Time for a Check Up
Addressing the Unique Challenges and Opportunities for Contact Centers in the Healthcare Industry
by Tom Hubbard, Board Chairman, Inova Solutions
The customer service arm of the United States healthcare industry has struggled in recent years to keep pace with rapid growth and change in the sector. Advances in medical technology and the aging of the baby boomer generation have contributed to an influx of patients in hospitals and clinics. In addition, the structure of healthcare organizations themselves has drastically changed, to include integrated healthcare delivery systems, managed care organizations, and other specialty service providers.
As a result of this rapid growth and restructuring, customer service and helpdesk contact centers must cope with new challenges, including multiple technology systems and a wide array of constituents. Often, these systems and groups have limited means of internal communication, which ultimately affects an organization's ability to serve its customers.
In addition, the healthcare provider landscape has become highly competitive. Gone are the days when patients held loyalty for their family doctor, regardless of the level of service. Today's healthcare consumers patients, employers or government agencies are increasingly demanding. They require an organization focused on customer service throughout the healthcare process, with a proven track record of high service levels and customer satisfaction.
Thanks to the viral, accessible nature of online media, modern healthcare organizations must also deal with an unprecedented level of transparency. Consumer watchdog groups routinely perform patient satisfaction surveys, and post the results of these surveys online for a world of prospective patients to see. Healthcare organizations must be aware that a patient's satisfaction level with his healthcare experience is only partially motivated by the quality of the medical care itself. He is also prone to draw conclusions based on his ongoing interactions with customer service representatives regarding appointment scheduling, billing, insurance inquiries, and other facets of modern healthcare.
A customer's experience with customer service and helpdesk contact centers may shape their view of the entire organization. If your customer service representatives are seen as knowledgeable and competent, the caller will likely apply that feeling of trust to the organization as a whole. Suddenly they trust you and, by association, trust your medical professionals to provide the best possible care to them or their loved ones. In contrast, if a customer service representative is ill-equipped to provide the caller with the information they need, a negative perception has been born that is quite difficult to reverse.
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