Dubai Hospital Lets Outpatients Book Appointments Through IVR

It’s now easier than ever to book appointments at the Dubai Hospital, thanks to its new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. With it, patients can leave messages in English or Arabic, and receive a text message confirmation with all their details.

This system, developed by DHA employees, uses the IVR model that stores information onto a computer. It was introduced in April and has already helped thousands of people set up appointments without fuss or confusion.

Of course, it is always possible that callers forget to leave information, or the system couldn’t quite understand it. If that’s the case, it will simply send an SMS alert notifying them, so that they can fix it. It’s quick, convenient and saves time for both the hospital staff and customers alike.

"This system has cut down the waiting time to receive an appointment over the phone by 99 percent,” explains Nasser Fekri, head of Administrative Serivces, Finance and Adminsitration Department at Dubai Hospital. “Prior to this system, customers had to wait on the phone for long periods of time as operators were always busy due to the high volume of calls. Therefore, I developed a low-cost and maintenance free IVR system, so that callers can provide their details in English or Arabic to an automated voice message and they receive an SMS notification within a few minutes."

When the information is received, it’s stored on the hard drive, which staff members can access through a web-based system. Staff members can then use that information to setup appointments at appropriate times, according to their needs. This helps outpatients, who require follow-up appointments after surgery, procedures, or consultations, set up appointments with no hassle or fuss.

Thanks to the staff of Dubai Hospital’s finance and administration department, patients and staff can now go about their business with less time spent booking appointments and dealing with personal information. This lets everyone be more productive, while still providing easy and convenient scheduling.