AudioCodes Voice - Blog

Rethinking Healthcare Customer Service

Written by BASSEL MOKABEL | Aug 14, 2018 2:00:00 PM

Let’s talk about personalized customer service.

In recent years, we have been witnessing one of the greatest revolutions of the 21st century.

Up until a few years ago, consumers were willing to jeopardize the quality of their goods or services for a good bargain. Waiters didn’t have to be friendly if the food was fast and affordable, and no one expected a same-day delivery if shipping was free.

Today’s customers will pay more solely to enjoy a faster, more personalized customer service. Low prices are no longer an excuse for bad customer service, and even low-cost products are rated for their customer experience.

With barely enough time to adjust to these new market standards, customer-facing industries are already faced with the next big thing. Automated customer service is the natural next phase in this evolution, and if you believe this comes at the expense of the personalization aspect, you clearly haven’t met Alexa yet.

One interesting industry to look at is healthcare. A doctor-patient relationship is the epitome of personalization, and very few commercial relationships share the same depth of intimacy. And while most cutting-edge technologies stem from the medical world, providing its customers with an unparalleled health and health-innovation standards, patient experience still falls behind.

With research showing that the average wait time in medical call centers can reach more than 5 minutes, it is no wonder that medical facilities are notoriously famous for their somewhat problematic customer experience. Waiting this long, especially when it comes to health, can be aggravating for patients, regardless of how good the final treatment will be.

As part of our work at AC Voca, we carried out field research, talked to patients and staff, and realized that focusing on improving patient experience is key. We believe that by automating simple patient service calls, staff members will be available to handle more complex tasks other than just call routing. With an immediate response to patient’s technical and logistical concerns, combined with a more personalized hands-on attention from staff members, patients will enjoy an exceptional customer experience that will inevitably improve their overall satisfaction and health.

To learn more about AC Voca Voice-driven Calling Assistant for Healthcare, drop me a line at: Bassel.Mokabel@audiocodes.com