An omnichannel approach for provider organizations
4 min read- Omnichannel communication is a more coordinated, personalized, and customer-centric approach to engagement with patients.
- Data is the north star of an omnichannel strategy, and it is critical in setting the tone of the messages sent to your patients.
- To effectively deliver omnichannel customer engagement, provider organizations need to have the right infrastructure with a clear-cut digital transformation strategy.
How provider organizations can support patients through the care journey with personalized, timely communication
Times have changed and patients are no longer loyal to one provider. Healthcare is driven by choice. Patients have access to enhanced digital engagement opportunities in technology, retail, and financial industries and expect similar improvements in the healthcare industry.
More people are using telehealth and home healthcare services. Providers are trying to keep up by communicating in new ways, but efforts are falling short, leaving patients frustrated.
This multichannel communication between provider and patient is siloed, inefficient, and impersonal. We all know the agony of repeating information, endless paperwork, and requirements for an in-person visit when a phone call or telemedicine encounter should suffice.
John Edwards, vice president of Healthcare Solutions and Domain Consulting at SoftServe, paints a brighter picture using an omnichannel communication strategy, “Traditionally, a patient calls to schedule an appointment, completes paperwork through MyChart, powered by EPIC, and goes to the office for the appointment. However, there is limited personalization and inconsistent communication between providers and patients. A Digital Front Door is needed to meet the needs, preferences, and expectations of your patients.”
This front door opens to a virtual landing page with personalized patient-centric communication. It includes tools—chatbots, text messaging, web portals—providers can use to interact digitally with patients outside the point of care. It is connected to multiple sources of data so that messaging is consistent and coordinated between systems.
John Edwards continued, “Now imagine a world with no phone tree, no scheduling hassles, and no repetitive paperwork. A patient receives the right message, on the right channel, at the right time. Omnichannel communication allows for personalization of messages, timely communication, and support through the entire care journey—including in-person and virtual appointments.”
High-quality, real-time, real-world data
Although there have been decades of investment, siloed data sets and inefficient data access are prevalent in healthcare. Many provider organizations want to expand their use of data for improving patient outcomes, improving operations, and opening new healthcare models. Provider organizations need a better way to organize data for intelligent process automation solutions.
Omnichannel communication is a model of patient care designed to create an effortless experience within all engagement channels controlled from a single digital platform. Data is the north star in omnichannel. Data is generated from every patient interaction and is used to better understand their interests and is used to tailor future communication. The provider organization can find patterns, such as the patient’s history, medical complications, and appointment preferences.
Digital transformation
Taking the first step toward digital transformation can be difficult for provider organizations. John Edwards said, “To effectively deliver omnichannel customer engagement, organizations need to have the right infrastructure.” A clear-cut digital transformation strategy is imperative to meeting patient expectations.
SoftServe developed a transformation roadmap model that guides organizations through the omnichannel journey. It reveals how well companies are at engaging with patients through different channels. Once you know where your organization is on the transformation roadmap, then you can assess what is needed to achieve digital maturity.
Our latest eguide explores the new provider imperative—patient empowerment. If you want to learn how to make healthcare more personal, download the e-guide.
Then let’s talk about how SoftServe can help you leverage data analytics enhanced with AI/ML to elicit actionable insights and enhance the patient’s experience.