There are two industries with which each of us must interact: Retail and healthcare. Whether we're shopaholics or we just buy the bare necessities, whether we are praised as 'dental unicorns' by our dentists or reluctantly visit their practices, we participate earnestly in their essential services.
Those of us who have experienced a doctor's office waiting room – outdated issues of People magazine and uncomfortable furniture come to mind – will recognize that those experiences are a far cry from the customer experiences provided by best-in-class retailers. Healthcare practitioners, including doctors and dentists, can glean valuable insights from the customer experiences offered by top retailers: It presents a significant opportunity to enhance the overall customer experience in healthcare.
Customer experiences in healthcare must become more than simply transactional
Today, our relationships with healthcare providers (HCPs) are very transactional — for example, having an annual checkup or having a sore throat checked. Few words are exchanged, or additional benefits offered, if any are at all. How can HCPs make those engagements and their long-term relationships with patients more meaningful? Enhancing the customer experience in healthcare is key.
Retailers have long understood the importance of the customer experience (CX) as part of creating lifetime customer value. It's not just about a single interaction — it's about cultivating a lasting relationship with their customers through discounts, loyalty benefits, ancillary sales and more.
Needless to say, both your primary care physician and your dentist want to keep you around as a patient. But this raises questions: Why aren't they doing more to ensure your loyalty — especially actions that add value for you, the customer? Can healthcare providers use parallel offerings to improve customer relationships? And how do successful ancillary customer relationships in healthcare take shape?
HCPs must adopt a retail mindset for customer experiences for the future of healthcare to be successful. They should consider adopting additional services that add value for their patients. This approach can help build greater loyalty between the HCP and their community.
Improving their digital healthcare game
Retailers got a rude awakening in the mid-1990s when the rise of the internet — the ultimate digital game changer — turned the retail paradigm on its head. Thanks to companies like Amazon and eBay, consumers began accessing brands from anywhere, at any time. The power structure for retail shifted to the consumer, who now dictates and expects a high level of service from brands and retail channels. This switch forced retailers — from traditional players like Walmart, to new players like All Birds — to become hyper-aware of their customers' wants and expectations.
What does this mean for healthcare? HCPs and healthcare brands must enhance their digital capabilities.
Not long after the pandemic started, there was a surge in telemedicine — close to 70% of U.S. doctor visits were virtual. McKinsey & Company research estimated that close to $250 billion of U.S. healthcare spend went to telemedicine. Significant revenue is at stake.
Healthcare providers can expand their market reach and revenue by enhancing their digital presence. From advanced websites and mobile apps to effective chatbots, consumable digital content and even virtual reality, opportunities for digital transformation in healthcare abound.
Retailers were forced to adapt, and those that succeeded reaped the benefits as a result. The healthcare industry must follow suit or run the risk of being overwhelmed by more digitally savvy entrants. Barriers to digital transformation in healthcare must be identified and addressed on an individual and broader industry level.
Robust healthcare supply chain management ensures success
The dot-com boom taught us that without a robust supply chain, all your digital promises will fall short. You may recall the supply chain issues faced by long-gone retailers Pets.com, Kozmo.com or Webvan — the same fate may await practitioners in the healthcare world. Long gone are the days when healthcare organizations could afford to overlook this crucial component. Effective healthcare supply chain management is critical to their CX success.
But without much oversight on costs and efficiencies, health systems may look at their inventory costs as an afterthought. Focusing on patient and provider needs is paramount, but this can work in parallel with the efficiency and discipline supply chain technology in healthcare provides.
Retailers have learned the hard lessons of ignoring their supply chains. It might not grab attention or command the headlines, but investing in a well-run supply chain ensures patient, provider and end-customer satisfaction. Strong supply chain technology in healthcare is a must for smooth operations and an enhanced customer experience in healthcare settings.
Retail and healthcare in the digital age
As consumers, we immerse ourselves in digital technology which affects all aspects of our lives. As a result, across all consumer-facing industries, a 'digital-first' approach is often the norm. And that is something that healthcare needs to recognize.
Retail and healthcare are two very different industries. Nonetheless, we as consumers must actively participate in each of them. Improving the future of healthcare by adopting lessons from retail can greatly enhance the overall customer experience in healthcare settings of all kinds — both online and in person. By applying these lessons, healthcare providers can improve patient care and ensure a customer experience that meets the digital expectations of today's consumers.
