Call centre 'will cut hospital costs'

Date: 28/06/2011

Many businesses make use of 0800 telephone numbers and call centres in order to handle incoming queries from customers, however a new scheme introduced by Milton Keynes Hospital has highlighted the advantage of having a team of phone operators to make outgoing calls.

MK News reports the hospital has began contacting patients by telephone to remind them of an upcoming appointment, in a bid to reduce the £1 million annual cost associated with individuals failing to turn up for consults.

Once they provide their date of birth to the operator, patients are able to confirm, reschedule or cancel their visit and patient services manager at the hospital Mary Hirst was quoted by the news source as saying the service "has the potential to make a big difference".

Businesses with call centre facilities may want to consider implementing a similar programme, as call centres can be used to follow up with customers who have made enquiries about a firm's product or service in a bid to secure a sale.

Recent research from Dimension Data revealed almost half (47.9 per cent) of enterprises see contact centres as means of generating profit.