Queuing software company lined up for big things

August 8, 2012

WITH some exceptions, booking an appointment with healthcare providers such as GPs and dentists still requires a phone call within office hours; few practitioners offer the option to book online. But this will change if the founders of swiftQueue have their way.

swiftQueue is a newly launched, cloud-based, self-service appointments system that allows patients to make a booking online with participating practices at any time from anywhere. Key to its success will be its ability to convince as many healthcare facilities as it can (including primary-care clinics, consultants and out-patient clinics) to join up as quickly as possible.

“The image of an overcrowded waitingroom is one that haunts everyone needing medical attention, and 80 per cent of patients we surveyed would go to a different healthcare facility if they knew they would be seen quicker,” says the company’s co-founder, Brendan Casey.

“On the other hand we have also interviewed many healthcare professionals whose schedules are not being fully utilised in the current economic climate. They have spare capacity and by using our system can make appointments available to a wider audience.”

The service is free for patients, who will receive appointment confirmations and reminders by SMS or email. The revenue model is software as a service and the cost to practices will vary depending on scale. However, the aim is to keep it attractively low, with a starting price of €100 a month.

“We want to become a global leader in queue management in the healthcare industry and we have first-mover advantage,” Casey says. “We estimate the potential value of the market in Ireland and the UK for this service at around €400 million.”

Casey and his co-founder Declan Donohoe are no strangers to entrepreneurial ventures. Both have a number of successful start-ups and exits under their belts. Their current project has received assistance from Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Development, Endeavour Ireland and the Propeller programme at DCU’s Ryan Academy.

Practices do not need to buy new hardware to make swiftQueue work. “We can get people up and running in as little as 15 minutes with their existing systems,” says Casey.

Source: Irish Times