Customized Appointment Calls (Access Studies)

Access studies utilize mystery shoppers to make an appointment with a specific department using a specific scenario in order to determine the number of days out to a 1st or 2nd availability.  In addition, customer service standards are also evaluated.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Patients who are confronted with a high number of days out are often forced to make a decision on where next to turn for care resulting in lost revenue for the provider.
  • Outcomes - A detailed report outlines days out per specialty, ease of making the appointment, number of transferred, on hold times, and overall experience.  

Customer Service Calls

Telephone calls are placed from individual homes simulating a “real” patient or customer call.  Calls can be recorded for an additional charge.  Telephone programs include information calls, call center studies, and appointment calls.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Telephone customer service remains a critical inroad into healthcare organizations.  Poor customer service can lead to lost patients and a negative perception.
  • Outcomes - We measure the quality of the organization’s customized telephone standards and compare them over time.

Competitor Calls

Mystery shoppers call to get pricing information on specific healthcare services from competitors selected by the client. In addition, customer service standards are also evaluated.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Telephone customer service remains a critical inroad into healthcare organizations.  Poor customer service can lead to lost patients and a negative perception.
  • Outcomes - We measure the quality of the organization’s customized telephone standards and compare them over time.

Pricing Transparency Calls

These calls are designed to insure that the organization is providing appropriate price information to consumers and to determine the prices being charged by competitors for similar services.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Clients gain an understanding for what staff is telling consumers.
  • Outcomes - Clients are able to make quick adjustments to pricing communication.

Process Shops

A Process Shop is a defined as a real patient going on a real appointment.  Each shopper will call to schedule an appointment, arrive at the scheduled time, and complete a new patient visit.  *Shoppers typically go in as a self-pay or they present a Do Not Bill Letter upon leaving so that insurance isn't billed.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Clients gain the immediacy of the patient’s perspective while the shopper evaluates customizable standards related to people, process, and place.    
  • Outcomes - Detailed reports outlining the challenge of scheduling an appointment, check in process at the providers office, wait times before being called back, interaction with staff, interaction with nurse, wait time for physician, interaction with physician, check out process.

In-Person Shops

In-person shops are informational in nature and do not require giving out personal information or scheduling an appointment.  *Shoppers are able to navigate from the parking garage up to three locations on one visit.

  • Client Pain Addressed - Consumer perception is driven by an employee’s ability to engage with everyone who interacts with the organization, not just patients.  Providers have become so big, they miss opportunities to WOW non-patient consumers.
  • Outcomes - Detailed reports on helpfulness, eye contact of employees, wayfinding, getting information, and overall experience.

Observation Shops

Observation shops are used to measure wait times for patients, customer service delivery, employee interactions, and the overall process within an office, clinic, department, lobby or ED waiting area. 

  • Client Pain Addressed - Patients are often respectful of clinical staff but less tolerant of frontline staff.  The greatest opportunity for generating satisfaction is when the patient is first introduced to the organization.
  • Outcomes - Detailed reports from a 45 minute observation include staff interactions with actual patients, wait times from check in to being called back, environment, and overall experience.