Cost · ROI · Staffing
Hold Time Revenue Loss
Abandonment during holds, staff time burned, and reputation drag.
Long holds cause abandonment and force callbacks.
Define the cost problem
- •Holds during peaks and transfers
- •Staff juggling leads to longer holds
- •Patients hang up or leave negative reviews
Hidden costs
- •Lost new appointments
- •Double handling via callbacks
- •Brand damage from long waits
Rough ranges
- •Abandonment rises sharply after 60–90 seconds
- •Callback time doubles handling cost
- •Potential refunds/credits for poor experience
Compare options
- •Overstaff at peaks
- •Use call-backs; still need coverage
- •Forward overflow to services
- •Use AI to answer, triage, and reduce holds
AI reception advantage
- •Instant pickup cuts holds
- •Routes correctly; reduces transfers
- •Keeps humans free for complex calls
What to do next
- •Measure hold times and abandonment
- •Model AI vs. staffing at peaks
- •Keep humans for clinical conversations