Oh, I don’t know – it worked well for me!
I certainly concur with Dr. Retief with a few observations: Yes, the online system could use some user interface improvements. And yes, you could get your bookings done by telephone in under 5 minutes (by very courteous and helpful staff) – IF you were actually able to connect with them (and not get the answering machine)!
But for people who may have to find a moment to call in while they are at work or school, I often caught the answering machine vs the human. Or frankly, suddenly found I didn’t have a moment to call until after the end of the hospital work day. This past week, I had to book two appointments for lab work for family members, had them both booked online in less than five minutes (combined), and was able to do it at 9 pm (and I booked another appointment on Saturday)! And waiting over 45 minutes for a return call? I suspect you would be waiting forever – the system acknowledges the appointments via text/email. My appointment confirmations arrived (literally) half a second after I finalized the booking online.
I certainly hope the phone line does stay operational – I have had times where there were some special situations that I needed to navigate and there would be no way to do this with the computer interface. But if the online system frees up the demand on the phone line so that it would be less likely to get the answering machine, that would be a service improvement for those who really do need the TLC of the booking clerks. But for simple routine bookings, the new system sure makes it easier for me.
Regards,
R. Grant Rowson, CPA, CGA, CITP, CISA, CRISC, CDPSE, PMP
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
