The Covid-19 pandemic threw the entire world into a vulnerable state where mere survival became a challenge. But in a world of chaos and uncertainty, the healthcare industry had to bend over backward.
Nonetheless, amidst the challenge, the best way to beat the pandemic was to go digital, just like all other industries. So, a large chunk of medical facilities and professionals paved their way into a digital service network.
Talking about the healthcare industry transitioning to HealthTech, the need for the hour is unprecedented customer satisfaction.
You heard that right!
Considering a boom in the HealthTech sector, the healthcare business is bound to establish a poised system for their customers. Building a proactive environment for your customers and HealthTech business can bear the optimum results.
To make your healthcare practice smoother with your patients, your call center would be the best place to focus on right now.
We have 7 HealthTech call center best practices to increase patient satisfaction by 27%. But first, let us skim through the challenges faced by the healthcare industry.
Common challenges faced by the healthtech industry
HealthTech industry has made healthcare very convenient for people in terms of commute, communication, and time management.
Coming to the smooth functioning of a HealthTech setup, one of the main challenges has been maintaining clear communication.
Below, we discuss some of the common communication challenges faced by the HealthTech industry.
- Lack of proper communication equipment
Many patients can go away with disappointed looks after an improper communication experience. Evidently, a good number of medical eros have occurred due to poor communication.
Many HealthTech call centers have acquired customer relationship management tools to help them recover data anytime. But replacing fax machines or pagers will still take time to reach 100%.
- Poor communication skills of agents
Communication with the patients should be a top priority. On the other hand, agents face several issues, such as retrieving appropriate information between calls, language barriers, lack of empathy, etc.
- Abysmal handling of medical data.
One crucial point where HealthTech industries can fail is the handling of data. Whenever a patient gets passed on to another person for communication, improper knowledge of the patient’s health record can cause miscommunication.
Without a platform to retrieve such data immediately, the customer handling time can lead to restlessness and negative sentiments.
However, one has to be careful about the security of medical data, for its breach can result in lawsuits that can forgo the business once and for all!
The 7 HeathTech call center best practices for satisfied patients
The wait is finally over!
We didn’t mean to cause panic. The communication challenges mentioned above could be the biggest nightmare for you. But we have good news.
Implement these 7 best practices in your call center to optimize your patient satisfaction history by 27%.
1. Set up a HIPAA-compliant call center
According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 1996, business associates, organizations, and healthcare services providers are required to ensure the security of protected health information (PHI). Medical information must be protected against transferring, handling, and sharing by the HealthTech business.
It should be HIPAA compliant to prevent your healthcare call center from avoiding costly settlements and corrective actions. Here is the checklist to ensure your call center is HIPAA-compliant -
- Training staff about HIPAA compliance rules and regulations.
- Prevent security breaches by encrypting all medical data.
- Ensuring the call center’s privacy policy prohibits the transaction of confidential information and is publicly available to all employees within the organization.
2. Implementing empathy in communication with patients
Here are some factors your call center agents can require training to ensure good rapport building with patients.
- Good listening skills with patient concerns.
- Allowing patients to raise queries and concerns.
- Understanding the priorities of patients.
- Communication with respect and empathy.
Call center software helps establish a knowledge repository for communicating policies and solving patient concerns. Moreover, call center software also enables compliance monitoring leading to more satisfied patients.
3. Introduce automated communication systems
Customer experience is significant in the HealthTech space, just like industries. A good call monitoring software can help resolve customer interactions efficiently.
Call center softwares is taking over the HealthTech call centers by closely monitoring compliance, 100% auditing, and assisting new agents with automated coaching.
A good call center software can lead to increased CSAT, reduced AHT, and decreased ramp-up time.
4. Omnichannel communication for patients
Nowadays, patients prefer to communicate via various mediums like chats, calls, video calls, social media, emails, etc.
Providing omnichannel communication can increase patients’ satisfaction with your service.
Moreover, some medical communications or demonstrations can be better portrayed through videos rather than calls. On the other hand, many patients prefer to elaborate on their conditions without revealing their faces.
An omnichannel communication facility can establish a win-win situation for all types of patients.
5. Call quality monitoring
The first term that pops up when we talk about call quality monitoring is “quality analysis.”
Evidently, call audits can reach a maximum of 20-30 calls per day without losing the number. 20-30 calls per day is a minimal number to assess the overall performance of a call center.
With healthcare call center software, it is possible to audit 100% of calls.
To ensure your agents are on the same page, call monitoring software can do wonders!
6. Keep an eye out for patient feedback
The best call center would be where the patients leave with their queries resolved. Patient feedback is constructive to ensure everything is in place.
Quick surveys or feedback forms consistently gather patient opinions and suggestions on the service.
7. Provide post-operation services
The sole purpose of healthcare call centers is to provide the best services. From scheduling appointments and sending reminders to post-operative follow-ups, healthcare call centers should ensure their patients are happy and healthy.
As an organization, providing the best customer service leads to loyal customers entails growth.
It's time to cross-check and rock the show
Now that you have a checklist of the 7 best practices to increase customer satisfaction by 27%, what’s next?
Here are some final thoughts -
- Establish a healthcare call center software, and half of your work is done!
- Ensure that your call center is HIPAA compliant.
- Provide the best service both ways, i.e., before and after treatment.
It is a boon to have medical facilities boomed up with technology. But without proper customer service in the HealthTech setup, even technology can be questioned about its existence. Agree?
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