5 Criteria to Find the Right Answering Service for Your Rehab Center

Running a rehab center is, in and of itself, a full-time job. The day-to-day operations take a lot of oversight and personal connection. Addiction and recovery are a challenge for anyone, even in the best rehab center. Fortunately, there are solutions to make your job easier so that you can focus on your clients and make sure that no call goes unanswered. 

Do you already have 24-hour solutions in place, or are you looking to add that, too? The majority of modern answering services offer some type of 24/7 support so that you ensure that every call gets the attention that it needs. When you combine that with everything else that an answering service can do, the sky is really the limit. 

Of course, that also comes with choosing the right answering service for your rehab business. This will depend on what you need, of course, but there are also some general criteria that can help you choose. The most reputable answering services and those that are best for your rehab center should meet the five criteria below. Before we dig into that, though, let’s take a quick look at the benefits of hiring an answering service in the first place. 

The perks of an answering service for your rehab center

If you decide to partner with an answering service, you will find several different benefits. Interestingly, some of them are the same as the criteria that should go into choosing your receptionist or answering service provider. It’s about things like:

• Cost-effective answering solutions
• Admin services like scheduling and more
• 24/7 availability even when you’re not around
• More affordable than hiring in-house
• Get a whole team of agents for a single cost
• Customizable solutions that fit (and grow with) your business

These are just a handful of the perks that come from investing in the right answering service. And speaking of that, let’s take a look at what “right” means if you’re in the business of rehabilitative services. 

1. 24/7 availability 

In a business like rehab and recovery, 24-hour availability is a must. It’s not easy for people to call and ask for help, and they rarely do it between 9 AM and 5 PM. A lot of crises happen on the weekends or after-hours, and that’s where having an answering service can help you out. Not only that, but it will ensure that every call gets answered and every client or potential client gets the attention that they deserve. 

You can’t afford to be available 24 hours a day on your own. You have to eat, sleep, run your business—there’s too much on your plate. With a 24/7 answering service, you can trust that all calls and messages will be handled accordingly. 

2. Professional discretion 

Professionalism is important for any answering service. However, there’s also an extra concern in the rehab and recovery field: discretion. These people often want to be anonymous and don’t want anyone to know that they’re at a rehab center. Plus, this is a sensitive topic, and it takes people who have been trained and know how to handle the calls if they are going to give people the best answers and outcomes. 

Professional discretion will also boost your image and help you prove to people that your rehab clinic is a reputable, professional choice for all of their needs, no matter what those might be. 

3. Features and services

Everyone has an idea of what they want from answering services. Not everyone is going to find it on their first try. However, while you’re shopping around, you should look at the features and services available from the answering service provider to ensure that they align with what you need. You will usually find dozens of different features available from a single answering service. This gives you the chance to combine and customize to create the ideal plan for your needs. 

You should also be able to change and add features and services as you need them. This will ensure that you have a company that grows with you and that you won’t have to find a new answering service every time you need more support. 

4. Customization

Customization is another important factor. How much can you customize the services that you choose? Can you create a tailored plan, or have one created, that customizes the answering service experience from start to finish? Does the company offer custom greetings or strategy sessions? You want it to feel like this answering service is an extension of your business, so customization can do wonders. 

5. HIPAA-compliant messaging

This isn’t something that most people will think about when it comes to adding an answering service. However, being in the business of rehab means that you’re dealing with private, protected health information from your clients/patients. Therefore, you can’t let just anyone answer the phone, answer questions, and share people’s information. Choose an answering service that’s taken the time to get professionally certified so that they can handle everything your rehab center needs, including privacy. 

HIPAA-compliant solutions are growing, thanks to the demand for more virtual solutions since the pandemic. However, it’s still not something that every answering service offers. Make sure that you consider this among the most important criteria on your list when choosing your answering service. 

From compliance to complete solutions, partner with Smith.ai for more

We know how hard you’re working to help people heal and recover. We also know how valuable your time is outside of work. And yet, if you’re in charge, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Let us help with some of that by offering a 24/7 answering service with the assistance of our dedicated virtual receptionists. We can help with everything from fielding calls to lead intake, appointment scheduling, and even live website chat. 

Plus, we’ll also help you craft a custom strategy to manage it all. Learn more when you schedule a consultation, or drop us a line at hello@smith.ai.

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