Laurie Cormier

Before Fresk

It was very difficult to reach our patients by phone during the day. We also missed a lot of calls and had no way of returning them, despite the call display.

Today with Fresk

Now, we can reach our patients very quickly with text messaging. What’s more, all missed calls are automatically answered by text message.
Fresk software evolves very quickly. The tool constantly responds to new issues and helps us to ensure efficient and organized communication with our patients.

View detailed patient profile

We have 5 secretarial workstations running simultaneously. By importing patient contacts and instantly displaying the patient’s name on the screen, we know who is the best person to take the call. This saves precious minutes, as we can transfer the call directly to the right person.

Recording all phone calls

First, it allows us to listen in on calls for employee training purposes. It allows us to help our employees improve. We present examples of good and bad patient communication practices.

Manage voicemail messages

We don’t have a voice mailbox. However, we do have dynamic text messages adapted to our different schedules, vacations or when all our phone lines are busy. All our missed calls are answered by text message, allowing our patients to text us their requests. Finally, we can see on screen all the patients whose calls we’ve missed, so we can make call returns.

Answering all missed calls

Before Fresk, we missed calls and had no way of knowing which patient we’d missed, nor could we call people. Sometimes patients would arrive at the clinic saying they couldn’t reach us.

With the advent of the Canadian Dental Insurance Plan, call volume increased. Automatic response to missed calls kept our secretaries in control.

The Fresk software introduced an “unread call” function to avoid forgetting unreturned missed calls. Sometimes a secretary would click on an “unread” missed call, resulting in the call being forgotten. Now, secretaries can reset a missed call to “unread” to ensure it is picked up if they haven’t had time to return the call.

Previously, missed calls caused a lot of frustration, as it gave the impression that patients were being ignored, in addition to having disabled voicemail. With the missed call automatically answered by text, our patients and secretaries have less stress and frustration.

Text messaging

Text messaging is one of Fresk’s greatest assets. People don’t take calls during working hours. Instead, people respond to their text messages within minutes. Text messaging saves time for patients and secretaries, and makes every communication more efficient.

Centralize our communication tools

Grouping calls, text messages and e-mails in the same software helps our secretaries a great deal. It saves a lot of time, because they don’t have to switch from one screen to another. It simplifies day-to-day work.

Call, e-mail and text in 1 click

It’s a change that’s underway, because secretaries sometimes dial manually on their phones. They’re used to it. Other secretaries use one-click calling very well. I’d say it’s 50-50%. Slowly, secretaries are switching to 1-click calls and texts using the keyboard and mouse. They’re finding it’s quicker and easier.

Dialogue via text message

We used to be very reluctant to use text messaging with our patients. But we’re much more efficient at reaching our customers with text messaging. Our patients work during the day and don’t answer phone calls during the day and talk out loud. With text messaging, patients can respond when they’re available. This way, neither secretaries nor patients have to wait for an immediate response. Everyone responds at their own convenience.

Dental libraries

We’ve come to use the library too. We know we have educational dental bookstores at our disposal. We’re slowly training our staff to use them. We also aim to create our own libraries to support our teams.

Model answer library

Of course, patients’ questions to our secretaries are often the same. We’re familiar with the most frequently asked questions, and we’ve set up quick answers to these questions to speed up response time. It now takes 3 seconds to answer these questions, instead of 2 to 3 minutes. This saves us a lot of time.

Secure sending of secure files

We were able to do this before Fresk, but the process was cumbersome. With Fresk, it’s faster and more efficient. However, it’s a tool that needs to be integrated into our daily routine. It will come.

Culture change

Quietly, our team is moving towards using the telephone with the keyboard and mouse rather than the telephone handset. Our teams are gradually changing their habits and realizing that they are saving time and improving efficiency on a daily basis. Our teams realize that it’s less tiring with the software than with the physical telephone.

Fresk benefits

1. Automated text messages on missed calls
2. Missed call alerts
3. Mark missed calls read or unread

Recommendation

We are a very large clinic with more than 5 secretaries and a high volume of communications. Fresk works very well and has enabled us to improve the quality and speed of our patient communications.

Tips for implementing Fresk

You have to be open to change. You have to help employees get used to the software. Embrace change and stay in touch with the Fresk support team. They are available and very efficient. Of course, you have to want to use the wireless headset, as it’s essential for use with Fresk software.