Rating Communication: Healthcare and Phone Calls

For healthcare providers, ratings and reviews play a crucial role in how patients choose their doctor, medical center, and pharmacy.

With online review sites, consumers can see what everyone else thinks of a hospital and staff at their fingertips. In fact, three in four people have used the web to research a doctor, dentist, or other medical care providers.

And that means just one poor review of your business can entirely change how a potential patient views you.

So why are there so many negative reviews lately? It could be poor facility management or lousy staff, or it could be something just as irritating for patients – poor phone communication.

Healthcare Communication Preferences

Recently, we conducted a survey of over 2,000 subscribers about their communication preferences when it comes to healthcare providers. One of the biggest red flags we saw? Nearly 80% of respondents said they would rate their provider poorly if they called from an unidentified number.

So, why do people feel this way? When facilities use an unknown number to contact a new or current patient, they’re less likely to answer. Scammers have sown mistrust in almost everyone, seeding doubt and worry into future calls they don’t recognize.

Fraud continues to be an issue clients run into in the healthcare industry. With scammers posing as providers, patients have faced incredible financial loss and, as a result, lost faith in the phone call.

And this is unfortunate because more than 9 in 10 people surveyed said they’d prefer a call from their doctor, pharmacy, or other providers, especially for urgent matters.

Why Calls?

What constitutes a reason for calls? According to patients, here are the top 5 reasons for a healthcare-related call:

1. Test results
2. Appointment reminders
3. Medical referrals
4. Appointment scheduling
5. Pharmacy notifications

Phone calls are clear, and they’re the fastest and most secure way to reach a client, especially when it comes to important health information.

Long Story Short

Face it, if people don’t know who’s calling, they’re not answering. Most people assume an unknown call is a scam, further increasing distrust in phone communication. Over 75% of people have reported ignoring a call from their provider because they didn’t know who was calling.

If you’re in the healthcare industry, you’ve probably experienced declined/ignored calls from clients and the frustration of getting sent to voicemail.

Ready to rate?

There must be a better way to enhance the calling experience while improving your brand’s ratings.

That’s where Branded Communication comes in.

With a branded call, your company not only builds back that trust with policyholders but betters the odds that current patients will give you a positive review. In fact, nearly 95% said they would return a missed call from their provider if the number was correctly labeled in their call log.

Lift Your Answer Rate, and Your Good Reviews!

Why talk it up when we can show you results!

A teledentistry client saw an increase in their revenue and calling experience with INFORM^®, our Branded Text Display solution.

Before branding their calls, the company expressed difficulty getting customers to answer the phone. After adopting INFORM, the facility experienced a:

• 23% increase in answer rate
• 34% rise in contact rate
• 23% lift in conversion rate

It’s safe to say their trust and efficiency improved overall!

Looking for more insights into patient communication preferences when it comes to healthcare providers? Download “Prescribed Communication: 2022 Healthcare Consumer Communication Report” and see how Branded Communication – whether INFORM or ENGAGE – can boost how you communicate with your clients.