Category Archives: Industry News

News for the healthcare contact center industry

Amtelco Simplifies Software Installation & Maintenance for Remote Operators

1Call Web Agent v5.5 solution rated Avaya Compliant

1Call

1Call, a division of Amtelco and a leader in developing software solutions and applications designed for the healthcare communications and call center marketplace, announced its 1Call Web Agent v5.5 solution is compliant with key Avaya OneCloud™ solutions, helping customers easily connect remote operators and minimize maintenance.

1Call Web Agent is a web browser-based telephone agent interface that offers simplified installation and maintenance, especially helpful for remote operators.

1Call Web Agent is compatible with most modern web browsers and enables agents to process multi-channel calls via desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The application is now compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with Avaya Aura® Session Manager 8.1 and Avaya Aura Communication Manager 8.1 via SIP Trunk.

“1Call Web Agent provides intelligent attendant console services, integrated call and screen recording, personnel directories populated from an organization’s HR data sources, patient directories populated from Health Level 7 (HL7), admit discharge transfer (ADT) updates, operator scripting, on-call scheduling, and advanced automated messaging and dispatching with our MergeComm integration engine,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco and 1Call.

“Technology partners like Amtelco are helping Avaya customers increase their efficiency, productivity, and strengthen their competitiveness,” said Karen Hardy, Global Vice president, Product Management, Avaya. Amtelco is a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program, part of the Avaya Experience Builders™ network.

This unique global collaborative is exceptionally positioned to deliver the next-gen customer and employee experiences businesses need through the Avaya OneCloud AI-Powered Experience platform. Partners in the DevConnect program develop, market, and sell innovative third-party products that interoperate with Avaya technology and extend the value of a company’s investment in its network.

As a Technology Partner, Amtelco can submit products to Avaya for compliance testing, where a team of DevConnect engineers develops a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify its Avaya compatibility.

This enables customers to confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure, helping speed deployment of new applications and reduce both network complexity and implementation costs.

1Call, a division of Amtelco

Amtelco’s 1Call Division is the leader in developing software solutions designed for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace. 1Call features a complete line of modular solutions designed to streamline enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, and promote efficiency, helping bring wellness to their members and their bottom line.

Peter DeHaan Releases Healthcare Call Center Book

Peter Lyle DeHaan, founder and publisher of AnswerStat, announced the publication of his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials. It’s scheduled for release on June 6, 2022.

“In a very real sense, this book has been two decades in the making,” said DeHaan, “It started when I launched AnswerStat magazine in 2003. I’ve taken what I’ve learned about medical contact centers since then and combined it with a lifetime of call center experience to produce this book.”

Author Peter Lyle DeHaan

In addition to writing and publishing magazines and books about the call center industry, DeHaan’s lifetime of experience includes managing a multi-location call center, employment with a call center vendor, and consultant for healthcare call centers, medical answering services, and telephone answering providers.

The result is the book Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

Healthcare Call Center Essentials is designed for those who want to manage a more effective medical contact center. From daily operations to long-term success, this essential guide will help readers create a thriving contact center that meets the urgent needs of both patients and the medical community.

In it, you can discover how to better manage your team and support achievable strategies to meet goals and support patients and healthcare centers. By implementing the strategies and tips in Healthcare Call Center Essentials, you can improve your daily systems and perfect your contact center operation.

Healthcare Call Center Essentials is available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat. He’s a passionate wordsmith whose goal is to change the world one word at a time.

Read more of his articles or his book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

Quality Contact Solutions named Top 10 Healthcare BPO for 2022

Quality Contact Solutions (QCS) shared that they have been recognized among the Top 10 Healthcare BPO Companies 2022 by Healthcare Business Review.

“We are excited to share that Quality Contact Solutions has been named a Top 10 Healthcare BPO for 2022 by Healthcare Business Review, a trusted source by healthcare leaders for information on managing healthcare business and operations,” said Julie Kramme, vice president of sales for QCS.

“With lower costs and increased efficiencies, business process outsourcing (BPO) is the perfect solution for healthcare organizations,” added Kramme. The QCS team can support the various needs of their clients in the nuanced healthcare industry.

Quality Contact Solutions is an industry leader in call center and telemarketing services solutions, including B2B and B2C programs. QCS offers many telemarketing services, including outsourced sales, upselling, cross-selling, surveys, lead generation, sales lead qualification, appointment setting, inside sales, and inbound customer service. 

Wisconsin State Journal Names Amtelco Top Workplace in 2022

1Call, a division of Amtelco, announced that Amtelco has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2022 honor by The Wisconsin State Journal Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC.

The anonymous survey uniquely measures fifteen culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

“Companies need to authentically represent their brand to job-seekers,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list. Leaders who embrace a people-first culture will benefit greatly. By giving employees a voice and showcasing your authentic culture through employer branding, organizations can attract those job seekers who complement their culture. Culture drives performance.”

Amtelco, a family-owned business located in McFarland, Wisconsin, has been a trusted name in call center systems, software applications, and secure texting technologies for over forty-five years. Beginning in 1997, the 1Call healthcare division of Amtelco was formed to provide the same innovative contact center technology to healthcare facilities.

Founder Bill Curtin, II, and Amtelco have received more than thirty U.S. Patents for telephony software, data handling methodologies, and telephone switching devices. Millions of calls are processed every day by Amtelco systems around the world.

Mr. Curtin’s ingenuity and generous spirit are reflected throughout the company. Amtelco has earned industry praise with its award-winning products and proudly supports local and international charities.

Both employees and customers are treated with respect. Kathy Mealer, Manager Information Systems at West Tennessee Healthcare, and a customer of Amtelco’s 1Call healthcare division states, “1Call has been fantastic. I think they have been more of a business partner than any vendor I’ve dealt with in my thirty plus years of working in IT.”

1Call, a division of Amtelco

Advances in technology is helping the contact center industry to grow and continue to be the hub of information. Amtelco CEO Tom Curtin is proud of the entire Amtelco employee team. He stated, “Thanks to our dedicated employees, 2021 ended as the best year we have ever had in our forty-five plus years. Last year we added many new positions to our growing staff and are currently hiring for more positions this year to support our expanding customer base.”

1Call Announces Certification with Cisco CUCM Release 14

1Call

1Call, a division of Amtelco and a leader in developing software solutions and applications designed for the healthcare communications and call center marketplace, announced their call center software and 1Call Web Agent web browser-based telephone agent interface are certified for use with Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) Version 14.

1Call’s all-inclusive healthcare call center software suite features multi-channel integration with enhanced call processing to help prioritize critical calls and can use built-in speech recognition, text to speech, and voice services to improve call routing and management.

1Call Web Agent is a web browser-based telephone agent interface that offers simplified installation and maintenance, which is especially helpful for remote operators. 1Call Web Agent is compatible with most modern web browsers and enables agents to process multi-channel calls via desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

“1Call Web Agent connects to Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) via session initiation protocol (SIP) trunks via the Amtelco/1Call soft switch,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of 1Call. “1Call Web Agent provides intelligent attendant console services, integrated call and screen recording, personnel directories populated from an organization’s HR data sources, patient directories populated from Health Level 7 (HL7), admit discharge transfer (ADT) updates, operator scripting, on-call scheduling, and advanced automated messaging and dispatching with our MergeComm integration engine.”

Amtelco/1Call is a Preferred Solution Partner with Cisco. The partnership enables 1Call to deliver solutions that interoperate with Cisco’s technology. As a Preferred Solution Partner, 1Call can submit products to Cisco for compliance testing and a team of Cisco engineers develop a comprehensive test plan for each application to verify its compatibility with Cisco. This enables mutual customers to confidently add best-in-class capabilities to their network without having to replace their existing infrastructure.

1Call, a division of Amtelco

The 1Call Division of Amtelco is a leader in developing software solutions and applications created for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace. 1Call features a complete line of modular solutions specifically designed to streamline enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, improve efficiency, and help bring wellness to their patients.

Recent additions include the MergeComm automated notification integration engine, which incorporates an HL7 integration, along with miSecureMessages secure smartphone paging and two-way messaging.

1Call to Exhibit at 2022 HIMSS Conference

1Call, a division of Amtelco that specializes in offering enterprise-wide communication solutions for healthcare organizations, will be an exhibitor again at the 2022 HIMSS conference, taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL on March 14-18, 2022.

1Call can be found at booth 3541 where visitors will be shown demonstrations of their products including the HIPAA-compliant miSecureMessages secure messaging app and care team collaboration miTeamWeb app.

This year, 1Call is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary and invites attendees to join them in their booth on Wednesday, March 16 from 4:00–5:30 pm for food and drinks during a 1Call Happy Hour in honor of their twenty-five years.

HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) is a global advisor, thought leader, and member-based society committed to reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology. Their annual conference brings together health IT professionals, clinicians, executives, and vendors from around the world. HIMSS membership includes more than 110,000 individuals, 480 provider organizations, 470 non-profit partners, and 650 health services organizations.

Follow 1Call during HIMSS22 using the hashtags #How1CallHelps and #Why1CallHelps. For more information on 1Call Seminars, contact 1Call at 800-225-6035 or info@1call.com.

1Call, a division of Amtelco

The 1Call Division of Amtelco is a leader in developing software solutions and applications designed for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace. 1Call features a complete line of modular solutions specifically designed to streamline enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, and make them tremendously efficient, helping them bring wellness to their members and their bottom line.

1Call Celebrates 25 Years of Healthcare Communications

1Call, a division of Amtelco, announced they are celebrating their 25-year anniversary and continued growth of the software solutions and applications they create for the healthcare contact center marketplace.

Amtelco, 1Call’s parent company, has been a leading provider of communication applications since 1976. Amtelco was supplying innovative communication solutions for more than twenty years to all types of industries, including healthcare, when leaders recognized an opportunity to focus on the unique communication needs in healthcare facilities. The 1Call Division was created in 1997 to help streamline communications.

1Call’s complete line of modular solutions are specifically designed for hospitals and clinics to help unify enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, and improve efficiencies, all with the goal of bringing wellness patients.

“Reliable healthcare communication is crucial,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of 1Call. “We are honored that our hospital customers have trusted us for twenty-five years with their call center software needs. We have a responsibility to help our customers support the communities they serve, especially during the pandemic.

“Scripted workflows have been incredibly useful right now because information surrounding COVID-19 is always changing. Our intelligent messaging scripts are easy to edit to guide agents through each call with up-to-date information. Web-based communication options continue to be a popular option for remote operators. Our web agent enables customers with running their call centers in a virtual server environment or in the cloud.”

1Call, a division of Amtelco

Over the past twenty-five years, 1Call has been successful at leveraging technology to meet and exceed the needs of their customers and outperform other industry business platforms to position itself in the most competitive way possible.

Amtelco Announces Server Version 6.8 for miSecureMessages Secure Messaging App

Amtelco and their 1Call healthcare division announced the release of new server version 6.8 for their secure messaging app, miSecureMessages. This new server release contains many new features such as:

  • High Availability Configuration: Allows miSecureMessages configuration for multiple servers, with automated failover from one server to another if the primary server goes down. This feature provides continuous uptime during server upgrades and maintenance and prevents downtime due to a single server failure.
  • Phone Number Masking: Phone calls placed from the miSecureMessages app displays the organization’s phone number instead of the device’s phone number. (Additional software required.)
  • Shared Device Licenses: Allows devices to be registered for use by multiple miSecureMessages users, enabling organizations to provide their employees with a pool of devices to use at work and keep personal devices off the network.
  • Single Sign-On (SSO) Identity Provider: Keeps track of passwords and performs authentication.
  • Dark Mode (for iOS): The app will switch to dark mode when used on a device that is set to the “dark” appearance in the iOS settings. In dark mode, most screens display as white text on a dark background, instead of black text on a light background. 

“We are excited to release this highly anticipated version of miSecureMessages,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco and 1Call. “I would like to specifically thank our group of customers who enthusiastically volunteered their time to test the app update to ensure it would meet the needs of all of our customers. Maintaining personal space while communicating with co-workers is critically important during the pandemic. We are proud to play a small part in protecting employees and their customers, as well as medical staff and their patients.”  

Originally created for the healthcare industry, HIPAA and HITECH-compliant miSecureMessages work for any business that needs to communicate securely. In healthcare, the app helps to unify hospital and clinical communications, and streamline care team coordination by enabling staff to easily share texts, photos, audio files, and videos for secure, accurate communication while protecting electronic patient health information (ePHI). The app also integrates with existing hospital alert software to help reduce notification time when an emergency code occurs. 

MiSecureMessages can improve communication within any hospital department. The app seamlessly integrates with nurse call systems and other alert software to expedite emergency code notifications. Healthcare call center operators use miSecureMessages to quickly contact on-call staff. Hospital maintenance crews can take a photo or video of a building issue and collaborate to address it, and housekeeping uses it for bed management to quickly inform intake that a bed is ready for a new patient, which improves their bed turnover rate. Lab personal and radiologists use miSecureMessages to promptly communicate critical results.

1Call Announces Intelligent Series 5.5 Release

1Call, a division of Amtelco

1Call, a division of Amtelco and a leader in developing software solutions and applications for the healthcare communications and call center marketplace, announced the release of version 5.5 for their Intelligent Series (IS) suite of call center applications.

New features include:

  • Single Sign-On: The single sign-on saves time by providing single sign-on authentication with security assertion markup language or active directory federation services. This feature keeps track of passwords and performs authentication.
  • Conference Bridge: Conveniently provides concurrent multi-party conferences. Moderators have improved control over conferences and can leverage the ANI (automatic number identification) display, manage the total number of participants for each bridge, mute an individual attendee or the entire conference, disconnect individual participants from a conference, and add customizable notes about participants or the conference.
  • Script Event Tracker: The script event tracker gives supervisors detailed information about each step that a script performs, including what happened with and without agent involvement. This provides valuable information about call handling, making it an extremely useful tool for evaluating the efficiency of hospital call center scripts and investigating what happened on a particular call.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Enhances the patient caller’s experience by utilizing machine learning to determine the optimal way to route calls based on prior call history. It uses data about which agents have previously worked with the caller and any dispatches that an agent has started to help determine the best agent for the call. This use of artificial intelligence saves time for both callers and operators to provide a better patient experience.
  • Speech Analytics: Provides a deeper analysis of call logs, including a transcript of the call and describing the overall tone of the caller. This is an important feature for all hospital departments.

“The new features that our 5.5 update provides are not only important to an organization’s many unique call centers, but they also impact more immediate care team communications and patient satisfaction enterprise wide,” said Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco and 1Call. “These updates have been designed to be a time-saver for staff and help provide better service to patients.”

1Call & Vocera Enhance Care Team Collaboration; Improve Patient Experience

1Call, a division of Amtelco

1Call, a division of Amtelco, now integrates with clinical communication and workflow solutions from Vocera Communications, Inc. Interoperability between 1Call and Vocera solutions, including smartphone applications, hands-free communication devices, and intelligent middleware, ensures that crucial messages are distributed with contextual information to the correct care team members on their device of choice.

“Every healthcare organization strives to provide the best care for patients,” said Tom Curtin, president of Amtelco and 1Call. “Whether it’s a phone call to a clinic or during a patient’s hospital stay, each patient expects to receive fast and accurate answers, along with timely and proper care. The 1Call and Vocera collaboration provides mutual customers with a best-in-industry interface designed to provide better outcomes for patients.”

The interoperability of the 1Call and Vocera solutions eliminates manual data entry and helps eliminate errors in contacting the wrong personnel. In addition, 1Call and Vocera solutions help speed up response times by ensuring an entire healthcare facility has instant access to current information while also safeguarding data.

When used in conjunction with 1Call, users of Vocera solutions can:

  • Access on-call schedules, status, and messages to easily view, edit, and create on-call schedules through 1Call’s miTeamWeb app.
  • Use 1Call’s scripting module in hospital contact centers to guide agents through each call, including code calls, with ease.
  • Access real-time medical staff status and on-call schedules so the correct team members are contacted when personnel receive a message or notification about a patient.
  • Access patient data, securely, so care teams can view recent labs, diagnosis information, and help streamline the process of handling critical events.
  • Track everything that happens on calls, changes to on-call schedules, status updates, and more to generate various reports that help organizations monitor and optimize performance, easily spot trends, and focus on areas that need attention. 

“The integration between the Vocera and 1Call systems makes it easy for clinicians to contact the right team members and securely communicate about patients,” said Brent Lang, chairman and CEO of Vocera. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this collaboration and how this integration simplifies workflows and eases the cognitive burden for care teams.”

1Call, a division of Amtelco

The 1Call division of Amtelco is a leader in developing software solutions and applications created for the specific needs of the healthcare call center marketplace. 1Call features a complete line of modular solutions specifically designed to streamline enterprise-wide communications, save an organization’s limited resources, improve efficiency, and help bring wellness to their patients.

The mission of Vocera Communications, Inc. is to improve the lives of healthcare professionals, patients, and families. Founded in 2000, Vocera provides clinical communication and workflow solutions that help protect and connect team members, increase operational efficiency, enhance quality of care and safety, and humanize the healthcare experience.