HealthCare Services on IVR

Indian Healthcare Service Uses IVR to Ease Payments by Phone

Today – Interactive Voice Response, or “IVR” – that a Bangalore, India-based service that uses the Internet to connect patients with doctors who advise them on purchasing healthcare products and services.

That company – HealthcareMagic – is using a new tool from Atom Technologies that eases payment through IVR, according to Pharmabiz, an Indian pharmaceuticals Web site that’s based in Mumbai.

“Patients can now interact with doctors by dialing a landline number to obtain the medical assistance for their illness or a common query,” Pharmabiz reports. “The charges are applicable for the same, ranging between ($3.38) and ($21.16), which can be paid through mobile/landline using credit card in a secured and hassle free manner. This option of paying over the phone for services will be available to the entire base of over 400 million telecom subscribers and over 40 million landline subscribers across operators in India.”

That language is a little garbled, but you get the idea: Patients can use their voices to navigate HealthcareMagic’s billings system and eventually pay for services. The launch of the service – since IVR here is essentially automating a business process – likely coincides with a downsizing in staff at HealthcareMagic’s call center, though we have no evidence of that.

With the IVR solution, customers will dial HealthcareMagic’s contact center, hear about a number of payment packages, then get connected to Atom’s IVR to pay using a credit card over the phone.

Though the company is eyeing an around-the-clock version of the service, it’s available right now from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (in both English and Hindi).

According to Abhilash Thirupathy, HealthcareMagic’s vice president of marketing and business development, providing m-payment facility for customers “will definitely increase our subscriber base as well as smoothe the payment system.”

“As the mobile penetration in India is more compared to internet, atom’s technology will definitely help get more visibility,” Thirupathy said.