Navigating the effects of COVID-19 is a day-by-day process for many of our clients. Our thoughts are with you, your family, your staff, and your business's health during this difficult time. Call Box is committed to helping you in any way we can.

Whether you remain open or temporarily close, it's vital that your patients stay informed. Call Box offers few solutions you can put in place, depending on your office's situation:

If you are temporarily closed and without staff:

1. Implement a custom greeting and/or voicemail message that notifies patients of pertinent information and protocols.
   • Example: “Thank you for calling ABC Health. Our offices are closed until Thursday, March 30th due to the Coronavirus. If you have an appointment scheduled between now and March 29th, your appointment will automatically be cancelled. We will begin rescheduling patients when we reopen our offices. Should we be closed longer than anticipated, we will update this message. If this is truly an emergency, we advise you to visit the nearest emergency room for treatment. If you leave a voicemail, please know that phone calls will be returned once we are open. We appreciate your trust in us for your medical needs and look forward to treating you in the future. Stay well.”
2. Set up email alerts for missed patient calls that can be returned once staff is back in the office and can get patients on the schedule.

If you have limited hours, remote workforce, or limited locations:

1. If you're only treating emergency situations, use the message above but include a “press 1 if truly an emergency” and route calls to a cell phone(s). Be sure the voicemail is set up to provide specific instructions.
2. If you've reduced your hours or are utilizing remote staff, update your call routing according to your new schedule. Be sure staff and the after-hours message communicate details like: when you're treating patients, what patients should expect when they come into the office, and how you're handling cancellations and rescheduling. If you use an after-hours call center, make sure they communicate the same details.
3. If you have implemented a remote staff, update call routing to designated softphones, cell phones, or third-party call centers to ensure calls are connecting to your remote staff. If using cell phones, implement whispers so staff know where the call originated from and that it is a call for the practice. Consider setting up email alerts for missed calls so your remote staff can quickly call patients back and offer assistance.
4. If you have limited locations open, re-route calls from closed locations to open locations. Consider roll-over and overflow call routing adjustments to account for higher call volume. Include a whisper so staff know which location the call originated from.

We're working swiftly to help with these adjustments. If you need assistance implementing one of the changes above, call us at 214-446-7867 or email content@callbox.com.