An efficient phone system is a vital ingredient in a hospital setting, and a basic phone system where the phone rings until its answered or the call runs off, just doesn’t cut it anymore. Digital transformation is a must for healthcare organisations looking to boost patient experience and improve patient outcomes.
Hospitals require a phone system that can handle a high call volume which is handled by a limited number of support staff; it needs to have features which mean that a call is never missed.
A good phone system will mean that support staff are able to do their job quicker and more easily. It means medical staff can devote more time to patient care, and patients are happier because they are able to get through to a staff member, quickly.
As hospitals are large, vast sites, certain phone system features are necessary to facilitate the need to divert to many different departments in the hospital.
These include:
- Auto Attendant
- Intercom
- Call Monitoring
- Paging
- Ring Hunt Groups Call Reporting
- Call Reporting
- Conference Calling
- Interactive Voice Response
- Call Queues Speed Dial
- Speed Dial
Type of Phone System
Initially, you’ll need to choose the best type of phone system. There are three to choose from; Hosted, Self-hosted IP and Hybrid.
- A Hosted Phone System is effectively renting a phone system.
- A Self-hosted IP Phone System is the purchase of a dedicated system for your own use, and you choose where to host it.
- A Hybrid Phone System combines ISDN, Analogue, Digital and IP technologies in one single flexible phone system.
All options are viable for a hospital, but we find that hybrid phone systems and IP phone systems tend to work better in hospital settings.
Phone System Recommendations
For IP Phone Systems and Hybrid Phone Systems we recommend Mitel and NEC.
These phone systems have the essential features for hospitals, however some of them have slightly more advanced feature sets, the main difference being would be cost and user compatibility.
We recommend a demo for these phone systems so you can see which is the best fit for your hospital environment.
The hybrid phone system is a growing option for businesses of all sizes, especially with the switch off of ISDN. They’re easy to install and maintain, are a cost-effective option whilst offering the flexibility to grow.
Most businesses opt for a Hybrid Phone System when they have ISDN, Analogue or Digital infrastructure but want the advantages that IP brings to the table.
An IP Phone System requires you to purchase the phone system for your own use, and you choose where to host it.
Hybrid or IP Phone System?
The best phone system for hospitals should use the internet for communication. Both hybrid and IP phone systems do that, so it’s a case of investigating which is best to meet your particular hospital's requirements.
Depending whether your hospital has an IT department to manage an in-house server, or if it is a smaller hospital will potentially swing the favour in the direction of a hosted or IP phone system. A smaller hospital setting may also prefer easy-to-manage monthly installments instead of laying out one large sum.
Larger hospitals may prefer to have more control over their communication system, and may also want the backup of the local exchange - just in case the Wi-Fi is unreliable.