Patient appointment scheduling seems like an easy task, but it can become quite complicated. Last-minute cancellations, double booking, late or no shows, and emergencies all lend to an unpredictable calendar. Additionally, your own staff’s schedule and fluctuating availability can all affect the process. In short, without the right staff and resources, scheduling can quickly get out of hand.
Yet, the importance of patient satisfaction cannot be understated. Satisfied patients are less likely to miss appointments, find other healthcare providers, or leave negative reviews. It’s important to note that your unsatisfied patients can impact your bottom line and hurt your practice. It’s not something to take lightly.
Research shows that patients are willing to change healthcare providers for better experiences. In fact, according to NRC Health, 80% of patients said they would switch healthcare providers for convenience alone.
One of the best ways to increase patient satisfaction and provide the best possible experience before they even set foot in your office is to outsource your scheduling. A call center takes over the burden of answering calls, responding to messages, managing reminders, waitlists, and any schedule changes. This frees up your staff, allowing you to provide better medical services once patients arrive for their appointment.
There are two different types of outsourced patient call centers to consider: business process outsourcing (BPO) or knowledge process outsourcing (KPO). Your medical center can deliver better appointment scheduling services by outsourcing tasks to BPO or KPO call centers. If you’re not sure which one is best for you, keep reading to learn more.
What is a BPO?
Business process outsourcing or BPO is a branch of outsourcing where a business outsources proven and predetermined business processes to reduce costs and increase productivity and efficiency. A BPO ensures that all operations are executed consistently and efficiently.
There are three types of BPOs based on location:
- Onshore outsourcing is when a business outsources services within the same country
- Nearshore outsourcing is when a business outsources services located in a nearby country
- Offshore outsourcing is when a business outsources services located overseas
Outsourcing to a BPO has several benefits, including:
- Reducing labor and employee expenses by outsourcing non-core activities while providing access to lower-cost human capital
- Driving improvement by outsourcing non-core activities so you can focus on core business operations
- Accessing the latest technology at a fraction of the cost by going through an outsourced BPO
By outsourcing to a BPO, you gain external assistance and processes to streamline patient scheduling at your practice.
What is a KPO?
Knowledge process outsourcing or KPO is a branch of outsourcing where a business outsources highly skilled personnel or information-related activities. Please note that KPOs can be an extension of BPOs. These personnel have specialized knowledge, technical, or analytical skills.
The patient care specialists act as an extension of your practice; they are knowledgeable enough to make strategic, informed decisions on behalf of your practice to provide the best patient experience.
Outsourcing to a KPO has several benefits, including:
- Reducing operational costs by increasing efficiency in processes and helping you create new processes to best serve your patients
- Filling gaps for highly specialized personnel at an affordable cost without the hassle of recruitment, hiring, and management
- Freeing internal employees to focus on core activities and better your practice
- Scaling services up and down depending on how busy the season is without having to let go of your employees
The draw of a KPO is its highly specialized nature. It’s all about knowledge; you can trust your outsourced team to be experts in your field. This peace of mind allows you to focus on other aspects of your practice because you know your patients are in good hands.
What are the main differences between a BPO and a KPO?
If you're still trying to comprehend the differences between a BPO vs. KPO, here’s a side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right service for your medical center.
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BPO - Business Process Outsourcing
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KPO - Knowledge Process Outsourcing
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- Highly rule-focused. Processes and tasks are often established and passed on to be performed outside the organization
- Low complexity
- Process expertise to operate efficiently and cost-effectively
- Volume-driven. Processes focus on handling as many tasks as possible within a given period
- Low collaboration
- Handle activities like customer support and care
- Focus on low-level tasks that are easy to perform and repetitive
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- Knowledge-focused. Requires the outsourced experts to make sense of existing knowledge and processes
- Handle complex tasks
- Knowledge expertise to operate efficiently and cost-effectively
- Insights-driven. Processes focus on making sense of as much information as possible
- High collaboration
- Professional qualifications required
- Handle activities like data analytics, market research, business research, and financial analysis
- Focus on high-level, complex tasks
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If you’re looking to enhance your patient experience by outsourcing to a BPO, KPO, or both for your practice, ask the following questions to determine the quality and fit:
- Does your BPO include a KPO function?
- If so, how many specialists do you employ?
- What are your typical specialist requirements?
- What’s your average benchmark for scheduling appointments?
- How quickly can your team answer calls?
- Do you have any awards or certifications to show your past achievements?
- Are you HIPAA and SLA compliant?
- Do you have numbers on cost reduction for past clients?
- What’s the average profit growth my practice can expect by working with you?
CCD Health: Leading KPO nearshore provider in healthcare
As a medical center, you’ll see the best results by outsourcing appointment scheduling services to a provider in the healthcare industry. CCD Health is a leading healthcare customer contact center. We not only provide BPO services but are a leading KPO in the industry. We have the infrastructure, experience, and business intelligence to meet your appointment scheduling needs.
Our goal is to help you turn the patient experience into your competitive advantage. We collaborate with your internal team to prioritize appointments, assist with patient scheduling, and reduce missed appointments to enhance your patient’s experiences.
With CCD Health, you can improve your patient experiences, reduce missed appointments, keep your workforce costs low, and grow your profits. Contact CCD Health today to learn more about how we can help your practice.