Chatbots are a bit of a buzzword in the healthcare industry, but it’s not hype. Chatbots are here to stay and can provide actual patient and staff benefits. In fact, according to Forrester Research, by 2021, there will be more than 27 billion messaging apps installed on smartphones globally. That’s over 50% of all smartphones! More than 100 million U.S.-based users are already chatting with bots today (about half of whom use Facebook Messenger). Here are some ways that chatbots can benefit your practice:
Chatbots save your time and money.
Chatbots can save you time and money. Chatbots are always ready to help and don’t need breaks or lunch (unless you program them to do so).
They can also perform repetitive tasks like taking down appointment information, answering common questions, and even interacting with patients on social media.
This will allow your staff members to focus on more complicated tasks like handling complex cases or providing individualized care.
Chatbots reduce no-shows.
- Chatbots can remind patients about appointments. When making an appointment with a doctor, patients often need reminders to get in the door. A chatbot can be programmed with a schedule and will email/text messages to remind patients of their upcoming appointments.
- Chatbots help with appointment scheduling. A chatbot can be programmed with your practice’s open and closed times, so when potential clients click on “book an appointment,” they’ll see that you’re available before or after those times, depending on what works best for them. This allows people who work 9-5 jobs (or any other time) the flexibility they need when trying to schedule appointments during work hours or even on weekends!
- Chatbots help patients find information about your practice or services quickly at any time throughout the day from anywhere in the world via text message or email by simply asking them what type of health problem they may have, followed by requesting diagnostic tests such as bloodwork or x-rays if necessary!”
Chatbots free up your receptionists.
When you have a Chatbot, you no longer have to worry about taking time out of your receptionist’s day to answer basic questions. The Chatbot can do this for them! Receptionists can focus more on the tasks that need their attention, such as scheduling appointments or handling billing questions. They will also be able to provide more personalized service with the help of a Chatbot’s database of patient records and preferences.
In addition, using Chatbot technology can help reduce no-shows by providing patients with reminders about their upcoming appointments through text messages or emails. This is a significant advantage for practices struggling with high rates of no-shows today!
Chatbots improve patient satisfaction.
If you’re a doctor, you know that satisfaction is critical. Patients satisfied with their care are more likely to return and refer others. To help ensure patient satisfaction, chatbots can provide better patient experiences by reducing no-shows and freeing receptionists from essential questions.
You’ll also have access to valuable data about your practice through chatbot interactions—allowing you to tailor your services based on what patients need most. These interactions might include:
- Scheduling appointments
- Requesting refills on prescriptions
- Addressing billing concerns
Chatbots give you valuable data about your practice.
As you collect more data, you will be able to improve patient care and experience in several ways. You can use it to ensure every patient has the opportunity for a truly unique visit: one that is efficient, effective, and satisfying.
In addition to improving patient care, chatbot data can also help your practice identify potential problems before they occur. This will enable you to reduce the number of no-shows or cancellations by providing convenient reminders about upcoming appointments or special events at the office (e.g., flu shots). The chatbot can also offer automated reminders about refilling medications or vaccinations due soon. With this information readily available at any time on a mobile device, patients are more likely than ever before—even those with busy schedules—to take advantage of these essential services as part of their well-being regimen.
Chatbots free up staff for more personal patient interactions.
Chatbots can free up staff for more personal patient interactions.
- Chatbots can answer simple questions: A chatbot can answer a patient’s question about appointment scheduling, payment options, or insurance information. A bot best handles this type of information because it requires few variables and predictable responses. For example, if you ask a bot, “when do you have appointments available?” it will look at your location and offer times based on availability in its system.2
- Chatbots help patients with appointments: A famous use case for chatbots is appointment scheduling – they are particularly good at this because they take into account all the variables involved (like insurance coverage) as well as any preferences that the user has mentioned previously (e.g., wanting to see one particular doctor). These bots work so well because most doctors already have their schedules posted online, which makes it easy for them to pull from those calendars when making recommendations based on what’s available at each practice location; additionally, many patients already prefer booking appointments online over having to call up their PCP office directly where there might be long wait times due to high demand!3
Investing in chatbot technology saves money, increases revenue, and creates a better patient and staff experience.
Chatbots can help practices cut costs and increase revenue.
Chatbot technology is an easy way to improve the patient experience, which in turn helps practices increase patient satisfaction and retention rates.
We hope this post has given you some ideas for using chatbots in your practice. They can be a great way to save money, increase revenue, and create a better experience for patients and staff. Give it a try!
