How Negative ChatBot Experience Drives Away 30% of Patients?

Patients now have the ability to connect with healthcare specialists through chatbots, utilizing familiar communication methods such as phone calls, video calls, text messaging, and email. These chatbots not only enhance patient engagement but also provide medical professionals with valuable time and opportunities to focus on patients who have the most urgent needs.

Pros and Cons of Using Chatbots

Pros:

Chatbots have become a popular option for patients seeking answers to their questions, even when healthcare professionals are busy or on the go.

Here are some of the benefits of using chatbots:

Enhanced Patient Self-Service:

Chatbots empower patients by allowing them to schedule appointments, order medications, and request prescription refills. They also offer information about symptoms, medical procedures, and essential health advice.

With chatbots, patients can:

• Access the knowledge needed for self-care and health maintenance.
• Facilitate tasks like appointment bookings and prescription renewals.
• Seek second opinions regarding diagnoses or treatment options if necessary.
• Get insights on billing, payment options for medical services, insurance coverage, deductibles, and co-payments.

Chatbots are available around the clock, allowing patients to conveniently schedule appointments and manage their health anytime, day or night.

Improved Patient Engagement:

Healthcare chatbots excel at engaging patients more effectively than traditional communication methods with doctors and healthcare providers. This enhanced engagement is especially useful for a diverse range of patients, including:

Various patient categories include: 

• Patients of all ages.
• Patients with hearing or vision impairments.
• Patients who speak a language other than English or use it as a second language.
• Patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Increased Efficiency

Healthcare chatbots enhance efficiency by providing quick responses to patient inquiries. This speed allows patients to get their answers and return to their tasks without the frustration of waiting on hold or navigating complex phone menus. Chatbots streamline the communication process.

No Need for Scheduling:

One significant advantage of healthcare chatbots is that they don’t require an appointment to use.

Cons:

Despite the increasing use of chatbots in healthcare services, there are several areas that need improvement. Although chatbots are valuable for enhancing communication between clients, patients, and their healthcare providers, there are notable downsides to their use in the medical arena:

Minimal Human Interaction:

While healthcare chatbots are effective at sharing information, they should also encourage genuine human interaction. In emergencies or when patients need assistance understanding medical instructions, the lack of a human touch can become a critical issue.

Limited Information:

Due to their user-friendly design, chatbots often struggle to convey detailed information. They can only provide a limited amount of information at once, which may not be enough for patients looking for comprehensive answers.

Security Concerns:

The security challenges associated with healthcare chatbots are well-documented; they have been scrutinized in other sectors such as banking and finance. This concern remains one of the primary drawbacks of implementing chatbots in healthcare. As this technology is still developing, many security issues need to be addressed before they can be utilized safely in the healthcare industry.

Potential Overwhelm:

One issue with healthcare chatbots is that an abundance of options can overwhelm users, making it difficult for patients to find the right chatbot to meet their specific needs.

One Negative Chatbot Experience Drives 30% of Customers Away!

Over 30% of patients report dissatisfaction with their chatbot interactions. On the other hand, positive chatbot engagements yield encouraging results; a poll indicates that after a satisfactory experience, 61% of consumers are more likely to return and recommend the brand.

Patients generally appreciate chatbots for their 24/7 access, quick responses, and the independence they offer. In comparison to direct interactions with human agents or other communication channels, chatbots often receive higher ratings.

However, around 75% of users feel that chatbots struggle with complex inquiries and tend to provide unreliable answers. More than half of respondents agree that finding solutions through chatbots can be cumbersome, with nearly half noting that the responses given are often out of context.

The most frustrating element for users is often the lack of meaningful interaction with a human. After exhausting the chatbot’s capabilities, over half of those surveyed frequently couldn’t connect with a human representative for further assistance.

The impact of poor chatbot interactions is substantial, as 30% of consumers stated they would likely switch to another brand, abandon their purchase, or share negative experiences about the healthcare provider after a disappointing chatbot engagement.

Conversely, positive experiences create a ripple effect. According to the survey, 61% of participants would be more inclined to return and recommend the brand after enjoyable interactions. Furthermore, 56% of healthcare providers are likely to consider using chatbots in the future following a positive experience.

AI Medical CALLBOTS:

Did you know that AI Medical CALLBOTS can assist by answering routine patient questions at the front-end while assigning more complex tasks to staff at the back-end?

Simbo’s AI-CALLBOT not only engages with patients, providing answers to common queries ranging from office hours to managing appointment requests, but also delegates more complex inquiries to the appropriate staff. This comprehensive end-to-end call management solution ensures that no patient calls are missed, ultimately increasing patient satisfaction and boosting hospital revenue. It is multilingual, HIPAA-compliant, and available 24/7.

Enroll for a demo now!