7 Ways Healthcare Agencies Can Improve Customer Service

80% of revenue comes from just 20% of repeat customers, and one of the best ways healthcare agencies can retain customers is to improve their customer service. Here are seven easy ways to improve customer service that healthcare agencies can implement today.

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#1. Add contact information, pricing, and booking options to your website 

Adding key information like pricing, booking options, and contact information to your healthcare agency’s website is an easy way to improve customer service. This reduces the need for customers to contact you (and wait for an answer) but makes it easy to get in touch if needed. 

Additionally, healthcare agencies should consider creating an FAQ page and reviewing it regularly to ensure the information is current and covers the main topics a potential or existing customer might have. 

You should also create dedicated landing pages for each service you offer, with information about what each service entails to give customers more information. Dedicated landing pages are also an easy way to increase visitors to your website because they’re a great place to add relevant, targeted keywords to improve your website’s SEO.

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#2. Clearly state your refund/cancellation policy 

One of the worst customer service issues for customers to run into — aside from rude customer service agents — is finding out after they booked that appointments are non-refundable or can’t be rescheduled. 

Clearly displaying your healthcare agency’s refund and cancellation policies on your website, and getting customers to agree to them at the time of booking, ensures that customers know what they’re getting into before it’s too late. 

Make sure to include

• The minimum notice period for cancellations/rescheduling 
• Any fees a customer is liable for when canceling and if these can be avoided with enough notice 
• If you have an extenuating circumstance clause for cancellations 
• What happens if a healthcare provider has to cancel, i.e., refunds issued, discounts offered, etc. 

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#3. Optimize customer service channels

Reviewing and optimizing communication channels is essential for healthcare agencies looking to improve customer service. Don’t fall into the trap of offering too many communication channels in an effort to please everyone if you don’t have the resources to monitor them effectively. 

Patients shouldn’t wait more than an hour to get a response during business hours, and never more than 24 hours. If you can’t guarantee a fast response rate, consider condensing your communication channels down to just a few main ones, such as phone, email, and your most used social media platform. 

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#4. Use online booking to reduce wait times 

Introducing online booking is the most significant change a healthcare agency can make to improve customer service. More than 70% of customers prefer to book and manage service appointments, like healthcare appointments, online. 

Online booking software gives clients a fast, convenient way to organize appointments. Most online booking software for healthcare agencies also has integrated online payments for a secure way to take payments. 

Online booking helps healthcare agencies reduce customer response times and remove scheduling delays that impact a client’s perception of a business. Online booking software with integrated employee scheduling, like MarketBox, also makes organizing healthcare providers easy and provides instant confirmations to customer requests. (You can also choose to send booking requests to providers to accept or decline individually and allow clients to choose their own provider from a list of compatible options if desired). Book a personalized demo to learn more. 

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#5. ‍Hire quality tutors

For service-based businesses like healthcare companies, the quality of employees you hire significantly impacts customer service levels. It’s important to invest time into finding the right healthcare providers to maintain a consistent, high-quality service across your business. 

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Related: 8 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

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#6. Automate appointment reminders

Another easy way to improve customer service is to automate appointment reminders. Automated appointment reminders significantly reduce the admin tasks your team has to deal with and reduce no-shows by up to 85%. This ensures that customers receive their services in a timely manner and don’t have to reschedule appointments. 

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#7. Collect customer feedback and action on it quickly

The last way healthcare agencies can improve customer service is by listening to their customers. Collecting feedback, either formally through surveys and focus groups or second-hand through customer reviews, is an effective way to highlight areas to improve and take action to avoid negative customer experiences. 

If your healthcare agency uses online booking software like MarketBox, you can automate review requests and send customers follow-up messages after appointments to collect feedback quickly and easily. 

By implementing the strategies outlined above, healthcare agencies can improve customer service and enhance patient experiences without adding extra work for providers.

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