Customer experience is of critical importance to the sustainable growth of any business. Whether yours is a solo practice, a dentist’s office or a hospital, the way you deal with patient issues has a profound impact on your current profit and the patient lifetime value.

To help you better manage patient expectations and understand how specialty answering services can enhance the patient experience, we’ve collected the following insights from the likes of Accenture, Comm100, Zendesk, Google, and HelpScout. These statistics prove that smooth, professional communication is one of the critical factors of positive patient outcome.

1. Growth in customer retention rates by 5%, increases profits anywhere from 25% to 95%

Acquiring a new patient can take from 5-20 times more effort and resources than keeping an existing one. Specialty phone answering services will help you step up your customer service and ensure patients come back to you next time.

2. Businesses that deliver better customer experiences obtain revenues between 4% and 8% above their market

This statistic speaks to the fact that by keeping your patients happy, you’re on the best way to boost your revenue. Good communication is crucial to make your patients feel at ease and satisfied with your services.   

3. 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience

You can show your consideration and maximize profit by delivering 24/7 quality support to your patients. As research shows, people appreciate personalized services that go one step further.

4. 44% of US consumers switch to a competitor following a poor customer service experience

When your healthcare services aren’t up to snuff, patients may soon turn to another medical provider. Factors that can negatively affect customer experience in your facility include inconvenient business hours, poor communication with your staff, or difficulty in obtaining information.

5. 95% of customers share bad experiences that they have with a business

Which means a single blunder in patient communication can cause collateral damage to your healthcare facility. Make sure all your patient inquiries are handled with respect and in an expedient manner.

6. An average American shares a poor customer experience with at least 15 people

Unfortunately, people are less likely to share their positive experiences than bad ones. However, if you deliver consistent high-quality services to your patients, your efforts will be rewarded.

7. 33% of customers who abandon their services suppliers say it’s due to the lack of personalized approach

In all your patient communication, whether via phone or in person, you must provide individualized, meaningful support. Call centers and general phone answering companies often fail to deliver on that expectation, as representatives lack medical understanding, and can only handle basic, scripted scenarios. In a specialist answering service, the calling agents are well-equipped to deal with more complex, personal patient issues.

8. 75% of customers think calling is the most effective way of getting a quick response

We couldn’t agree more! While your facility should offer various means of communication with patients (email, website form, direct contact), most people still prefer to grab the phone in an emergency or when they need some quick info.

9. 46% of customers prefer to talk to customer service on the phone about complicated issues

As this number demonstrates, a considerable group of your patients will choose to call your facility to discuss their health issues. It’s critical that you provide them with 24/7 assistance and ensure all calls are handled to a high standard.

10. An average each US person will spend 1.2 years of their life on hold

This number is so ridiculous that it’s almost unbelievable. You probably know for yourself how frustrating it is to be stuck on hold, listening to annoying music and dialing through endless prompts. Spare this poor experience to your patients and retain answering service specialists to bring down the hold time to a minimum.

11. Being put on hold is the main customer frustration for 43% of customers

That’s another research that highlights the gravity of the issue. Do you really want to antagonize half of your patients? Remember about the negative impact that poor customer experience may have on your healthcare business!

12. 34% of callers who hang up won’t ever call you back

And that’s another reason why it is essential to ensure all calls to your facility are processed by medically-trained professionals, who follow the fundamental rules of phone etiquette and provide your patients with expedient help.

13. A whopping 80% of people who reach voicemail do not leave a message.

This is the ultimate proof that live answering services have a huge upper hand over voicemail. When hearing a recorded voice instead of a live person, your patients may feel intimidated, discouraged and neglected. And that’s exactly what you’re trying to avoid.

14. 75% of customers believe it takes too long to reach a live agent.

That’s why it is absolutely critical for a reliable answering service provider to demonstrate excellent scores when it comes to phone response times.

15. Ca. 40% of all callers quote ‘human service’ as the most important element of phone customer service

Again, although you might be tempted to simply record a relevant message on a voicemail, this strategy will take your facility nowhere in customer experience. Your patients clearly expect to speak to a human, not a machine.

16. 69% of callers expect a quick resolution of their problem

Patients reach out to your facility via phone with a specific issue they need to be resolved quickly. Whether it’s obtaining clarification on treatment or checking your business hours, they choose to call because they seek immediate help.

17. 67% of consumers want a response to their customer service questions within 24 hours

This statistic is further evidence of how impatient we have become nowadays. To provide flawless customer service, you must ensure that each call is taken care of and your patients’ issues are resolved promptly. How to start? Have a look at this article to find out 4 simple steps to starting with medical answering services. 

18. 69% of customers chose not to do business with a company because of their lack of phone skills

This one is a biggie that proves the vitality of engaging trained professionals to answer your calls. With the help of a qualified call agent, you can make sure every caller’s issue is adequately resolved.

19. 62% said that a representative’s knowledge or resourcefulness was key to their positive experience

The way a professional representative handles your patient calls can also affect your healthcare business in a positive manner. To take advantage of this data, go with a live answering company that only focuses on the healthcare industry and provides calling agents with regular medical training.

20. On top of that, 26% of callers get annoyed by a representative who has no knowledge or ability to resolve their issue

Not all calls are equal. Your patient’s call may sometimes fall outside of standard procedures. If the answering service agent gets lost in the conversation, this may lead to patient frustration. That’s why it’s crucial that the answering service goes with you through detailed account scripting to answer your calls in a consistent manner and avoid errors.

21. For 72% of consumers, having to repeat their issue to multiple agents is a critical marker of poor customer service

Health is a particularly delicate subject. We understand why having to go through the same intimate details with several people over the phone may be an excruciating experience. A responsible agent will listen to your patients, quickly recognize their needs, and route the calls to office staff for routine calls or the on-duty physician for emergency calls.

Summary

We hope that these 21 statistics will help you become more confident about your patients’ expectations. Although enhancing healthcare services is a gradual process, outsourcing your calls to a professional medical answering services company is the first step on the route to improved patient experience.

P.S. Help your colleagues discover the benefits of our medical answering service with these 21 patient experience statistics. If they start their 30 DAY FREE TRIAL, we’ll send you a $200 Visa Gift Card or apply a $200 credit to your account. To take advantage of this offer, send us an email.