Improving customer service in healthcare

Whether you work for the NHS or a private provider like a dentist, opticians or physiotherapy, customer service underpins everything you do. Of course, in the healthcare sector, you might not call your patients or clients ‘customers’ but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is the ‘service’ you deliver. Finding the right way to deliver excellent customer service in healthcare is key to have happy and satisfied patients.

What does customer service in healthcare mean?

Service starts with communication. And in the healthcare space, that means making it easier for patients to make and keep appointments, and empowering them with information related to their health. It’s also about giving them opportunities to get in touch and share their feedback so that you can make ongoing service improvements. 

But unlike private companies in sectors like retail or financial services, you may not have a dedicated customer service team to answer questions, book appointments and resolve complaints. Your reception and admin team will probably be juggling numerous tasks throughout the day, while your clinicians need time and space to focus on patient care. 

In this article, we’ll look at why SMS and mobile messaging is a powerful communication channel for healthcare providers who want to deliver excellent service.

Why customer service is important in healthcare

The quality of your service sets you apart from other providers, and encourages people to visit again, recommend you to their friends and family, and post positive online reviews. 

This brings obvious commercial benefits for those in private practice but it’s also a big plus for the NHS too. Removing the barriers to making and managing appointments means that patients are more likely to get a health concern checked out early, rather than waiting until the situation becomes worse. And it means fewer missed appointments too.

Communicating test results effectively is critical too. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) stipulates that providers must communicate results to patients ‘in a timely and clinically appropriate way depending on the level of risk.’

Common communication challenges

Visiting a healthcare provider can be stressful, especially for those who are worried they are suffering from something serious. This can be compounded by common communications challenges such as these:

• Not enough staff to cover the phones: The ‘8am rush’ is a longstanding problem for GP surgeries but other types of practices, particularly smaller ones, also struggle to stay on top of phone calls first thing in the morning, and when there is no cover at lunchtime.
• Missed information: It’s easy for appointment details scribbled down on pieces of paper, or letters sent in the post to go astray, so patients may not turn up on the right day or at the right time. 
• Time lost chasing missed appointments: Around 15 million NHS GP appointments are missed every year, at a cost of £216 million. Not only does it mean patients with potentially serious conditions have to wait longer to see a doctor or nurse, it also adds to your receptionists’ workload if they have to spend time chasing no-shows. 
• Patients’ availability: Not everyone is available during office hours, which can make it difficult for them to keep their details up to date and manage their appointments by phone. 
• Lack of personalisation: Asking someone to attend an over-50s wellbeing appointment when they’re only in their 20s is a waste of your time and theirs. Communications that aren’t relevant are likely to be ignored, and it can mean important ones don’t get through either. 

How can SMS help to improve communication?  

While there’s no single solution to these challenges, SMS can go a long way towards alleviating them. It’s fast and convenient, for both your own team and patients. With a dedicated SMS solution for healthcare, you can automate many of your communications, while improving patient outcomes.

It’s cost-effective too – prices start from just 2.2p per message with Esendex!

Our own research found that 88% of people rely on automated reminders for things like medical appointments at least some, if not all of the time. Because of its high open and response rate (98% and 45% respectively), you can be confident that information has been received and read – reducing the chances of no-shows as well as empowering patients to follow up on test results or attend screenings. 

SMS was widely-used during the Covid-19 pandemic to inform people of their PCR test results and encourage them to book a vaccination appointment. One reason for this is that SMS is highly-inclusive because almost everyone owns a mobile phone, even if they don’t use or aren’t confident using the internet. 

Recommended: SMS for customer service: Best practices and message templates

What is secure messaging in healthcare? 

SMS has plenty of operational benefits – but the privacy of your patients must always come first. This is why it’s so important to choose an SMS provider that takes security seriously. The reason why so many health providers choose Esendex is that the platform is ISO 27001 accredited and supports compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR.

Apart from that, you should avoid sending highly-sensitive information in text messages, in case it falls into the wrong hands. Instead, alert patients that their test results are ready but point them to their NHS account. 

How to use SMS to provide excellent customer service in healthcare 

A big part of providing a good customer service in healthcare is making sure that patients feel heard. Used strategically, it enhances your communications and helps you to build long-term trust. Here are our top tips to get you started. 

Use preferred channels

Many (if not most) patients today are happy to self-serve via SMS but don’t always assume that everyone will do that. You may have people who prefer a phone call, letter or to pop into your practice in person. Opt-in and opt-out messages will tell you whether they want to receive SMS communications, so you can update your records accordingly. 

Other messaging channels such as RCS and WhatsApp are growing in popularity as well, as ways to communicate with customers and patients.

Keep patients up to date 

SMS is a fast and effective way for patients to manage their own health – but it’s also great for sharing practice news, such as an upcoming wellbeing event, new services or updated opening hours. 

Confirmation and reminders

Automated confirmations and reminders are convenient for patients. All the information they need is contained in a short message, which they can add to their calendar or refer back to. Then a timely reminder will help to ensure they don’t forget they’ve got an appointment booked. 

Personalisation

Something as simple as addressing someone by their first name can create a connection and build trust – and it’s easy to personalise your text messages. Your SMS platform provider should also make it easy to segment your patients so they only receive information relevant to them, while allowing them to opt in/out of communications. 

Learn more: Personalised SMS marketing: Guide to sending personalised SMS

Empathy 

SMS is quick and convenient but that doesn’t mean that it’s cold and transactional. While personalisation creates connection and warmth, always consider the content of your message and how it might be received. For instance, when alerting patients that their test results are ready, adopt a neutral tone and invite them to make an appointment to follow up or view them via their NHS account, otherwise they may get anxious.

By using SMS for routine tasks, like appointment confirmations and reminders, you also free up your team to deliver a compassionate service on the phone or in person when patients may need extra more reassurance.

Feedback

A quick survey at regular intervals throughout the year, or immediately after an appointment, gives you a real opportunity to improve your service.

SMS surveys are an ideal way to gather feedback because they aren’t intrusive and they can be completed when the recipient has a spare five minutes.

Recommended reading: Creating SMS surveys: Tips, examples and benefits

Security and compliance 

As well as choosing a secure platform that keeps your patients’ data safe, there are other steps you can take to maintain security and compliance. Avoid sensitive information in text messages, and always include a verified sender ID to assure recipients that the message they’re receiving is genuine. 

SMS healthcare templates 

Time-pressed admin and reception teams can’t manually craft and send multiple messages – and many wouldn’t feel confident doing so, given how tightly regulated the healthcare sector is. The good news is they don’t have to. We’ve created a bank of message templates that can be sent via our software, with the user only required to add information like the date and time of the appointment. 

Get the templates here: 25+ ready to use SMS templates for healthcare

Putting your patients first 

More than any other sector, healthcare providers must be sensitive, empathetic and responsive to the needs of their patients – and the service you deliver reflects these values. With the NHS and other areas of the sector on the lookout for ways to maximise results and manage costs, SMS can do a lot of the heavy lifting especially when it comes to routine communications like appointment confirmations and reminders. 

Your SMS provider should allow you to personalise messages, share important updates and point people to their test results and follow-up appointments. All this not only improves the efficiency and quality of your service, but supports better patient outcomes too. 

Ready to find out more? Talk to an expert or get a quote for your organisation.