Phone Hold Queues in Medical Practices: Why They Cost More Than You Think

In many medical practices, the hold queue on the phone is part of everyday life.

While the front desk team looks after patients on site, the phone keeps ringing without pause. New calls come in, the queue grows longer and more patients wait for someone to pick up.

Many practices see hold queues as unavoidable.

Yet they are often a sign that too many administrative tasks are still handled exclusively by phone.

The consequences affect not only patients, but the entire working day of the practice.
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What actually happens during a hold queue

For patients, a hold queue means more than just a few minutes of waiting.

While they wait, they ask themselves questions like:

• “Have they forgotten about me?”
• “Should I call again later?”
• “Is anyone going to answer the phone today at all?”

Some wait patiently. Others hang up and try again later.

This can generate additional calls that push the phone volume even higher. A single call turns into several attempts to get through - and the load at the front desk keeps rising.

This creates a cycle that can intensify with every additional call.
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Long waiting times influence the patient experience

For many patients, the phone is one of the first points of contact with a medical practice.

If they repeatedly wait a long time or can only reach the practice with difficulty, it can shape their overall impression.

Not because the medical care would be poor, but because being reachable is an important part of the service experience.

Long phone waiting times in a medical practice can make patients feel the contact is tiresome - even if they are looked after excellently afterwards.
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The practice team is under pressure too

The strain does not only affect the callers.

The front desk team also feels noticeable pressure as a result.

While one staff member is on a call, more people are already waiting in the queue. At the same time, patients are standing at the front desk or need support on site.

Every additional call means another interruption.

This makes focused work harder, raises stress in the team and means staff constantly have to split themselves between different tasks.
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Why a hold queue does not solve the actual problem

A hold queue organises calls.

But it does not reduce them.

The underlying problem remains: the request still has to be handled - just at a later point in time.

The more patients call at the same time, the harder it becomes to handle every request promptly.

In the long run, it is therefore not enough to add more phone lines or hold queues. What matters instead is moving requests that do not have to happen by phone onto other channels.
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The better solution: create fewer reasons to call

A large share of daily phone calls concerns recurring administrative matters.

For example:

• booking or rescheduling appointments
• asking about opening hours
• requesting prescriptions
• getting information to prepare for an appointment
• finding the right doctor

Many of these matters can now also be handled digitally.

With Mira, patients get a digital point of contact around the clock. Mira answers common organisational questions, captures structured information, takes the practice's scheduling rules into account and can enter appointments directly into the connected practice management system.

This means recurring standard requests can be handled automatically, while the practice team has more time for conversations and situations where personal contact is truly needed.
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Even small changes can make a big difference

A practice does not have to switch its entire front desk at once.

Often, individual, targeted measures already help:

• offering online appointment booking
• answering common questions on the website
• creating digital channels for standard requests
• automating recurring administrative processes

Each of these changes can absorb part of the daily phone volume.

Together, they can make everyday practice calmer and more predictable - for the team just as much as for patients.
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Conclusion

A hold queue at the practice phone is often not a pure communication problem, but a sign that too many routine tasks are still handled exclusively by phone.

Those who address the causes instead and deliberately digitise recurring requests can improve the practice's reachability and relieve the front desk team at the same time.

Patients benefit from more ways to handle their matters independently of the phone line. The practice team gains time for personal conversations and on-site care.

In the end, it is not about organising longer hold queues better.

It is about making sure they arise less often.

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