Healthcare Customer Service & Patient Support: Contact Web & SpaMedic

46 flashcards

What is Contact Web?: Contact Web is a customer operations and contact centre company based in Banbury. They work with different organisations across several sectors, including healthcare, and provide services such as customer service, appointment booking and back-office support.
What does Contact Web do for healthcare clients?: They support patients with things such as appointments, enquiries, follow-ups and administration while making sure patients receive professional and supportive customer service.
Who is SpaMedica?: SpaMedica is a leading independent provider of NHS eye-care services. They became the largest NHS cataract surgery provider in the UK in 2018 and focus heavily on reducing cataract waiting times.
What other services does SpaMedica provide?: Alongside cataract care, SpaMedica provides NHS ophthalmology services including treatment for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and posterior capsule opacification.
What group is SpaMedica part of?: SpaMedica is part of the Veonet Group, which works with ophthalmology providers across Europe.
What would my role as a Patient Advisor involve?: I would support patients through calls, help with appointments, referrals and general enquiries, explain the next steps in their care, reassure nervous patients, update records accurately and involve other teams when necessary.
Tell me about yourself.: I have a Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care and experience working in childcare and education settings. Through this I developed skills including communication, patience, resilience, confidentiality and safeguarding. I am also very comfortable with computers and learning new systems, and I think these skills would transfer really well into this role.
Why did you apply for this role?: I was particularly interested because the role combines healthcare and customer service, which are both areas I am interested in. I really like the idea of helping patients understand what happens next in their care and making the process feel less overwhelming, particularly if they are nervous or unsure.
Why do you want to work for Contact Web?: I like that Contact Web works with different organisations and focuses on providing good customer experiences. This role particularly interested me because I would be working within healthcare and supporting patients while developing my own customer service and administration skills.
Why are you interested in the SpaMedica campaign?: I like the fact that SpaMedica provides important NHS eye-care services and supports patients throughout their treatment journey. I would enjoy being part of the team helping patients understand appointments and treatment and giving reassurance when they need it.
Why would you be a good fit for the role?: I think my Health and Social Care background gives me a good understanding of confidentiality, communication and treating people with dignity and respect. My childcare experience has also taught me patience, teamwork and how to adapt my communication, and I am confident using technology and learning new systems.
Why should we hire you?: I think I have a strong combination of transferable skills for the role. I am patient, caring and a good listener, I have experience handling confidential information, I am confident with computers and I am very willing to learn. I would take the training seriously and work hard to become confident and independent in the role.
What are your main strengths?: My main strengths are patience, listening, attention to detail and being willing to learn. I am also very comfortable with technology and once I understand a process properly, I am confident working independently.
What is one of your weaknesses?: I can sometimes be quieter when I first enter a completely new environment because I like to understand how everything works. Once I become familiar with the role and the people around me, my confidence increases very quickly.
You have never worked in a call centre. How would you manage?: I have not worked in a dedicated call centre before, but I have a lot of transferable experience. In childcare and education I had to communicate with different people, remain calm, handle confidential information and adapt my communication style. I am also comfortable learning new systems and processes.
Are you comfortable using computer systems?: Yes, definitely. Technology is something I am very interested in and I generally learn new systems quickly. I have used workplace software to record information before, so although your systems would be new to me, I would be confident learning them through training.
How do you learn a new system or process?: I like to understand a new process properly when I am first taught it and I am happy to ask questions if I am unsure. Once I understand what is expected of me, I usually become confident and independent quite quickly.
How would you support a nervous patient?: I would slow the conversation down and first find out exactly what they were worried about. I would listen carefully, speak calmly and explain the information I had been trained to provide in a clear way. I would also give them time to ask questions and make sure they understood what would happen next.
What if a patient asks you a clinical question you do not know?: I would never guess or provide information outside my role. I would explain that I wanted to make sure they received the correct information and then follow the correct procedure or refer their question to the appropriate clinical team.
How would you speak with an elderly or vulnerable patient?: I would be patient and adapt the way I communicate to suit them. I would speak clearly, avoid rushing them, explain things in manageable steps and check that they understood before moving on.
What does good customer service mean to you?: Good customer service means listening properly, understanding what the person actually needs, communicating respectfully and giving accurate information. I would want every patient to finish the conversation knowing what happens next and feeling that they had been listened to.
How would you deal with an upset or angry patient?: I would stay calm and allow them to explain what had happened without interrupting unnecessarily. I would acknowledge their concern, make sure I understood the problem and resolve anything within my role. If it needed further support, I would follow the correct escalation procedure.
What does confidentiality mean to you?: Confidentiality means handling sensitive information carefully and only sharing it with people who are authorised to receive it. Confidentiality was very important in my childcare experience and I would bring the same careful and professional approach to patient information.
What does GDPR mean in this role?: It means protecting patient information and following the correct procedures when accessing, recording or sharing personal data. I would only access information needed for my work and would never share patient information with somebody who was not authorised to receive it.
How would you make sure patient records are accurate?: I would pay close attention when entering information, particularly details such as names, contact information and appointment details. Where appropriate I would confirm important information with the patient and check what I had entered before completing the interaction.
What would you do if you made a mistake?: I would be honest about it and act quickly to correct it. If it could affect a patient or another member of staff, I would tell the appropriate person, follow the correct procedure and learn from the mistake so that I could avoid repeating it.
How do you handle working under pressure?: My childcare experience taught me how to remain calm when several things are happening at once. I focus on what needs dealing with first, work through tasks carefully and avoid rushing in a way that could cause mistakes.
How do you prioritise when you have several things to do?: I would first identify which tasks are most urgent or important, then work through them in an organised way while following company procedures. If I was unsure about priorities, I would communicate with my team rather than guessing.
Are you comfortable working in a busy team?: Yes. I have worked in childcare environments where teamwork and communication were extremely important. I am comfortable asking for help when necessary, helping colleagues where I can and making sure important information is communicated clearly.
How would you describe your communication style?: I try to be clear, patient and respectful. I also adapt the way I communicate depending on who I am speaking to because different people may need information explained in different ways.
Give an example of adapting your communication.: During my experience in education and childcare, I had to communicate differently with staff, parents and children. I learnt to change my language and approach depending on the person while still making sure the information was clear.
What experience do you have with safeguarding?: My Health and Social Care studies and childcare experience taught me the importance of recognising concerns, maintaining confidentiality and reporting information to the appropriate person rather than trying to deal with serious safeguarding issues alone.
How would you respond to sensitive or emotional conversations?: I would remain calm and compassionate, listen carefully and avoid making assumptions. I would give the patient time to explain the situation and follow the correct procedures if the conversation involved something outside my role.
How do you respond to feedback?: I am very open to feedback, especially when I am learning something new. I would rather somebody tell me early if there is a better way of doing something because I can use that feedback to improve.
What motivates you at work?: I like knowing that the work I am doing has a purpose and that I am helping somebody. I am also motivated by learning new skills, becoming confident in my role and knowing that I am doing my work accurately.
Are you comfortable with inbound and outbound calls?: Yes. Although working in a contact centre would be new to me, I am comfortable speaking with different people and I understand that both inbound and outbound calls are an important part of supporting patients throughout their care journey.
How would you build rapport over the phone?: I would listen properly, show genuine interest in what the patient was saying and adapt my communication to them. I would try to sound friendly and professional without making the conversation feel rushed or scripted.
What would you do if you could not resolve a patient's problem yourself?: I would explain honestly what I was able to do and then follow the correct process to involve the appropriate clinical or administrative team. I would never pretend to know something or promise an outcome I could not provide.
What does patient-centred care mean to you?: To me it means treating each patient as an individual, listening to their needs and making sure they feel respected, informed and involved in their own care.
What do you think will be challenging about this role?: The contact centre environment itself will be new to me, so there will naturally be a learning period. However, I am confident that with the training provided and my ability to learn systems quickly, I would become comfortable in the role.
Where do you see yourself developing in this role?: I would like to become confident and knowledgeable within the Patient Advisor position, learn the systems thoroughly and build strong healthcare customer service and administration experience.
What would you do during a difficult call?: I would focus on remaining calm and listening carefully rather than becoming flustered. I would follow the process I had been trained to use and ask for support or escalate the call if necessary.
What would you do if a patient did not understand what you had explained?: I would explain it again in a different and simpler way rather than just repeating the same words. I would take my time and check their understanding before continuing.
What questions could I ask Richard at the end?: I could ask what the training process looks like, what good performance looks like during the first few months, what a typical day is like for the Patient Advisor team and what Richard enjoys about working at Contact Web.
Why does your Health and Social Care qualification help you in this job?: It taught me about communication, confidentiality, safeguarding, dignity, different care needs and person-centred support. Those principles are very relevant when speaking with patients in a healthcare environment.
What should I remember if I get nervous?: I do not need to sound perfect. I know the information. I can pause before answering, keep my sentences simple and answer one question at a time.