The increased availability of digital-first experiences has encouraged consumers to take control of their healthcare journey. Today, 44% of consumers indicate that in the last 12 months, they started using a wearable, smart devices, and/or medical devices to support their overall health. Most consumers prefer to do health-related activities, such as refilling a prescription, finding a doctor, or checking their symptom, by using a web browser or an app. In response, healthcare organizations (HCOs) must use continuous digital-first strategies and customer experience platforms that build sustained engagement. HCOs need to design experiences that are dynamic and evolve with customers’ changing priorities and preferences. HCOs must also support customers with clear language, empathy, transparency, and ease.
HCOs: Prepare To Give Consumers Control
Healthcare delivery and services are full of roadblocks. HCOs often fail to deliver promises to consumers, such as granting more control of their data and protecting their personal information from cyberattacks. Opaque experiences and complex jargon have eroded consumer confidence and incentivized some to leave brands behind. Consumers will choose HCOs that emphasize their needs and that increasingly gather and rely on their feedback to deliver value. The integration of next-gen technologies, below-the-glass experiences, and customer obsession is already laying the foundation for advances in personalized medicine and increased access to health information. As consumer experiences in healthcare rapidly transform, HCOs need to create effective experiences that foster lasting loyalty by:
- Easing consumer experiences by using generative AI to upskill employees. Automatically summarizing a medical record for employees relieves consumers of the burden of repetitive questions about their past medical history and social determinants of health needs. It also frees employees’ time for other, more productive tasks.
- Bolstering security and protecting data privacy. HCOs are increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks and data breaches due to technology concentration. Rapid data growth and porous infrastructures offer minimal protection against bad actors and employee ignorance. To mitigate such risks, HCOs must focus on resilience, which includes a strong culture of compliance.
- Empowering consumers to be gatekeepers of their data. Consumers must have control over who has access to their data, when, and for what purpose. To support consumers and build trust, HCOs must proactively establish the rules of consent, ownership, and sharing. Consumers in an ecosystem that relies heavily on personal data will feel empowered by HCOs that protect the ability to access their personal information.
Today, healthcare consumers expect a solution at first contact. Consumers’ patience has worn thin, and the time for HCOs to act is now. New healthcare entrants, direct-to-consumer models, and transformative technologies are creating an increasingly competitive healthcare ecosystem. Successful organizations will lead with digital-first experiences and give consumers control of their healthcare journey. Healthcare leaders can harness our research on customer experience platforms for healthcare. Read our new report, titled Redefining Healthcare In An Always-On Digital Ecosystem, or schedule a guidance session.
