Five Essential Features Healthcare Organizations Should Look for in a BPO
In the realm of healthcare credentialing, revenue cycle management, and other administrative functions, a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm must provide exceptional customer support in order to maintain seamless operations and foster strong relationships with care providers. This connectedness and level of communication assure the care provider that administrative tasks are being completed with accuracy so they can focus on their top priority: providing quality patient care.
Here are the top five features a healthcare organization should look for from a BPO firm.
#1: Desire to absorb a client’s culture
While this point may seem to be an obvious one, too many outsourcing firms do not immerse themselves in a client’s culture.
Care providers and administrative staff often have specific terminologies and requirements that must be understood precisely, so in healthcare BPO, it is crucial for the outsourcing company to match the client company's language for effective communication. A competent, English-speaking support team will facilitate smooth and accurate communication, which in turn builds trust with the client.
#2: An understanding of key performance indicators
Key performance indicators are incredibly important for all businesses, but even more so when two businesses are trying to drive toward the same goal. For a BPO team, monitoring performance through KPIs is essential to understand if client needs are met.
The KPIs a BPO firms uses should match the ones the clients leverage, so, in the early stages of collaboration, Radiant Healthcare always learns how new clients report data. Metrics such as average response time, first contact resolution rate, and customer satisfaction scores provide valuable insight into how the team has generated value during its engagement.
With established KPIs that match the client’s, an outsourcing team can communicate concretely with the client.
#3: Willingness to implement flexible work times
Since outsourcing often requires tasks to be done in a different time zone, it is vital that the BPO team is flexible with their work hours. This feature means a BPO firm should align support hours with the client’s business hours or establish an overnight team in the outsourcing office.
Being reachable during the client’s working hours minimizes response times and enhances overall customer satisfaction by demonstrating a commitment to meeting client needs.
#4: Ability to scale and pivot
The ability to scale operations up or down based on workload is a significant advantage of outsourcing customer support.
BPO teams should be flexible in, and capable of, adjusting their resources to handle peak client need times such as holidays. They also must appreciate if there is no longer a need for a large team. when Radiant Healthcare has rapidly reduced its number of workers, for example, after eliminating a client’s backlog.
This scalability ensures customer service remains uninterrupted and efficient, regardless of fluctuations in demand. Being flexible also reduces costs and increases customer satisfaction.
#5: A commitment to communication
Clear and efficient communication channels between the client company and the outsourcing company are crucial for productive operations. Regular meetings, updates, and feedback sessions help align the support team's efforts with the client’s objectives.
Additionally, using collaboration tools facilitates productive real-time communication and eases any anxiety a client may feel about confidential work being done offshore. This collaboration helps to promptly address any issues so that the BPO can keep delivering value to the client.
In healthcare BPO services, exceptional client relations are essential for smooth operations and strong partnerships with care providers. Adhering to best practices such as matching the client’s preferred language, establishing clear terms and communication channels, and aligning support hours with the client’s time zone ensures effective cooperation and builds a level of trust that allows providers to focus on caring for patients.
