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Why a Strong Economy Can Hurt Customer Service

 

Growing Competition for Skilled Talent has Medical Practices Struggling to Keep Their Staff

 

At the heart of every successful practice is the people. Your staff has the ability to make or break the patient experience, which of course can ultimately have a domino effect on client retention, repeat business and referrals. As such, happy and engaged staff are critical.

Yet in today’s strong economy, growth is fueling increased demand for skilled employees. During what’s said to be the hottest job market in decades, medical practices are challenged with attracting, engaging and keeping their staff.

 

Increased Confidence

It’s been nearly a decade since the Great Recession, when finding a job was near impossible. As the economy grew, more job opportunities became available, but employers had the upper hand when it came to hiring.

Today U.S. unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in 18 years, which has ultimately created a candidate-market where there are now more job openings than qualified workers. This has spurred increased employee confidence and optimism about the job market and the ability to find better opportunities.

In fact, according to a recent Gallup report, 51% of employees are actively looking for a new job or watching openings. The same survey noted in 2012, only 19% of Americans indicated it was a good time to find a job. That number jumped to 42% in 2016.

 

Other Opportunities at Their Fingertips

With increased availability of technology and social media, it’s never been easier for employees to access new positions. Workers can easily peruse competitor sites, job sites, or set up alerts on their phone to get instant notifications when a new job is posted. It’s not even uncommon for staff to be job searching at their current job and apply elsewhere within seconds.

No practice is free from staff who are considering other options, even if they are “just looking.”

 

Not Enough Reason to Stay

Only about one-third of U.S. employees are engaged in their work and workplace. Further data shows many employees simply feel their organizations are not providing much incentive to stay. It’s not that employees even have to be unhappy in their role, but rather they want to take advantage of the best total package. They’re evaluating multiple factors including increased pay, more growth opportunity, better management, and more flexibility.

Practices need to be evaluating what they are offering current employees and ensuring it’s competitive with the market. Are they paying employees the going rate (or more)? Are they providing opportunities for development and advancement within the company? Do the current employees feel valued?

All of these are important requirements for attracting and retaining good people.

 

Leaving With Little Notice

Employees may accept other positions and leave without much notice. This can put firms in a tough position to keep operations running smoothly. The turnover and need to effectively train new staff can begin to cause disruption to practice operations.

To help minimize the impact of changing staff, it’s important to have a solid training and onboarding program with well-documented processes. This can help new employees get up to speed quickly.

 

You Need an A-Team

You may be providing all you can to employees, but it’s ultimately up to them to decide to stay with your practice. Employees may come and go, which is why it’s important to be able to rely on an A-team who can continually provide a great patient experience.

 

OptiCall won’t quit on you

Our First Contact and Capture programs provide you with the highly-trained staff proven to manage patient leads, no matter what.

We serve as an extension of your staff to ensure your new patients are well taken care of and allow you to maximize growth. For more information, or to request a demo, contact us.