The stakes to deliver a strong patient experience are rising in healthcare

As revealed in a new report by Talkdesk ResearchTM, heightened patient expectations are forcing the hand for providers on a global scale.

Talkdesk Research focuses on delivering industry-leading thought leadership on customer experience. The Patient Experience (PX) Revolution in Healthcare represents the second report in a series on how experiences are evolving across industries. In developing this report, we surveyed nearly 700 patients and more than 160 patient experience (PX) professionals across 11 countries to understand the changing dynamics of PX in healthcare. We heard the same thing over and over: patients expect more out of their experience with healthcare providers and the stakes are rising to meet that expectation.

Patients expect more from their healthcare providers.

Like in any industry, patients want and expect interactions with the healthcare organization to feel as if they are engaging with one unified brand. They are seeking fast, accurate support on their preferred channels. And the stakes are rising. Three-in-five (58%) patients say their customer service expectations are higher than a year ago.

Providers understand PX can be a differentiator.

With more options for healthcare than ever, providers must set themselves apart. Leading providers are reimagining patient experience through the lens of digital transformation—featuring highly personalized, seamless and proactive interactions—knowing it can be a differentiator.

Legacy call center systems hinder provider PX efforts.

Recognizing contact centers’ role as a key part of PX, healthcare leaders are now exploring ways in which they can support better patient outcomes. The challenge in embracing the contact center for better PX comes down to the center itself. It must be modern and easily equipped to integrate across the organization. Legacy call center set-ups can make improving PX difficult—highlighting a desire to transition to cloud-based solutions.

Upgrading the contact center is a growing priority among PX professionals.

Upgrading the contact center is growing in urgency. Driven by the potential to support issue resolution through care coordination, 68% of PX professionals report that upgrading the contact center is a high priority and 88% agree that contact centers are a meaningful contributor to their PX strategy. Recognizing the contact center as an engagement layer to facilitate inbound and outbound interactions to serve patient needs, there’s growing aspiration to lead the digital transformation of healthcare contact centers.

Healthcare providers are at a pivotal moment to reimagine the patient experience.

As healthcare providers prioritize and move their contact centers to the cloud, the opportunities to bring about change and improve PX increase exponentially. For further detail into the evolving landscape of PX and to unlock and harness the full potential of your healthcare contact center, download the report, The Patient Experience (PX) Revolution in Healthcare.