Ciara McGrath, Practice Manager at The Mid Ulster Clinic, oversees the multidisciplinary service in Northern Ireland, offering specialties like gynaecology, counselling, general surgery, and GP services.
Since March 2024, the clinic has been using Semble Pay to streamline their payment processes.
Before adopting Semble, The Mid Ulster Clinic used a fragmented payment system that was not integrated with their clinic management tools. This forced Ciara and her team to manually process every aspect of the payment workflow.
“We had to manually enter any invoices we generated, and if the payment had been accepted, and then we’d have to ‘close it off’ manually, too.”
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Ciara McGrathPractice Manager, The Mid Ulster Clinic |
The clinic previously relied on a card machine that required manual input for each transaction. Staff had to enter the payment details into both the terminal and their separate system, making the process lengthy and highly inefficient.
“It was time-consuming. With our old system, we had to go through the card machine manually, enter the service details, and manually input the price. For receipts, we had to manually add the service information as well.”
This setup not only drained time from the staff but also made the payment process cumbersome for patients. Patients would only receive a till receipt, lacking an emailed version for personal or insurance purposes.
As part of their move to Semble, The Mid Ulster Clinic also transitioned to Semble Pay, an integrated payment system that was quick and easy to set up.
“It was really straightforward – it took maybe 30 to 45 minutes. When the payment terminal arrived, Semble’s support team helped ensure everything was working as expected, at a time that suited us.”
The benefits were immediate. The time-saving feature of Semble Pay for a large clinic quickly became apparent to Ciara and her team.
“We save five to 10 minutes per patient. On busy days, we run multiple clinics with several patients, so it just works much faster. Patients only need to spend a moment with us when settling their bill. It’s much quicker.”
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Ciara McGrathPractice Manager, The Mid Ulster Clinic |
With Semble Pay, manual input is minimised, making the payment process seamless and error-free. The team now has the capacity to help twice as many patients in the same amount of time.
“Patients automatically receive an emailed receipt, whether they pay by card or cash, and they usually receive it while still standing in front of us.
“Thanks to the time saved, we can assist two additional patients during their visits, streamlining both appointment bookings and invoice processing.”
Efficient Refunds
In their previous system, processing refunds was a cumbersome, multi-step process, requiring duplication across both the card machine and the computer system. With Semble Pay, this manual intervention is non-existent, with payments being completed in just a couple of clicks.
“We had to complete the refund on the card machine, then go into the system to generate an invoice showing that the refund had been processed. With Semble Pay, we simply select the refund within the system, and it’s processed instantly. It’s very easy.”
Enhanced Patient Experience
The streamlined payment and refund processes have significantly improved the patient experience at The Mid Ulster Clinic.
“It’s made our patient experience more cohesive. Patients receive communication when they should, and we no longer get calls asking for receipts.”
“Previously, patients frequently contacted the clinic to request receipts. Now, they receive them instantly, allowing the clinic team to focus on assisting patients either in person or over the phone. The system has made the clinic more accessible to everyone.”