Phone booking questions that show where patients give up on the line
Ask patients how the call went, from time on hold and the menu to the person who answered and the slot they got. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What phone booking survey questions tell you
Phone booking survey questions ask patients about the call that comes before every visit: how long they held, how many times they rang before getting through, whether the menu matched what they needed and how the person on the line handled it. Your phone system counts calls, but it can't tell you how many patients gave up and booked somewhere else.
Ask on the day of the call or the next, while the hold music is still easy to recall. Put the link in the booking confirmation you send, or send by email from the day's bookings, and pick four or five questions. Both open questions already ask patients to leave out medical details; keep that line, since Usertick doesn't sign business associate agreements.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a category, a theme, a sentiment and an urgency. Filter the open answers by theme in Results to read every comment about the menu or the hold in one place, and share the praise with the team that answers the phone.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- On the day of the booking call or the next
- Industry
- Healthcare
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 booking by phone questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
Getting through
Start with the hold and the number of tries, the part of the call your phone system and staffing control.
- 01Ruler
How many minutes were you on hold?
Minutes on hold, on a ruler up to an hour. Results shows the median and the middle half; compare it with the time of day question to see when the line needs more staff.
- 02Number
How many times did you call before you got through?
How many calls it took to get through, as a number. Results shows the median and the middle half, a clearer sign of a busy line than the hold time alone.
- 03Yes / No
Did you reach a person on your first try?
A yes or no on reaching a person on the first try. Results shows the share that said yes, a simple number to follow as you add staff or a callback option.
- 06Multiple choice
What time of day did you call?
The time of day the patient called. Select First thing in Results to filter the page, and compare the morning rush with the afternoon.
- 11Multiple choice
How did you feel while waiting on hold?
How the hold felt, including whether the patient gave up. The share who gave up altogether shows patients your phone system never records as a missed booking.
The call itself
These questions rate the menu and the person on the line, so you can tell a staffing problem from a menu problem.
- 04Customer effort
How easy was it to get an appointment by phone?
A customer effort score for getting an appointment by phone, on a 7 point scale. Results shows the average and the share who found it easy, a fair headline for the whole line.
- 05Matrix
Rate each part of the call
Rates getting through, the menu, the person on the line and how long it took in one grid. The heat map shows which step pulls the effort score down.
- 09Yes / No
Did the menu options match what you were calling about?
A yes or no on whether the menu fit the reason for the call. A low share of Yes answers is a reason to rename or cut menu options before adding staff.
- 10Big scale
How well did the call sort out what you needed?
How well the call sorted out what the patient needed, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step; read it with the grid to see whether the person or the system fell short.
- 14Text
What did the person on the phone do well?
The open question for praise. Share these answers with the people who answer the phone, and filter by theme to see what the best calls have in common.
What to change
Ask how patients felt and how they would rather book, before you add a callback, longer hours or online booking.
- 13Emoji
How did you feel after you hung up?
How the patient felt after hanging up, on a row of faces. It sums up the call, which helps when the ratings of each part look fine.
- 07Text
What was hard about calling us?
The open question on what was hard. The placeholder already asks patients to leave out medical details, and each answer arrives with a theme you can filter by, such as the menu or the wait.
- 08Ranking
Rank what would make calling us easier
Patients put five changes in order, from a callback to booking online instead. Results shows the average place per item, which tells you what to change first.
- 12Dropdown
How would you rather book from now on?
How the patient would rather book from now on. Results shows each share in a donut; a large share for Online or The app is a reason to mention those options in your hold message.
Tips for asking about booking by phone
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask on the day of the call
Send the survey with the booking confirmation or the same day, while the hold is still easy to recall.
- 02
Reach the patients who gave up
Run the survey on your website's contact page as well, so patients who hung up before booking can still answer.
- 03
Keep the medical details line
Usertick doesn't sign business associate agreements, so keep the placeholder that asks patients to leave out medical details on both open questions.
- 04
Fix the menu before adding staff
When patients say the menu didn't match, rename or cut options first, then compare the hold time in the next period.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about booking by phone
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
On the day of the call or the next. Usertick sends to a contact list now or on a date up to 30 days ahead, so send each day's bookings in one batch, or put the link in your booking confirmation.
Run the survey on your website, for example on the contact page, as a popup or side button. Patients who couldn't get through may look there next.
Four or five: time on hold, whether the patient reached a person, the effort score and the open question.
No. Usertick runs surveys on a website, by link and QR code, by email or as a conversation. Put the survey link in your own message to patients after the call.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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