Get the Perfect Practice: The Role of WhatsApp in Healthcare

In April 2022, WhatsApp had approximately 2.44 billion unique active users worldwide, up 6.4 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2021. WhatsApp is expected to reach over 2.26 billion unique users in June 2022. The popular instant messaging platform, which hit two billion monthly active users in February 2022, was the leading communication channel for global smartphone users in 2021

We’re interested in exploring the role of WhatsApp in healthcare today. Can this technical solution really add any value to the prickly world of healthcare? What opportunities will become available when implementing the WhatsApp Business Platform in your practice?

Why Choose WhatsApp in Healthcare?

Perhaps the question should be, why choose WhatsApp at all? As we noted at the outset, this simple, free messaging app enjoys massive consumer support and is both easy to adopt and use. 

 For the sake of clarity, however, let’s highlight some of the advantages of WhatsApp in business.

●     Simple integration into your current tech stack

●     Allows you to reach customers/patients wherever they are

●     It offers a user-friendly platform that a majority of consumers are already familiar with

●     Encourages fast two-way communication

●     It offers multimedia support, links, lists, and so much more

●     Allows for secure, time-sensitive notifications

●     Offers a personalised user experience

Communication within healthcare is necessarily a delicate balance between efficiency and empathy. You’re dealing with people at their most vulnerable, which needs to be considered when implementing technical solutions that can sometimes feel cold and impersonal.

This fact alone points to the logical inclusion of Chatbots by making use of the Mobile Service Cloud available through CM.com. As people become more comfortable with chatbots, these have proven surprisingly effective in relieving the stresses of common questions. Chatbots are working 24/7 and precisely delegate and handle frequently asked questions about your healthcare facility.

"Where can I park?", "How do I order my medication?", "What time if your practice open?"

A chatbot may just be what the doctor ordered to relieve your customer care employees of these common questions.

Putting WhatsApp to Work

Let’s see exactly how WhatsApp flexes its technological muscles in healthcare.

Patient Scheduling

Almost every call to a healthcare provider is urgent. That is simply the nature of the business. What this means, though, is that the unfortunate souls who schedule appointments must manage the stress of dealing with anxious, often frightened patients, which can be difficult and exhausting. 

WhatsApp automates quick and easy appointment scheduling for patients, lifting this burden off receptionists who can better assist the patients within their doors. Patients choose their own times and dates and enter their personal information with zero input from your team.

Additionally, this clever system allows them to reschedule appointments where necessary - again without tying up the phone lines.

Appointment Reminders

How much revenue does your practice lose each month from missed appointments? It’s a double whammy as you can’t charge the patient that had the appointment, but you didn’t schedule anyone else in that time slot.

Automating WhatsApp appointment reminders is a foolproof way to reduce the number of no-shows and offers a quick and easy way for patients to cancel if needed.

FAQ's and Feedback

A FAQ Chatbot is a smart way to tackle common questions, even in the medical field. Chatbots can assist by directing patients to the right professional, offering basic advice following a series of questions, or even checking back in a couple of days to ask for feedback.

However, a chatbot can only answer the more common questions. Set your chatbot up to recognize the nature and urgency of the query, and if needed, hand it off to a live agent as soon as possible.

Notifications and Updates

WhatsApp can also effortlessly automate essential reminders such as updated scripts, appointment reminders, or notifications when lab results or other new information is available for patients.

Personalised, High-Quality Healthcare with CM.com

We’re certain that providing an enhanced user experience to your valued patients is right at the top of your priorities for the future. We’ve seen how WhatsApp effortlessly provides:

●     A comfortable and familiar space to interact with your patients

●     A personalised experience across multiple platforms

●     Automated messaging and Chatbot implementation to cover peak periods effectively

Therefore, if you can connect WhatsApp to your systems of choice to offer a faster, more personalised service to your patients, relieve the administrative burden from your team, and streamline every element of your practice - wouldn’t you dive right in?