How Much Does Healthcare Call Center Software Cost?
Last Updated: April 26, 2023
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The health care industry has very specific needs when it comes to call center performance. Calls are sometimes a matter of life or death, so having a system in place that handles them promptly and efficiently is an absolute must.
Even in non-emergency situations, your call center needs to get the right information into the right hands quickly. Whether you're a hospital or an insurance provider, you want to make the best use of staff time and ensure patient satisfaction. And you constantly need to be concerned with security due to federal patient privacy laws.
There are two types of call center software for the health care industry: on-premise and hosted. As with all industries, the best option has a lot to do with the size and staffing levels of your organization.
On-premise health care call center software prices #
On-premise software is what you likely imagine when you hear the word software. A company sells you a certain number of licenses to install their product in your call center. Then it's up to your IT staff to maintain the software and computer systems.
Buying on-premise software requires a major capital expense, but if you have a large call center it might be worth it. Health care call centers with 50-100 employees will pay less over the long-term than if they paid a monthly fee for a hosted software service.
For smaller health care organizations, on-premise software can cost up to $1,500 per agent. Larger organizations will pay a lower per-agent cost due to volume discounts, usually $300 to $1,200. Keep in mind that suppliers don't always charge on a per-agent basis. Sometimes the cost is set up as a flat fee for a certain number of licenses; but, the per-agent cost is a good way to estimate what you'll have to spend.
The software itself is not the only expense. You'll also need to budget for installation and setup, which can run up to $25,000. Some providers also charge small fees for future support and maintenance.
Hosted health care software prices #
An attractive option for small to mid-sized companies on a budget, hosted health care software offers a pay-as-you-go model. Rather than buying the software, you pay a monthly fee for access to a provider's "cloud-based" software service. The major benefit to this is that upfront expenses are usually minimal.
Hosted health care software services charge a monthly per-agent fee that ranges from $50 to $300. At the low end of that, you'll get basic software for handling inbounds and outbound calls and other forms of communication. At the high end, the provider will customize the software to meet the specific needs of your organization.
Some hosted services charge setup fees and others don't, so that's an important question to ask when you're considering cloud-based software. In some cases, the platform itself runs $15,000 in addition to per-user fees charged on a monthly basis.
Choosing health care call center software #
There are so many software options available that it can be difficult to decide what's best for your organization. There are providers that design software specifically for the health care industry and those that make a universal product that works for a variety of industries. One isn't necessarily better than the other. Most providers also offer a number of different software options with varying functionalities.
The first step is selecting call center software is to outline your priorities. Will you use the software mostly for inbound calls? Outbound calls? Both? Do you need to monitor or record your call center employees? Do you need workflow automation and call scripting?
Start with setting a budget. It's always a good idea to shop multiple providers to compare products, services and prices. Keep in mind that price isn't the only the consideration. If you choose software based solely on price, you might be disappointed with the product or service.