Patients are evaluating their healthcare providers based on the experiences they deliver online and guess what\u2026<\/p>\n
The prognosis isn\u2019t good.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n According to a\u00a0survey by NTT DATA Services<\/a>\u00a0of more than 1,100 US healthcare consumers, 78% of consumers say the\u00a0healthcare digital customer experience needs improvement.<\/strong><\/p>\n And 50% said they\u00a0would leave their current physician<\/strong>\u00a0if it meant getting a better digital experience with another doctor.<\/p>\n What does it all mean?<\/p>\n It means patients want a healthcare experience that mirrors the retail experience!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Nearly 60% (59%<\/a>) of consumers expect their digital healthcare customer experience to be similar to the experience they\u2019d receive in retail\u2014they want more\u00a0options, speed, and convenience.<\/strong><\/p>\n With that in mind, here are\u00a0Five Ways Healthcare Providers Can Optimize the Digital Experience for Patients.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n With\u00a0mobile now accounting for 70% of the time people spend online<\/a>, healthcare consumers have come to expect a smooth digital experience on their smartphones and tablets\u2014that means your organization needs a mobile-friendly website.<\/p>\n Make sure your site uses\u00a0responsive design<\/strong>\u00a0(meaning it\u2019s designed to adjust to the size of a mobile screen) in building your website, and optimize your content for mobile-first indexing.<\/p>\n Some of your patients\u2019 greatest online frustrations have to do with completing tasks related to their care\u2014things like<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n Searching for a physician or specialist (81%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Accessing a family member\u2019s health records (80%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Changing or making an appointment (79%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Accessing test results (76%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Paying bills (75%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Filling a prescription (74%)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n This is why it\u2019s so important to have a robust patient portal on your website\u2014one that\u2019s easy to use and equipped with the full range of capabilities modern-day patients have come to expect.<\/p>\n According to\u00a0Google<\/a>, 1 in every 20 searches is for health-related information.<\/p>\n Therefore, you need to make it easy for prospective patients to find your healthcare services by building your visibility in online search. You can do this by\u00a0investing in paid search ads<\/strong>\u00a0(the sponsored results at the top of the results page), and\u00a0doing search engine optimization (SEO)<\/strong>\u00a0to improve your organic (or natural) rankings.<\/p>\n Create ads and content that anticipate patients\u2019 needs at various stages of their healthcare search journey. For example, questions about symptoms to doctor searches during open enrollment season.<\/p>\n Video is the future of the Internet\u2014it\u2019s expected to make up\u00a082%<\/a>\u00a0of all Internet traffic by 2021, and right now,\u00a072%<\/a>\u00a0of consumers prefer video content over text content.<\/p>\n So, video marketing is a must for any competitive healthcare marketing plan today. Create high-quality videos that capture patients\u2019 attention and make information about your facilities and care easy to digest.<\/p>\n Patients want to know they\u2019re visiting a safe website where their sensitive information will not be compromised. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to ensure your site is built in accordance with the most up-to-date website security standards\u2014which includes having a website that uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).<\/p>\n An HTTPS website helps ensure the patient\u2019s data is securely transmitted through an encrypted connection, therefore protecting the user’s privacy.<\/p>\n1. Launch a mobile-friendly website<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Create a robust patient portal<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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3. Build a strong online search presence.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Invest in video marketing.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Keep your patients\u2019 information private.<\/strong><\/h2>\n