OPPORTUNITIES
1 . RPM ( remote patient monitoring ) and artificial intelligence ( AI ) are both playing a bigger role in delivering and supporting healthcare services for patients . The ability to automate and provide information to a patient without having to talk to a live agent through DtoP engagement is the future and it ’ s happening NOW !
New sophisticated digital services will continue to evolve and help to support patients and improve patient outcomes . Providing patients with the right tools is going to be key and the ability to get to a live agent quickly to avoid tech burn out .
Contact centers should be focused on the skills they are going to need not only to support these new services BUT also ensuring that live agents are skilled to pick up interactions from where the AI started and handed off . Understanding these skills NOW will ensure you are future-proofing your center as these technologies continue to evolve .
2 . Telehealth programs have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic and have provided healthcare organizations with the ability to manage and support patients at home without the need for the patients to interact in the traditional environment .
These services are a huge opportunity to further integrate the contact center into your patient support journey and utilize RPM , AI , and other technologies to provide more tailored healthcare .
22 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
Understanding the next-best-interaction and utilizing telehealth programs to interact with patients before something becomes an issue is the future of healthcare delivery . These programs can also start to move your center to a revenue generating model as opposed to a pure cost .
BEST PRACTICES
1 . Px and PES capture . Ensure that you have processes in place to capture Px and PES ( Patient Effort Score ) so these can be shared across the organization .
2 . People , process , and technology .
a . Connectivity . Connect the agents and supervisors , and yes patients , with cloud-based multichannel , including collaboration tools .
b . Interaction handling protocols . These are essential for ensuring that your center delivers a consistent and compliant service to your patients .
c . Remote working protocols . You should have protocols in place that support an agent working from home , these should include :
• How they manage their time
• Home working environment
• IT downtime
• Alternate work location
• Escalations and who to reach out to for help and support
d . Call , screen recording and real-time quality monitoring software . This is beneficial for onboarding and coaching and providing feedback to remote agents , with intervention if necessary , to ensure Px as well as supporting new application rollouts .
e . Quality management software . This technology monitors all the other interaction types outside of voice and can provide analytics and insights into how these are being used and if your omnichannel offering is operating effectively .
HEALTHCARE
3 . Careful scheduling . These practices ensure that all shifts are covered by agents who have the necessary language skills and cultural understanding to best serve your patients . I would recommend investing in tools that gamify and allow agents the ability to schedule their time outside of the traditional systems that centers typically use !
4 . Mentoring and sponsoring programs . These are key for ensuring you are developing your talent . I would also recommend a “ Voice of the Agent ” program that links the agent back to leadership , so that agents are empowered to raise questions or concerns in a safe environment . You can also add this to your overall reward and recognition programs .
WITH CAREFUL PLAN- NING AND ATTENTION ... HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS CAN SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT A DTOP REMOTE CONTACT CENTER ...
SUMMING UP
Overall , DtoP remote contact centers can offer a range of benefits for healthcare providers and patients alike .
By staying connected to their patients , healthcare providers can improve patient outcomes , increase patient engagement , and reduce costs . However , there are also challenges to consider , including regulatory compliance concerns and the impact of different communication types on a remote contact center .
With careful planning and attention to these challenges , however , healthcare providers can successfully implement a DtoP remote contact center and reap the many benefits it has to offer .
Jason Mercer-Pottinger is an internationally recognized customer contact center expert specializing in healthcare and direct-to-patient services . Jason has had a careerlong success ( spanning 30-plus years ) leading customer experience and success operations within Fortune 500 healthcare enterprises at corporate level .