Blog

New videos: The truth about hiring and training excellent hospital operators 

No one can predict, for certain, how the pandemic will change the future of healthcare contact centers. What are the trends, challenges, and predictions for the call center of the future? To find out, we asked Cippy Seidler, Director of the Consumer Care Center at Banner Health, to share how their health system adjusted processes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seidler presented during our Connect user conference last October. Here’s what she had to say: 

1. Establish new operator hiring practices 

“One of the big things we’re doing now is focusing on hiring for job value.” 

Seidler discusses how call center hiring dramatically shifted—requiring outside-the-box recruiting efforts, such as hiring nontraditional candidates, leveraging employee referrals, and partnering closely with the HR recruitment team.   

2. Revamp your operator training program 

“Employee safety has become the primary thought now.” 

The pandemic has forced a greater focus on ways to ensure employees are safe. Read how Banner Health has restructured their training processes to accommodate more virtual training, including how they created their own in-house video training program.  

3. Prioritize operator retention strategies  

“We put less focus on metrics during the pandemic.”  

Although it sounds crazy, Seidler explains why they put less focus on metrics during COVID-19 and more focus on ensuring great service to their customers. She also shares other strategies they employed to ensure operators were engaged and had the tools to do their jobs. This included an employee-driven project to upgrade their existing technology. This in turn made it easier for operators to do their jobs and helped drive better operator efficiency.  

Watch the videos for more information and major takeaways from Seidler’s keynote presentation. 

How can you learn more?  

  • Read more about how Banner Health uses Spok contact center solutions here 
  • Discover what our 2021 survey on the state of healthcare communications uncovered about burnout in healthcare contact centers here 
  • If you’d like to learn more about how Spok can help advance your contact center, please talk to us 

Join the Spok blog and stay informed on the latest updates in clinical communications.

Related Blogs