The National Healthcare Contact Industry Survey (NHCCIS), conducted by Healthcare Contact Center Times and Greystone.Net, reveals that 76% of healthcare contact centers don’t use text messaging for customer interactions.  

This is shocking to me. And I’m not just saying that because I’m CEO of a HIPAA-compliant texting software company. 

 I’m saying that because: 

• More than 90% of U.S. adults use a smartphone 
• Many prefer texting to unexpected (or unknown) phone calls 
• 98% of text messages are read within three minutes 

Here’s how texting can revolutionize healthcare outbound call services: 

• Referral management/care coordination: Text messages can inform patients about referrals, share provider information and provide appointment scheduling links. Conversational two-way texting allows centers to verify patient understanding and adherence to treatment plans.
• Rescheduling: Texts are effective for re-engaging patients who miss appointments. They can provide instructions for rescheduling and allow patients to request a call back. Common etiquette today says that if you need to speak with someone — text them first.
• Post-appointment follow-ups: Two-way texting can efficiently determine which patients require phone follow-ups, eliminating unnecessary calls and freeing up staff time.
• Patient satisfaction/surveys: Texts can encourage patients to rate their experiences and complete online surveys. High satisfaction scores can lead to requests for online reviews, while low scores can prompt follow-up calls to address concerns.
• Appointment reminders: Texts can share key appointment details, provide directions and allow patients to confirm or request rescheduling.
• Lab results: While texts won’t share actual results, they can provide links to secure portals and offer options for discussing results with healthcare providers.

Conversational text messaging is an invaluable tool for contact centers. It can increase inbound calls, improve response rates and generate cost savings. It streamlines communication processes, enabling centers to do “more with less” and scale more efficiently. 

I recently saw this first-hand when we partnered with a healthcare contact center that wanted feedback on a post-visit survey. Previously, these surveys were sent by email and garnered a response rate of about 15%. When we sent the post-visit survey by text, the response rate shot up to 52%. 

Simply put: 👍

Sean Roy is the CEO of Dialog Health.