How to Improve Customer Service in Healthcare

So you have a digital presence for your healthcare organization, fantastic!  But how strong of a presence do you really have? Winning online is not only about building your brand and being effective in your digital marketing strategy and online marketing, but also using that online footprint to enhance your customer service levels and translate that into business growth.

There continues to be a shift in how current and prospective clients expect to be treated and the trend toward improved patient experience and satisfaction is transforming healthcare. How are you setting your business up for success to address these industry changes? Treating patients with little or no relationship is no longer an option. Today’s patients expect and feel they deserve to be treated fairly and respectfully – specifically, that means an improved customer experience and better access to information.

It is pretty easy to predict that those healthcare providers, from plastic surgeons to orthodontists, who deliver superior patient experiences will benefit from increased patient referrals, repeat business and many other competitive advantages that lead to higher sales. Why shouldn’t that be your business?

Thankfully, the same technology that you should be embracing as part of your digital marketing strategy also has the capacity to improve the client experience. Let’s take a look at some specifics.

1. Increase your points of contact for patient engagement. You need to increase the number of ways that your patients can connect with your business and services. While you will most likely always have those people that want to call in and speak to a customer service representative, a growing number of patients will want to be able to use your mobile friendly website, email or text your business. They will also expect relevant updates to be sent out via email or newsletter. Do you currently have an email marketing plan in place? Make sure you use the same level of service and offer, the same type of customer experience through all contact channels to ensure a consistent experience for patients.
2. Pro-Active Customer Service. This is one area where technology knocks it out of the park! There are many online systems you can use that will remind you of when a patient may need to be contacted for an upcoming appointment, or following up on a potential booking or a client who has just had a procedure completed.  Not only will your patients feel more valued and engaged, but your business will experience less no-show clients!You can also use this approach to send out helpful information such as education on types of procedures your clients are considering, sending out test results as soon as they are ready and any other status updates that will build customer satisfaction.
3. Responsiveness. People expect to find answers to just about anything with a few taps on their smartphone. How do you feel when you go to a website that is not mobile friendly or that has limited information available? Not only does this annoy your clients, but it also gives them the impression that you aren’t a quality business.  People want to find what they need to know, on their own time. If not?  They will likely move on to another website that can give them the information they are looking for.

If you want to grow your healthcare business, it is time to take a good long look at your online strategy and find out if it is helping or hindering the customer service experience you are offering to current and prospective clients. Clikx4health specializes in integrated, digital marketing initiatives that strengthen customer relationships to support your overall business growth objectives. Request a consultation to get started!

Source: https://cyberlinqs.com/improve-customer-service-healthcare/