Golden State Orthopedics & Spine (GSOS), a 25-location practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, was experiencing systemic staffing challenges across its therapy clinics, particularly at the front desk, where coverage gaps were common and difficult to manage.
When team members were unexpectedly out, GSOS had to rely on "floaters" who traveled long distances to provide support, often while also training new hires. These reactive measures strained operations and led to declines in scheduled outs, collections, and show rates, all while putting additional pressure on staff and compromising the patient experience.
GSOS set out to find a scalable, cost-effective way to provide reliable cross-clinic support, aiming to reduce administrative overload at the front desk while maintaining the high standard of care and service their patients expect.
Chronic Staffing Shortages
Inconsistent front desk coverage led to negative patient experiences.
High Operating Costs
Too many full-time employees and inefficient use of floaters increased expenses.
Logistical Inefficiencies
When front desk staff called out, floaters had to drive up to 45 minutes to fill in.
Impact On Revenue Cycle
Missed collections, unbilled slots, and schedule gaps hurt financial performance.
Over-Reliance On Physical Presence
There was no system to manage high-traffic or non-peak periods without putting extra pressure on staff.
GSOS turned to WelcomeWare, a virtual front desk platform designed to enhance and scale front office operations. WelcomeWare was rolled out across six therapy clinics, where virtual agents either supplemented or fully managed patient interactions at the front desk.
This solution helped lower operating costs, provide flexible coverage during quiet times, and offer surge support during peak hours—ultimately ensuring a smooth patient experience without relying on physical floaters.
Welcomers handle both front desk and back-office tasks remotely, from scheduling and billing to insurance verification. They are carefully recruited, highly trained, KPI-centric employees with consistently high retention rates and strong management support.
One of GSOS’s Welcomers became a top performer amongst all staff in patient collections, demonstrating the positive impact of WelcomeWare on both revenue and service quality.
Decrease in labor costs
Saved in a year
Projected savings over 3 years
Operational Efficiency
Scheduled-outs, collections, and arrival rates improved significantly. Unbilled slots decreased by 6% as receptionists gained more capacity with WelcomeWare. Virtual agents maintained continuous patient intake, eliminating the need for last-minute floaters and saving time and travel costs.
Reduced Headcount
Before WelcomeWare, GSOS had 13 front desk receptionists across 6 therapy locations, with 1 floater to manage patient interactions. As detailed in the table below, GSOS required a total of 14 staff members to handle their front desk operations.
After implementing WelcomeWare, GSOS reduced their staffing needs to just 8 receptionists and 2 Welcomers.
| Front Desk Staff | Before WelcomeWare | With WelcomeWare |
|---|---|---|
| Front Desk Receptionists Onsite across 6 Locations (Brentwood, Concord, Oakland, Walnut Creek, San Ramon, Dublin) |
13 | 8 |
| Floaters | 1 | 0 |
| Offshore - Welcomers™ | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 14 | 10 |
Flexibility and Scalability
Virtual agents provided on-demand coverage during peak times and enabled cross-clinic support during off-peak hours without added personnel. This also eliminated the operational strain caused by callouts and PTO.
Patient Experience Maintained
Patients continued to receive personalized, high-quality service. WelcomeWare agents ensured timely and consistent front desk interactions at all times.
“WelcomeWare is a great support to our front desk staff and ensures exceptional customer service to our patients at the push of a button!”
