Imagine that the implementation of your PACS is complete and you’ve been transitioned to Support. You’ve come across some issues for which you need the vendor’s support, but now the frustrating wait begins.
Haven’t we all gone through that annoying experience of not receiving an immediate and well-informed response for ‘how to set up’, ‘why doesn’t this work?’, ‘how to fix’, etc.? Despite this, customer support usually isn’t part of one’s vendor selection checklist, which is ironic because they are your go-to guys once your new system is implemented.
What should you check for when evaluating your PACS vendor’s support capabilities?
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- 24×7 emergency availability: While nothing untoward is expected to happen with new systems, sometimes things go beyond your control. If your system throws up a major glitch post your vendor’s business hours, you obviously can’t be waiting until the next business day to get help. That’s why it’s important to find a vendor that has on-call staff to take your emergency calls during those odd hours.
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- Get answers right away: It’s best practice for vendors to provide more than one channel of resources and support. Like having a live chat option for minor ‘how to’ questions, while troubleshooting bigger issues can be done via call and remote connection. To make things more convenient, some vendors have incorporated a support feature within their software which enables users to submit a problem report in just a few clicks.
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- Mastering your PACS through e-learning: Learning to use a new system can be less intimidating if you have some initial training. Having e-learning courses about the new system not only helps you get familiarized with it but also shortens your learning curve.
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- Self-help resources: Having access to resources like articles or guides can help you master your newly implemented PACS and will allow you to learn how to troubleshoot minor issues yourself so you can get back to your work sooner.
Are you looking for a RIS/PACS, PACS, VNA or teleradiology solution? Get in touch with our experts and be sure to ask about our support capabilities.
