Convenience. Instant gratification. Self-service. People look for these features in an optimal customer experience (CX). Consumers want their in-person and online interactions to mesh neatly and seamlessly into their lives and to meet whatever needs arise.

People typically associate CX with retail and hospitality, sectors that provide the best CX, according to a 2021 Genesys consumer survey. Retail and hospitality deliver CX features that consumers wish would transfer to other settings.

Health care was also ranked in that same survey. Though not at the top of the list, health care providers have improved. In 2017, 41% of consumers said health care provided a good experience. In 2021, that rose to 52%. That’s significant improvement but shows room to grow in the CX space.

Health care consumers embrace pandemic changes
Patients welcomed some of the changes made in response to Covid-19, such as virtual visits. Deloitte Insights found that virtual visits rose from 15% in 2019 to 28% in 2020 and that 80% of consumers liked and would use them again.

Offering more communication channels also proved popular. Providers bolstered the ways they communicated with patients, expanding beyond phone and email to also include text, chat, and patient portals. The Zendesk 2021 CX Trends Report found that health care organizations with the happiest customers were 2.7 times more likely to have invested in omni-channel communications.

If your hospital wants to invest in CX, focusing on the changes that consumers embraced is a good place to start. The Forrester CX forecast for 2022 predicts most businesses will keep CX improvements made during the pandemic, because they were popular, profitable, and pleased consumers. Supporting and augmenting the systems and tools that allow virtual visits, and multiple communications channels could be wise CX investments.

Give health care consumers the CX they expect

In retail and hospitality, consumers expect to reach help easily when needed and to get a satisfactory response. Consumers expect their needs to be met seamlessly and for there to be a connection between the online and in-person experience. Even during periods of high demand or staffing issues, consumers expect technology to bridge that gap and for organizations to find creative ways to meet demands. Because of their interactions with the retail and hospitality sectors, consumers now expect the same attention and service levels to apply to other sectors.

Real-world CX that delivered results for health systems and patients

Hospitals and health care systems have taken consumer expectations to heart and many have invested in better CX even during the most pressing days of the pandemic. Mercy Health frequently ranks among the top health systems in the United States. Mercy recognized the features that consumers wanted, like online appointment booking, bill paying, and live chats from their health care providers, and set about providing just that. By adding these abilities, Mercy differentiated themselves from competitors by delivering an experience on par with what consumers find in hospitality and retail settings.

Beyond standing out from competitors, a good CX program also can streamline a hospital or health care system's response time. When the pandemic began, the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) had to act quickly. Working with their CX technology provider, UMMS connected 28,000 remote employees to the network in only 5 days, linked new field hospitals to main hospitals via a secure virtual private network (VPN), and provided a way for doctors to consult with patients using telemedicine. Their CX focus was both inward (toward employees and administrators) and outward (toward patients). This set the stage for a successful statewide pandemic response.

Mercy and UMMS are large systems, but improved CX can make a difference even on a smaller scale. MedLink provides basic primary care services across 14 counties in Georgia. By adding a platform with live chat capabilities to answer pressing patient questions, and an automated chatbot feature to answer the most repeated questions, MedLink experienced greater patient satisfaction and increased online reviews from none to 300 reviews in just six months.

The link between technology and CX investment

CX helps deliver what patients want, when they need it, and where they need it. Why should these investments matter to your hospital? How might they deliver a better balance sheet? CX builds trust between hospitals and patients, and building trust may be more important to your bottom line than you realize. The Salesforce 2021 Connected Health Consumer survey found that consumers that trust their health care organization are more likely to engage in support programs. It’s easy to draw the line between better support program engagement and improved care outcomes. That survey also revealed that 64% of consumers under age 65 believe that providers with better online capabilities are likely to deliver better service. Consumers believe that if providers prioritize convenience in digital environments (online appointment scheduling, electronic form filling, user-friendly online features) this offering will translate to the in-person environment. Building trust through a better CX attracts a patient base and keeps that base loyal.

Technology has opened doors for health care consumers by creating greater choice and providing more options for where and how consumers spend their health care dollars. Hospitals that want to compete in this landscape should recognize what consumers want from their providers. For hospitals, smart CX investments can lead to happier patients, more robust care for those patients, and a healthier balance sheet.