The importance of fast, clear communication in the healthcare industry cannot be overstated.
When vital test results need to be relayed to patients or important appointment reminders have to be shared, patients depend on their healthcare providers to provide the best communication possible.
And despite a trend toward email and messaging apps to share patient information, many people still prefer a phone call over other forms of communication.
In a recent healthcare survey, 93% of people said they want a call from their healthcare provider, especially when it involves urgent matters.
However, there’s a major discrepancy in the healthcare industry between what patients want and what healthcare providers offer. Why? Because many healthcare providers fail to properly identify their outbound phone calls, leading to increased missed or declined calls.
Patients are Missing Calls
Patients are missing important calls from you, and that’s not good.
But it’s not as if patients don’t want to answer. When we asked whether people wanted phone calls from their healthcare providers, only 7% said they never wanted a call for any reason.
There are countless reasons patients want a call from you. It could be test results, appointment reminders, medical referrals, appointment scheduling, or even pharmacy notifications.
But why aren’t they answering? Because they don’t know it’s you.
When you place an outbound call to a patient, most people only see a 10-digit number – and instead of a recognizable brand name, people assume it’s a wrong number or worse, a scammer.
It’s no wonder that 76% of people surveyed said they ignored a call from a healthcare provider because they didn’t know who was calling.
Unfortunately, when people ignore an important call, they delay getting the care they need. It could be time-sensitive test results or a notification that their life-saving medication is ready to be picked up. A properly identified call can be the difference between a healthy life or delayed medical care.
But there is a way to brand your calls and get back in communication with people – it’s called branded calling. Let’s explore how it can benefit your business.
Branded Calling Identifies Important Calls
Branded calling is the next step in caller identification technology that puts full control of branding in the hands of businesses.
Rather than relying on outdated Caller ID databanks, branded calling lets you register every outbound calling number that you use and give each one a unique name. When you call your patients, regardless of whether they have your contact details saved in their phones, your business name appears on the incoming call screen.
Patients and customers will also see your call branding in their phone’s call history. So even if they missed your call the first time, they can check their history and know when they missed an important call from you. That leads to more callbacks and better care for your patients.
No more unknown numbers; branded calling tells your patients exactly who is calling. You’ll see a huge boost to not only your answer rates but an increase in customer experience and satisfaction.
And if you don’t brand your calls? Be prepared for the pushback. Nearly 80% of people would consider rating their healthcare provider poorly for making unidentified calls.
Now let’s see how one of our healthcare clients, Galileo, has used branded calling to reach more patients.
The Proof is in the Pickups
What happens when your entire business depends on getting patients to answer your calls, yet patients aren’t picking up? Galileo, a remote healthcare platform, found out the hard way that unknown calls don’t get answered.
Galileo provides online services to patients using phone calls and video technology. But when patients requested an appointment via phone, they failed to answer when Galileo reached out.
At the time, Galileo wasn’t using call branding to identify their outbound calls. Patients saw an unknown number appear on their phones and didn’t trust who was on the other end.
However, after adding INFORM® branded calling to their call strategy, they saw their customer engagement rate rise by 34% — meaning that customers were ready to talk when they saw the call branding come through. And that also led to a 45% increase in conversions!
Galileo took their calls from unknown to unmissable, with their branding front-and-center on every call placed.
Looking for more case studies? Check out how we’ve helped other companies, just like yours, improve their outbound call strategy.
Brand Your Calls, Grow Your Business
Healthcare professionals looking to develop a better customer experience must consider their call branding as a key piece to the puzzle.
Ready to see what branded calling can do for your healthcare company? Learn more on our healthcare industry page, and reach out to our sales team if you’re ready to start the conversation!
