Digitalization is pivotal in shaping the future of CX for the healthcare industry. Digital customer experience management (CXM) solutions, driven by the spike of telehealth, among other digital healthcare solutions, stand essentially behind the forecasted growth of the industry.
Despite the groundswell towards digitalization for many companies across industries, the healthcare industry has been notoriously slow to change. But the pandemic has unquestionably pushed the industry years ahead of where it would have otherwise been. It has offered a digital reality where digital tools and technologies have clear use cases and tangible business results. Looking ahead, many healthcare stakeholders understand the opportunity that digital transformation brings regarding greater competitiveness, resiliency and CX delivery.
A growing appetite for digital solutions
Because of the personal nature of healthcare inquiries, it’s no surprise that consumers still prefer to contact their healthcare brands by phone or in person, as seen in the chart below.9 Healthcare is expected to keep a large share of voice-based support, given the need for personalized customer experiences. The high regulation of the sector is another factor affecting the slower adoption of non-voice channels.
But there’s a growing appetite for digital solutions. In 2021, 32% of U.S. consumers had a virtual consultation with a provider, compared to just 7% in early pre-pandemic 2020.10
Source: Salesforce, “Connected healthcare consumer report,” salesforce.com. Responses are from 6,243 consumers across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. Due to rounding, not all percentage totals equal 100%. All comparisons are made from unrounded numbers.
No two organizations are at the same level of digital maturity. And each one has different capabilities and resources when it comes to integrating new tools, solutions and functionalities into their existing operations. If you’re just starting your digital transformation journey, it’s vital to take incremental steps, such as adding simple solutions like online chat or two-way SMS.
A measured approach for your digital journey
Digitalization requires a step-by-step approach.
When adding new channels or technology, you should first identify how they’re going to add value to your business and how they’re going to scale. Give your team time to build in and plan for return on investment and cost savings. Then you can set KPIs and monitor performance. It’s better to be measured and tactical rather than rushing to implement the latest off-the-shelf tools, when an integrated solution is what you really need to move the business forward. A digital journey is a marathon, not a sprint!
4 ways to put digital transformation into action
1 - Designate a chief customer experience officer or dedicated CX sponsor.
A recent survey of C-level executives across industries revealed that 95% agree that best-in-class CX delivery is a business priority and 82% have a dedicated CX sponsor.11 With stakeholders viewing CX as a revenue-enhancing element for their organizations, having a chief customer experience officer or dedicated CX sponsor on board will keep a focus on the success of digital transformation projects.
2 - Move contact center operations to the cloud where applicable.
To enable omnichannel CX delivery, moving your contact centers to the cloud is a must-have. Liberating your operations from old technology stacks by moving hardware architecture and software applications to the cloud will unlock scalability and cost control benefits and doesn’t require capital expenditures. Flexibility and resiliency in operations are added advantages when demand surges or when working on-site moves to working remotely.
3 - Focus on implementing self-service.
One of the initial digital steps you should take — no matter the complexity of the business or types of typical customer interactions — is to have a greater focus on self-service. Why? Because people love convenience. And 88% of consumers expect brands to offer self-service solutions.12 The significant cost savings is also too great to ignore — just $0.10 per self-serve inquiry versus $8 for a live contact.13 It’s added convenience for the consumer and cost-effective for brands.
4 - Use the expertise of CX management partnerships to your advantage.
No health system has access to a complete set of digital transformation tools. “Forming intra- and cross-industry partnerships and alliances can provide access to the expertise, data, capabilities, experience, investment and scale a single organization might lack.”14 Leading business process outsourcers support a wide range of industries, including healthcare. You can use their know-how as digital-first experts with deploying genuine solutions and managing cloud-based contact centers, operations and human resources.
9 - Salesforce, “Connected healthcare consumer report,” salesforce.com.
10 - Accenture, “2021 health and life sciences experience survey – U.S. findings,” accenture.com.
11 - Sitel Group, “Customer experience & digital transformation: Insights from the boardroom,” sitel.com.
12 - Statista, “Do you expect a brand or organization to have an online self-service support portal?” statista.com.
13 - Gartner, “Does your digital customer service strategy deliver?” gartner.com.
14 - Deloitte, “2022 global health care outlook,” deloitte.com.