Picture two different healthcare organizations. They offer the same services and prices, but one boasts outstanding customer reviews, while the other bears scathing criticisms. Which would you choose to be your provider? Most likely, you would pick the company whose customers had a great experience and left shining reviews. 

Over the last decade, it’s become abundantly clear that in a market shaped by consumer expectations and opinions, consumer experience can make (or break) a company. 

However, delivering such top-tier experiences pose a particular challenge in healthcare, and providers may need a bit of assistance to deliver exceptional service. As the number-one customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Salesforce may be able to provide that support.

What is Consumer Experience and Why is It Important?

Consumer experience, also known as customer experience (CX), is the amalgamation of every interaction that a customer has with a company — from receiving communications and advertising, using the company website, to calling customer service. 

Consumer experience plays a huge role in how consumers decide the businesses they frequent. For example, a series of studies revealed that:

• 74% of consumers “are at least somewhat likely to buy based on experience alone” (Forbes and Treasure Data)‍

• 65% of consumers “find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising” (PwC)‍

• 86% of consumers “would leave a brand after as few as two poor experiences” (Emplifi)

These findings demonstrate how pivotal consumer experience is to a company’s success. When consumers feel heard and satisfied, they will be more likely to complete a purchase, become repeat customers, and recommend the company to others. If they feel alienated and dissatisfied, they will likely take their business elsewhere. 

Thus, to gain an edge over competitors, companies must elevate their consumer experience. In fact, Gartner’s 2018 customer experience survey found that 90% of businesses “will compete over experience” and 81% of businesses “report expecting to compete mostly or entirely on customer experience”. 

Positive consumer experiences are no longer a mere request, but an outright expectation. But in healthcare, consumer experience often falls short of the mark.

Consumer Experience Issues in Healthcare 

U.S. healthcare organizations maintain some of the highest standards of care in the world; however, consumer experience in this industry is often lacking. In a recent report, Change Healthcare laid out some of the major issues:

• Difficulty Finding Healthcare: Currently, the burden of locating healthcare falls heavily on the consumer. With the overabundance of healthcare options online, 67% of consumers likened “finding a great doctor or medical practice … [to] finding a needle in a haystack”. ‍

• Difficulty Accessing Healthcare: Even accessing healthcare is arduous—from completing the necessary paperwork to scheduling and managing appointments. The paperwork is particularly vexing to consumers, as 69% complained about “feel[ing] like they [were] filling out the same form over and over again”.‍

• Perceived Dehumanization: As a byproduct of filling out so many medical forms, 53% of consumers started to “feel as though they [were] being treated as an incident, not a person, when receiving care”. Many reported feeling like their doctors did not care to fully understand their personal circumstances or listen to them.

Considered Changes to the Healthcare Experience

Given consumers’ immense dissatisfaction with the current state of healthcare, healthcare leaders have already begun to develop strategies for bringing experience up to par. These include but are by no means limited to:

• A More Streamlined Experience: To ease the burden of locating suitable healthcare, consumers require a single access point where they can easily browse, compare, and shop providers.

• ‍Self-Service Capability: Consumers need to have the option to manage their healthcare online — from scheduling and managing their appointments to filling out paperwork at home instead of the doctor’s office. 

• Personalization: Consumers need a more personalized experience; healthcare providers should understand every patient’s history and be able to provide recommendations based on their unique situation.

How Salesforce Can Help Healthcare Delivery Organizations Enhance Their Consumer Experience

Healthcare consumers have spoken. Now, the question for providers is how to provide a better experience for their patients. Navigating this issue is no easy feat — but luckily, Salesforce provides some of the best solutions in the industry. 

Here are two recommendations that tackle multiple consumer experience issues at once:

•  Health Cloud: With Salesforce Health Cloud, consumers can browse healthcare providers, fill out paperwork, manage their appointments, and more — all on the same platform. Health Cloud can also record both clinical and non-clinical information, allowing for a holistic view of the patient. Resultantly, healthcare delivery organizations can provide more personalized and accurate service to their patients. 

• ‍Service Cloud Einstein: Salesforce Einstein is a conversational AI that helps companies provide fast and personalized customer service. These chatbots can assess patients’ needs, answer their questions, and offer specialized recommendations. Einstein helps patients help themselves where they can, facilitating self-service.

To learn more about how Salesforce can help healthcare organizations deliver breakaway consumer experiences, read our white paper or contact Gerent today!