Did you know?
Healthcare organizations waste up to 30% of staff time through inefficient call handling, leading to frustrated patients and burned-out employees.
What Are Call Types?
Call types categorize patient interactions based on their purpose—whether it's scheduling an appointment, checking insurance eligibility, requesting a prescription refill, or seeking clinical advice.
Tracking call types gives you a clear picture of where your team's time goes and helps uncover automation opportunities, training gaps, and operational inefficiencies.
Why Call Type Tracking Matters
Healthcare organizations that implement structured call type tracking see improvements across five key operational areas. Here's how real practices have transformed their operations:
- Streamline Call Handling
- A large multi-specialty practice struggled with long patient wait times. Patients were transferred multiple times before reaching the right department, leading to frustration and dropped calls. When they began tracking call types, they found that 22% of calls were misrouted from the start. By refining their call routing system and ensuring the right staff received the right calls, they cut transfers by 40% and reduced patient hold times by two minutes within just 8 weeks.
- A large multi-specialty practice struggled with long patient wait times. Patients were transferred multiple times before reaching the right department, leading to frustration and dropped calls. When they began tracking call types, they found that 22% of calls were misrouted from the start. By refining their call routing system and ensuring the right staff received the right calls, they cut transfers by 40% and reduced patient hold times by two minutes within just 8 weeks.
- Optimize Staffing
- A busy urgent care center had unpredictable call volumes, with some days overwhelmed by scheduling calls while others saw spikes in test result inquiries. When they tracked call types, they discovered that Mondays and Fridays had 50% more appointment-related calls, while Wednesday afternoons were dominated by billing questions. With this data, they adjusted staffing schedules to align with call trends, ensuring that the right number of agents were available at peak times— resulting in faster resolution times and reduced patient frustration. These improvements were fully implemented within one quarter.
- Identify Automation Opportunities
- A regional health system found that 40% of their daily call volume was for appointment confirmations and simple reschedules. These calls kept staff busy with repetitive, non-revenuegenerating work. By identifying this trend, they implemented an automated text and IVR system for confirmations, reducing manual calls by 35% and freeing up staff to handle complex patient concerns. The entire automation project took 4 months from identification to implementation.
- Improve Training & Quality
- At a family practice, new schedulers were taking twice as long to handle referral requests compared to senior staff. When they examined call type data, they pinpointed that referral-related calls had the highest average handle time and the most escalations. This insight led to a referral-specific training session for new hires. Within a month, the practice saw a 25% reduction in referral call handle time and a 40% decrease in unnecessary escalations.
- Enhance Patient Experience
- A hospital call center noticed a surge in patient complaints about difficulty reaching the right department. After analyzing call types, they realized that many patients were unsure what type of help they needed, leading to high use of the "Other" category. By adding a structured call type system and a brief guided IVR menu, they helped patients reach the right person faster. The result? A 20% increase in first-call resolution and a measurable improvement in patient satisfaction scores within 6 months.
- A hospital call center noticed a surge in patient complaints about difficulty reaching the right department. After analyzing call types, they realized that many patients were unsure what type of help they needed, leading to high use of the "Other" category. By adding a structured call type system and a brief guided IVR menu, they helped patients reach the right person faster. The result? A 20% increase in first-call resolution and a measurable improvement in patient satisfaction scores within 6 months.
Beyond Tracking: Optimizing Operations with a Feedback Loop
Call type tracking is just the beginning. The real power comes from using this data to create a cycle of continuous improvement.
Process Optimization
Once call types are categorized, patterns begin to emerge. Do certain calls take longer than expected? Are certain questions being asked over and over? This data allows you to fine-tune workflows, whether that means creating new training materials, adjusting scripts, or refining call routing.
Data-Driven Decision Making
A strong feedback loop means regularly reviewing call reports and using insights to drive decisions. If scheduling calls are overwhelming the front desk, perhaps it's time to enable online selfscheduling. If billing-related calls spike at the beginning of each month, consider sending proactive billing reminders to reduce inbound call volume.
Long-Term Success Strategy
By consistently analyzing and refining how calls are handled, healthcare organizations can reduce inefficiencies, improve patient experience, and create a more scalable operation. Over time, this process helps teams work smarter—not harder—by prioritizing high-value patient interactions and automating repetitive tasks.
Turning Data Into Action
With a well-designed dashboard like the one above, your team can quickly identify patterns, track improvements, and make data-driven decisions. The dashboard transforms raw call data into actionable insights that drive continuous improvement.
Get Started Today
Call type tracking doesn't have to be complicated. Even small practices can implement basic tracking systems that deliver meaningful insights. In our next guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process for implementing call type tracking in your organization, including templates, training tips, and technology recommendations.