Redefining the Customer Experience in Healthcare

Creating a positive customer experience is critical to the success of home healthcare initiatives. Here’s why.

Creating a great customer experience (CX) is key to cultivating brand loyalty, and when customers are loyal to your brand they’re more likely to engage in word-of-mouth marketing and leave online reviews — both of which lead to a rise in revenue. 

Research also underscores the importance of customer retention. Findings from thinktank thinkJar show that acquiring new customers costs six to seven times more than retaining and nurturing existing ones. Adweek and Accenture also found that while 80% of brands think they’re delivering a high-quality CX, only 8% of consumers agree. 

This disconnect goes to show that while fast, responsive support is a critical part of a well-rounded CX strategy, it’s not the whole story. User training and device lifecycle management have a key role to play, especially when it comes to home healthcare providers.

Providing Robust User Training in the Home Healthcare Space

User training is important for all technology-based initiatives and rollouts, especially for home healthcare solution providers. The more empowered home healthcare workers are with the skills they need to use new home healthcare software and tools effectively, the better their overall experience with a company will be.

A comprehensive training program should include:

• Role-based training. Patients learning how to use wearable devices need different training than home healthcare aides, who must learn how to implement new devices effectively when in a patient’s home. As such, ensuring your training program is tailored to your users is non-negotiable. Many home healthcare agencies in particular stand to benefit from a comprehensive, personalized training program that helps their staff feel prepared. According to research from Lorman, companies with poor onboarding practices are twice as likely to have to deal with employee turnover. 

• Data analytics. The most successful training programs are those that gather data and customer experience metrics from their contact center partners. This data helps them identify the obstacles that their users face, such as issues activating new devices or entering information into a web-based portal, and address them head on to ensure great CX. 

• Hands-on training. Remote technologies allow users to access training modules in a variety of new ways, including webinars and live Q&A sessions. At the same time, on-site training sessions may be necessary in some cases to ensure patients and staff are using new healthcare solutions correctly. Training programs should be available via a number of channels to ensure the proper information reaches the right audiences.

Device Lifecycle Management

Device lifecycle management also plays a key role in establishing good CX. Customers who have access to the fast, well-performing devices they need — the moment they need them — are generally happier customers. 

For companies providing home healthcare devices to home healthcare agencies, a successful device lifecycle management program is one that:

• Provides customers with the right devices so they can hit the ground running. Whether it’s a new tablet or a remote patient monitoring device, technology plays a vital part in the home healthcare space. Home healthcare aides need the right tools in hand at all times to perform their duties successfully, and staging, integration, kitting, and translation services allow companies to deliver repeatable results during tech rollouts. A consistent and cohesive experience goes a long way toward improving CX.

• Replace and repair devices as needed. Repairs and replacements are an inevitable part of the process of implementing new solutions, and companies need structures in place that will allow them to smoothly handle issues as they arise. Faulty devices and technical difficulties can lead to frustration for customers, which can spell doom for businesses. Consulting firm PwC finds that 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand — even one they love — after a single bad experience. That number spikes to 92% after two or three negative interactions. Effective, proactive device management is key to avoiding this.

• Maintain regulatory compliance. Ensuring that technological solutions and processes adhere to regulatory and cybersecurity best practices is crucial — patients’ sensitive health data is on the line. The devices companies procure not only need to work efficiently and as intended, they also must remain compliant with HIPAA and other industry standards. 

Discover Comprehensive, Hands-on Customer Contact Services

CX is clearly on the minds of many — Deloitte found that 88% of companies are prioritizing it in their contact centers. If you’re on the lookout for full-service, HIPAA-compliant customer support backed by high-quality educational programs and thorough device lifecycle management, you’re in luck. 

Epiphany is an outsourced CX provider that offers all of the above and more, including 24/7 remote tech support and translation services. Serving as a seamless extension of your team, we’ll support your customers every step of the way, at every hour of the day. We take brand reputation seriously, and we learn the ins and outs of your business to ensure we can quickly and accurately answer every question your customers have, no exceptions. Contact us today to learn more.