Call Centers Generating Considerable Patient Loyalty, ROI for Hospitals, Finds New Solucient Study.

Business Editors/Health Writers

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2003

Just how important is a patient or community information call center to a hospital? The average caller to a hospital call center generates 150 percent more revenue for the facility per year than the average hospital patient.

That key finding comes from new Solucient research released today. Solucient's extensive four-year analysis of call centers features data from 1998 to 2001 representing 11 call centers servicing 25 hospitals. Over 807,000 call center callers and 1.9 million calls were included in the analysis.

Nearly two out of every three U.S. hospitals currently operate a customer call center. These centers receive thousands of calls each day on everything from physician referrals to general information about hospital services. While there is little argument that these centers benefit patients, hospital administrators have long questioned if call centers represent a sound investment of technology, staff, and time, particularly as many providers today wrestle with capacity issues and declining profit margins.

According to Solucient's research, the average call center caller generates $13,848 in hospital charges within twelve months after their first call, versus $5,524 in charges for the average hospital patient during the same period. The average retention rate of call center customers for hospitals in the study over a three-year period -- 1999 to 2001 -- was 70 percent, compared to 46 percent for patients overall.

"When a patient repeatedly calls a hospital call center, he or she is demonstrating customer loyalty," said Ruth Colby, senior vice president of planning and marketing products at Solucient. "Each time the phone rings at a call center, it's an opportunity for hospitals to acquire a new customer or reinforce the loyalty of an existing patient."

So who are these callers?

Solucient's research shows they are information seekers more concerned about their health and the health of their families than the average health care consumer. They tend to spend a longer period of time making health care decisions, often turning to the Internet for health care information. In addition, they ask more questions of their doctors. Eighty percent of the callers studied reported seeing their primary care physician every year, compared to 66 percent of patients overall.

"It's important for administrators in hospitals that operate call centers to realize that 25 percent of all their customers will contact their call center any given year, and a further 25 percent will make an inpatient or outpatient visit within twelve months after calling," Colby said.

Solucient's findings are published in a new report, "The Call Center as a Marketing Channel," which profiles the typical call center and provides strategies for health care marketers on leveraging call centers for their campaigns. For a copy of the report, visit the publications section of the Solucient Web site at http://www.solucient.com.

Media Note: Journalists can obtain a PDF copy of the report by sending an e-mail request to [e-mail]