Think about who calls a long-term care building: a daughter worried about her father, a hospital case manager with a discharge to place, a physician's office with a question, a vendor, a staff member calling out. Many of those calls are time sensitive, and some are the first impression of your building. When a call goes unanswered, the caller does not always leave a message. Sometimes they simply call someone else.
Phone systems record every call, answered or not. That record is a quiet source of insight into how reachable your building really is.
What to Measure
Start with a few straightforward measures:
- Answer rate, meaning the share of incoming calls answered by a person.
- Time to answer, including how long callers wait before someone picks up.
- Abandoned calls, meaning callers who hang up before anyone answers.
- Voicemail volume and return time, or how long it takes to call back.
- Calls by hour and day, so you can see when volume peaks.
- Calls by line or department, such as the main line, admissions and business office.
Look at Patterns, Not Just Totals
A single answer rate across the whole month hides the useful details. Look at:
- Time of day. Lunch hours and shift changes are common trouble spots.
- Day of week. Mondays and Fridays often behave differently.
- Line. The admissions line may matter more than others, and it may be covered by one person.
- Ring-through paths. Does a call that goes unanswered at the front desk reach someone else, or does it simply ring out?
Why It Matters for Different Callers
- Families want reassurance and information. A friendly, timely answer builds trust.
- Referral sources value speed and clarity. A missed call can mean a missed admission.
- Physician offices and pharmacies need to reach the right person quickly to keep care moving.
- Staff calling in need a reliable way to reach someone.
Connect to Staffing and Workflow
Unanswered calls often reflect workload rather than neglect. A receptionist who is also checking in visitors and handling deliveries cannot always pick up. Reviewing call patterns can guide decisions such as adding backup coverage at busy hours, adjusting break schedules or setting up smarter call routing.
A Hypothetical Example
Picture a hypothetical building whose administrator reviews call data and sees that the answer rate dips noticeably around the noon hour, when the front desk staff member takes lunch. Calls ring out with no backup. The team arranges for a second person to cover the line during that window and sets up a clear voicemail callback process. The same report then shows whether the midday gap narrows.
It was a small fix, and the data pointed straight to it.
Voicemail Deserves Attention
Voicemail is a common blind spot. Messages pile up in a box that nobody checks until later. Measuring the time from voicemail to callback, even roughly, encourages the team to treat voicemail as part of the work. Consider assigning ownership for checking voicemail at set times each day.
Set Practical Targets
Rather than aiming for a perfect number, set a target your team can reasonably meet and revisit it as conditions change. Consider different expectations for different lines. The admissions line may warrant a stricter standard than a general line.
Use Data With the Front Desk Team
Front desk and admissions staff are often unfairly blamed for missed calls when the real issue is coverage. Share the data as a tool for requesting support, and ask for their input on what would help most.
Respect Privacy
Call logs include phone numbers and timing, and some systems record content. Reporting should focus on counts and timing, and access to detailed records should be limited to those who need it.
Quick Starter List
- Identify your key phone lines.
- Measure answer rate and time to answer by hour for a few weeks.
- Identify the biggest gap.
- Try one change and measure again.
See Your Own Numbers
CarePulse Analytics reads phone system data to show answer rates, wait times and callbacks by hour and line. If you would like to see how reachable your building looks to callers, a short demo is a good place to start.