How Conversational & Generative AI Are Transforming Customer Service in Healthcare

8 min read
Jarrod Davis
Authors name: Jarrod Davis July 31, 2024
How Conversational & Generative AI Are Transforming Customer Service in Healthcare
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The healthcare industry has long faced the dual challenge of providing high-quality care while managing an ever-increasing demand for services. To address these challenges, healthcare providers are turning to technology—specifically, Conversational and Generative AI—to tackle both by supporting both patients and healthcare staff. Here are a few examples of how AI can reduce effort and workload on both sides, improve efficiency, and provide a sustainable solution to keep up with increasing workloads without the corresponding human resources. 

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Technology Trends & Customer Service Trends 

Self-service has become a key trend in healthcare customer service. Patients now can perform various tasks on their own, such as scheduling appointments, accessing health information, and checking test results. Conversational AI powers these self-service portals, providing patients with immediate responses to their queries across any voice or digital channel and enabling them to manage their healthcare needs more independently. This reduces the burden on healthcare staff who have to deal with these high volume, but low complexity questions and enhances the patient experience. 

Next, the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable health devices, like smartwatches, have revolutionized health monitoring. With more devices and data comes more service requests, both reactive and proactive. Conversational AI in healthcare can be used in classic service scenarios to help patients with issues related to such devices as well as be used to proactively reach out to them when something out of the ordinary is detected. 

Finally, telemedicine has emerged as a vital service in modern healthcare, especially during times when in-person visits are challenging and in a sense, it’s just another service process. Conversational AI enhances telemedicine by facilitating pre-visit interactions, such as symptom checking, document collection, intake questions, and even post-visit follow-ups.  

4 Use Cases for Patient Interactions 

  1. Whether booking a hotel or a doctor’s appointment, scheduling management is a classic but critical function of customer service in healthcare. Conversational AI can automate appointment scheduling, reminders, and cancellations, making the process more efficient for both patients and providers. Patients can interact with AI-powered chatbots to book or change appointments, while providers can optimize their schedules based on real-time data, reducing no-shows and improving the patient experience.

  2. Personalized communication is key to patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans. AI-powered systems can send tailored reminders, care instructions, and treatment plans to patients based on their specific needs. For example, a chatbot can remind a patient to take their medication or follow up on a treatment plan, enhancing patient compliance and improving health outcomes. 

  3. Conversational AI increases accessibility by offering multilingual support and 24/7 availability. This ensures that patients can get the help they need regardless of language barriers or time constraints. AI-powered chatbots can provide information in multiple languages and be available around the clock, enhancing the patient experience and ensuring that critical information is always accessible.

  4. Billing issues can be a significant source of frustration for patients and providers alike. Conversational AI helps resolve these issues by providing clear explanations of charges, assisting with payment processing, and addressing patient concerns. This improves patient satisfaction and streamlines financial operations, enhancing the customer service experience in healthcare. 

3 Ways AI Can Assist Healthcare Staff 

  1. Agent Assistance for Office Staff

Conversational AI acts as a virtual assistant for office staff, solving routine inquiries via self-service, intelligently routing calls, and providing information. This allows staff to focus on more complex tasks and enhances overall efficiency, without having to look for additional hires.  

  1. Automating Repetitive Tasks

 AI automates repetitive tasks such as appointment scheduling, patient queries, claims billing, and data entry. This frees up healthcare staff to concentrate on more critical aspects of patient care like seeing to patients in the office, reducing errors, and improving job satisfaction. 

  1. Automated Wrap-Up and Summary

AI can automatically generate wrap-up notes and summaries after patient interactions, saving time for healthcare providers and ensuring accurate documentation. This improves continuity of care and reduces administrative burdens.  

Conclusion  

Conversational AI offers significant benefits for both patients and healthcare providers. Patients experience improved access to care, personalized communication, and streamlined services, while healthcare staff benefit from reduced administrative burdens, enhanced efficiency, and improved job satisfaction. As healthcare providers seek to enhance customer service and operational efficiency, adopting AI-powered solutions is a strategic step forward. 

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