What to do with messages that arrive after hours
· 4 min read · Norvity Team
Many people only have time to look after their own health after work. It's at night, on the weekend or during the lunch break that patients remember to book an appointment, and that's exactly when the front desk is closed.
The cost of replying the next day
People looking for a doctor often contact more than one practice at the same time. If the reply only comes the next morning, there's a good chance the patient has already booked somewhere else. For the front desk, the day starts with a queue of piled-up messages, even before the first phone call.
An automatic message helps, but doesn't solve it
The notice “we're currently closed, we'll get back to you soon” informs, but it doesn't serve the patient. The patient still has no appointment booked and no answer to their question.
What can be handled without a person
A good share of after-hours messages follow the same script:
- booking, rescheduling or canceling an appointment;
- asking whether the practice accepts a given health plan (convênio);
- asking for the address, prices or exam prep;
- confirming an appointment that's already booked.
They all have known answers and can be handled right away, at any time.
What should wait for the team
Clinical cases, complaints, unusual requests and any urgent situation need a person. What matters is that the patient knows this: in an urgent case, the message should tell them to go to the emergency room or call SAMU (192), Brazil's emergency medical service, and other cases should be logged for the team to answer first thing in the morning, with the context already organized.
How Norvity does it
Norvity answers patients 24 hours a day on WhatsApp, books into the practice's calendar and answers common questions. Whatever needs a person reaches the team with a summary of the conversation, so nobody has to reread everything.