the virtual waiting room and monitor their queue times. Implementing virtual queues doesn't mean healthcare organizations need to eliminate waiting rooms. It simply gives patients the ability to choose.
The million-dollar question that healthcare organizations might have is whether or not waiting rooms are such a bad thing. Waiting rooms were the only option for healthcare services before technology advanced enough to make them less necessary. So how bad could it be? By implementing software to eliminate waiting rooms, might healthcare organizations solve a problem that doesn’t exist? The answer to this question is a firm no. Waiting rooms pose a genuine risk to older patients' well-being. A 2012 study of elderly residents of long-term care facilities published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal showed that a visit to an emergency department is associated with more than a threefold increased risk of acute infection. While this vindicates the need for patient queue software, it is also common sense. Requiring sick and injured people to share a room for extended periods increases patient risk. The pandemic highlighted that the prior waiting room model is untenable during an airborne virus outbreak among those visiting emergency rooms and doctors' offices. Healthcare providers adapted by spacing chairs, having customers wait outside, and mandating masks. While they may have curbed the virus from spreading, they reduced operational efficiency and didn't enhance patient satisfaction. It is not insignificant that waiting rooms also have extremely long patient wait times. The longer customers are cramped in a waiting area, even if socially distanced, the more at-risk they are. Similarly, the more unhappy they will be. This is why it is incredibly important for enterprises to be very conscious of the state of their waiting rooms.
We’ve established that waiting rooms might inadvertently put customers at risk, but what do your patients think of them? Customer satisfaction is vital in healthcare, as it's still a business, and unhappy customers can easily switch providers. The waiting room is a defining step in the patient's journey before receiving service. So it is worth asking if increasing patient satisfaction in the waiting room experience is necessary or if customers are okay with the current status quo. Data shows that consumers distrust crowded waiting rooms and dislike the experience they provide. A QLess survey of 250 U.S. adults showed that 59.4% of consumers associate congested waiting areas with unsafe conditions. If customers feel unsafe in the waiting room, chances are they will not enjoy their overall experience. A contributing factor in this situation is that the average waiting room is just not a pleasant place to be. Typical healthcare waiting rooms present sterile environments with white walls, fluorescent lighting, outdated magazines, and a T.V. This is hardly a positive environment, and according to Fierce Healthcare, unpleasant waiting rooms are a bigger issue for customers than long wait times. Rather than investing in more comfortable chairs or a higher-definition television, enterprises should focus on the real problem. Customers just don’t like waiting rooms either way. Patients prefer waiting from home or nearby cafes to congested waiting areas. Giving the consumer the option to skip the waiting room altogether is the best solution to a longstanding problem.
The healthcare industry is about more than just improving patients’ well-being, although that is the primary objective. The modern consumer isn’t satisfied with just receiving excellent quality of care. The experience for patients along the way is not nearly as important. Healthcare organizations that want to survive in this new age of experience-centric care will do well to improve their waiting room. According to Forbes, 60% of Americans have had a negative healthcare experience in the past year, and 52% of those people will tell others about their negative experiences. Curating a positive waiting experience without risk and discomfort is important in building a patient-friendly healthcare organization. This will help create loyal customers and position healthcare companies to succeed.
It is clear that there is a need for change in the waiting room experience. Customers don’t feel safe, and there is an established correlation between emergency waiting room visits and further infections. The problem has only gotten worse in recent years. A 2022 study by Yale showed that emergency room crowds had reached crisis levels and posed significant patient safety risks. The same is true across Canada. The crowding is due to an overstressed system, not necessarily management failure. De-congesting the waiting room is incredibly important for both safety and satisfaction. Let’s explore how patient queue management software can lead to less crowded waiting rooms while providing efficient patient flow.
The primary feature that QLess offers that is designed to help de-crowd the waiting room is its remote check-in software. In a typical waiting room without a patient queue management solution, individuals have to check-in in person. They arrive at the front desk, inform staff they’ve arrived, fill in a form, and take a seat, waiting to hear their name called. This requires physical presence throughout the waiting process. Remote check-in software lets customers wait for their appointment without physically arriving until it begins. How this works is that customers will receive a link when they register for an appointment. They can access this link via mobile devices, computers, or an on-site kiosk. When their appointment is scheduled, they can tap the link and check in. Once they’ve checked into their appointment, the patient is automatically placed in a virtual queue. The queue displays the number of customers ahead and the projected wait time based on data tracking and machine learning, accounting for the line's size and wait times at different parts of the day. Customers can be queued based on appointment type or healthcare professional they're meeting. They can track their progress through an app or website and know when to be there. This means lines can move smoothly without customers needing to be in the waiting room until the end. This also lines up with what customers prefer. In a QLess survey of 250 consumers, 57.2% of respondents indicated they are likelier to patronize a business if they have early insights into wait times. QLess virtual queuing system's remote check-in feature eliminates the need for customers to enter waiting rooms until their appointment begins. They can choose whether they are comfortable in that environment and wait on their own terms.
Long wait times in healthcare have been a persistent issue and seem unavoidable due to the nature of the industry. Demand often exceeds the ability of facilities to provide efficient service due to the need for proper care and attention for each patient. This is why patients wait an average of over 18 minutes at physicians’ offices, according to PartnerMD, and 145 minutes at the average emergency room, according to Autoinsurance.org. Patient queue management software can’t entirely solve the issue of long waits that are endemic to the healthcare industry. However, it can provide organizations with a tool to increase staff productivity, manage customer flow, and improve overall efficiency, positively impacting wait times.
There are two key ways this software helps with this. Firstly, the patient queue management system completely automates the queue process, so enterprises don’t need to oversee it themselves. The software has configurable policies, like no walk-ins or a maximum 5-minute late policy for appointments. Then, the lineup can be completely automated, with the artificial intelligence-based system drastically more efficient and organized than a standard physical queue. QLess’s patient queue management software also has smart calendar features that give staff a better sense of their day. The entire appointment calendar is displayed for them, showing the customer, appointment type, and more. The calendar is color-coded and organized and can be segmented, so employees have a heightened understanding of their daily workflow, increasing overall efficiency. By reducing wait times, healthcare organizations can reduce the time people need to spend waiting for appointments. The remote check-in features allow customers to wait from wherever they please, but inevitably there will still be some customers that prefer to wait for appointments in waiting rooms. With automated queue management and smart calendar features, the QLess patient queue management system ensures waiting times are trimmed, resulting in less crowded waiting areas.
Communication in the healthcare process is incredibly important. Customers strongly desire communication from end-to-end in the healthcare process, and having better communication can lead to safer waiting rooms. With better communication, enterprises can create safer waiting rooms in several ways. Having customers that indicate they might be contagious wait remotely will reduce infection risk, and enabling customers to message staff if they are running slightly behind but still keep their appointment will lead to fewer delays. While this type of communication could lead to a safer, less crowded waiting area, many enterprises are ill-equipped to offer this level of communication. Customers expect communication, particularly through digital methods. According to Forbes, 80% of consumers surveyed said they prefer to use digital communications with their healthcare providers, and 43% said they want to engage digitally with their healthcare providers before, after, and during their visits. But many enterprises lack the digital infrastructure to provide this level of communication that customers are hoping for, even if it can make customers happier and lead to safer waiting rooms. The QLess patient queue management system empowers healthcare organizations with bi-directional communication features that improve the connection between customers and staff. With the QLess features, organizations can drive a more communicative approach to healthcare. They can individually message customers and receive responses, schedule messages to entire groups of customers, and create automated messages triggered at different parts of the patient journey. Better communication means less confusion, as late customers or no-shows often trigger chain reactions that lead to extended delays. With better communication, there are fewer bottlenecks, which means lines move faster and waiting rooms are less crowded. This also improves the patient experience, as enterprises can answer patients' questions digitally during busy times when they might not have the time to respond face-to-face.
One of the most significant ways healthcare organizations have pivoted away from the standard waiting room model is by leaning into virtual healthcare. The pandemic made face-to-face appointments a near-impossibility at many practices, and to combat this, many organizations pivoted to virtual healthcare options like telehealth. Providing medical care virtually remains important even after the peak days of the pandemic. According to McKinsey, virtual healthcare remains hugely impactful, with 46% of consumers using telehealth now compared to 11% in 2019.Telehealth leads to less congested, safer waiting rooms for obvious reasons. With the option to schedule remote healthcare appointments, customers don’t need to visit healthcare offices at all. If customers have a mild but contagious illness, healthcare organizations can schedule virtual appointments to ensure they don’t spread their illness. Ultimately, the fewer in-person visits, the less crowded waiting rooms will be. But many organizations might buckle under the weight of managing an entire virtual calendar without the proper digital solution.
QLess has virtual service features that enable healthcare organizations to provide a positive patient experience remotely. QLess is integrated with Zoom and Microsoft Teams, two popular video meeting platforms, and enables organizations to put customers in mixed queues that accommodate in-person and remote patients. How this works for remote patients is they would schedule an appointment online and select a virtual appointment. They will then receive a QLess link and be placed into a virtual queue when they check in for their appointment. They will then be able to monitor their wait time, see who is in front of them, and receive a Zoom or Teams link when their appointment is ready to begin. Virtual appointments are a crucial part of the post-pandemic world. The QLess patient queue management platform enables enterprises to integrate remote patients into their virtual queues and digital calendar, creating a smooth appointment process and easier virtual appointment management.
The waiting room is a longstanding problem in the healthcare industry that most organizations have neglected to address. The concept of making ill or injured patients wait for long periods in a congested room is one that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, although there haven’t been other options for organizations until recently. Now that QLess for healthcare and other patient queue management systems exist, the need for waiting rooms has been drastically reduced. These digital solutions enable enterprises to create a virtual queue where customers don’t have to be physically present to wait in line or in the waiting room. The customer can check in, monitor their status in line, and communicate updates with staff, all from their phones or computers. This means they can wait outside the office, from their home, at a nearby park, or wherever else they’d prefer. Customers can still wait in waiting rooms if they want to, but QLess allows them to wait remotely, helping to drastically reduce congestion in healthcare offices. Reducing risk in the waiting experience should be an important objective for all healthcare organizations, and it resonates with customers. Consumers strongly dislike the typical waiting room process that has been the norm in healthcare for ages. With QLess’s queue software, healthcare businesses can meet the needs of the experience-oriented patient while creating a safer, more positive waiting process.
