With 125 imaging centers, 370 physicians and more than 5 million patients, Simago is France's leading medical imaging network. Mostly radiologists, alongside radiation oncologists and nuclear medicine physicians, spread across urban, suburban and rural centers. Very different realities, with one thing in common: the phones never stop ringing.
The challenge: answering every call, at any hour
Thibault Depardon, Director of the Simago network, also in charge of digital and artificial intelligence, sums it up: "At Simago, our centers are very different — urban, suburban, rural — so the challenges we face differ from one center to the next."
Yet two needs came up everywhere:
- Answering the phone outside opening hours in some centers;
- Absorbing a call volume that overwhelmed the teams in many others.
The consequences were immediate: patients waiting far too long on the line, or getting no answer at all. And with no answer, no solution — starting with an appointment.
Why Vocca: three reasons that made the difference
The network tested several voice AI solutions. "We're agnostic," says Thibault Depardon. Three things tipped the scales in Vocca's favor:
- The availability of Vocca's teams throughout the project;
- The integration with the network's information systems, in particular the RIS;
- Letting staff focus on higher-value tasks that truly help patients.
The results: 120,000 calls handled, 20,000 of them outside opening hours
Vocca is currently deployed in part of the network's centers. Where the solution is installed, it picks up immediately and handles the majority of calls autonomously. The numbers speak for themselves:
- 120,000 calls handled in the equipped centers, including 20,000 outside opening hours.
- An immediate answer: patients are taken care of after one to four rings, depending on the configuration, instead of long minutes on hold.
- Time freed up for front-desk teams: the solution handles most calls end to end, and the more complex calls get better attention from the secretaries.
"What you have to realize is that where Vocca is installed, you can book a CT scan by calling on a Saturday at 2 a.m."
Smoothing the patient journey and bringing teams on board
At Simago, the conviction is clear: digital technology and AI will bring a great deal to radiology, and it will benefit patients. The network, which aims to be the most innovative in its field, supports its teams in adopting these new tools.
For Thibault Depardon, Vocca delivers on both fronts: "First, it smooths the patient journey and lets patients get an appointment faster. But it also allows us to engage our teams in this AI transition."
If your imaging network is facing mounting call pressure or missed calls outside opening hours, Vocca can deliver the same results we achieved at Simago.
