Case Study: Cardiology Practice Pumps New Life Into Call Center

Established in 1980, Tri-City Cardiology is a medical practice specializing in cardiovascular disease. Tri-City is widely known for its progressive and innovative approach to vascular services, heart and heart failure management. Its physicians are experienced in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of coronary artery disease, heart valve abnormalities, heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, peripheral artery disease and stroke. Based in Mesa, Ariz., Tri-City has five locations in the area, including clinics, administration and billing offices.

The Challenge. Tri-City Cardiology needed a telephone system that could handle more than 14,000 calls per month and provide around-the-clock reliability as well as redundancy across five locations. The system also had to link all five sites and allow Tri-City to have a mix of IP and digital telephones on the same system. Tri-City further wanted to expand its call center capabilities; one of the key goals was to have calls route to agents in each of the five locations. Finally, Tri-Citys IT team wanted to be able to oversee systems administration remotely for all five locations.

The Solution. Tri-City Cardiology turned to Phoenix-based Copper State Communications,  an authorized dealer for Toshibas Telecommunication Systems Division for more than 28 years. Joe Radetich, major account executive of Copper State Communications, recommended the Toshiba Strata CIX IP business telephone system and Strata ACD call center solution because it would deliver the reliability, redundancy, backup and call center features Tri-City needed.

Copper State Communications installed a Strata CIX670 business telephone system at Tri-Citys headquarters  and Strata CIX670 systems at its four other locations all in Mesa. It also installed Strata Net, which connects all locations via IP. The deployment required more than 265 Toshiba digital and IP telephones across the locations. In addition, Copper State put in a  Strata ACD contact center solution with Toshiba Strata Call Manager softphones, OAISYS Tracer call recording solution and TASKE Reporting. A Strata MAS with auto attendant, unified messaging and other applications also were added to the single-server solution. Network eManager provides for centralized remote management of all systems.

The Result. Tri-City said its communications objectives have been met. First, every call gets through to an agent, helping to improve customer service. The call center also has seen less agent turnover because of improved call handling, recording, reporting and more. At the same time, customer service has improved due to enhanced call routing and other functions. And Tri-City has been able to cut down on costly service call time, thereby saving money. 

In specific, Tri-City now has more than 17 automatic call distribution (ACD) groups on its Strata ACD system, encompassing more than 64 agents. Groups include operators, scheduling, new patients, billing and more. Some groups are available through the automated attendant, while others are accessed through operators or direct-dial numbers. Overflow call support is provided by various agents, so that every call is answered as quickly as possible. Tri-City employs ACD agents across all five of its locations.

In terms of functionality, Tri-Citys ACD agents use the chat feature in Strata Call Manager to communicate with each other and with supervisors while they are on calls. Having the chat capability helps them get information without putting a caller on hold. It also lets them request supervisor assistance when needed. At the same time, Tri-Citys call center supervisors use the OAISYS Tracer recording platform to audit calls, train agents, review historical patient data, and to conduct conflict resolution. Supervisors also use TASKE for reporting on productivity and staffing.

And Tri-Citys IT team got its wishes fulfilled, too. Using Toshibas Network eManager remote administration tool, Laura Barnes, Tri-Citys communications supervisor, now can manage the entire telephone system from her desk. For example, she programs adds, moves and changes for each Tri-City location with the click of a mouse. Barnes further troubleshoot system issues more effectively since Network eManager gives her complete control over the system. And having Network eManager gives her immediate access to the entire system without having to wait for a service call or even be on-site.

Thanks to Toshiba and Copper State Communications, we are able to give our patients the best possible customer service when they call us,” Barnes said. They are routed to the right person in our call center, who takes care of their needs without delay.”

To that point, Tri-Citys system is handling more than 14,000 calls per month without hiccups. The medical firm also is saving thousands of dollars per year thanks to the switch to Strata CIX.

Our telephones are our business. Our highly reliable Toshiba phone system helps ensure that our patients get through to us every time they call. Its rock-solid reliability is unmatched,” said Missy Buhman, COO of Tri-City Cardiology.