The CX/PX Compass: Improving the Experience of Healthcare

Health care. The soundness of body or mind, as experienced by the individual.

For something that could be as simple as it sounds, the business of healthcare has its share of challenges. As an industry that must operate within governed regulations, the transformation of healthcare should begin with one strategic focus. A business strategy that can affect real change, and has been proven to create the most value, repeat business, and generate referrals ...

Compete and differentiate on customer and patient experience.

The success of this strategy comes with an unwavering commitment to improve the experience of care, as experienced by the individual. And understanding that each individual sees themselves as a customer.

Customer experience is a strategic differentiator in most enterprises, and regulatory challenges present opportunities to be service-focused and digitally innovative 'inside the box' while expanding it through the lens of customer experience/patient experience [CX/PX].

The value of a CX/PX focused initiative touches everything, and it should have metrics to see revenue gains connected to overall benefit: "How will this provide a better experience? What's the process, and how will we measure it?"

Simplicity before complexity should address the first question, while the answer to the latter introduces the CX/PX Compass––a new way to see customer experience data, analyze it, and strategically adjust to it.

Why the CX/PX Compass?

Consumer behavior and their perception of healthcare has long changed in the wake of 2020, and continues to evolve along with how they shop for plans, acute care services, and managing their chronic needs.

To win customers to a practice, and improve engagement to increase utilization and loyalty, we need to measure and refine the experience with a blend of patient satisfaction surveys and proven customer service methodologies.

As a solution, the HealthX Group developed the CX/PX Compass with four quadrants and eight equally balanced metrics to mix PSAT and NPS scores with additional customer data to plot a clear direction for change––and focus on what we can easily fix to optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve experience.?

The symbolism of the 360o compass is critical to navigation: “How will we arrive at our desired destination if we don’t know how to get there?” And the essence of the quadrants is more than the ability to measure and identify strengths vs. areas for investment––it illustrates the balance of metrics used in customer service in nearly every other industry.

Perception

Customer perception is reality, and this quadrant of the CX/PX Compass measures the ability to satisfy what the patient expected when they needed healthcare, compared to the good or bad interactions they experienced while engaged in each process with the provider.

News isn’t good or bad, it’s just a matter of perspective. However, there is one takeaway that consistently applies to the metrics and findings in the Perception quadrant.?

The good: Every patient journey is an individual experience and series of interactions, and perception can change for the better (tomorrow) with a commitment to improve CX/PX at each touch point.???

The bad: If these interactions continue to be tedious, complicated or confusing, perception will become the lasting impression and customers will never want to do business with us again.

Accessibility

One of fundamental factors of care delivery [Cost, Quality or ‘Accessibility’], this quadrant measures engagement through analytics and everything related to the digital experience and mix of tactics that facilitate conversions, scheduling an appointment and patient churn.

If simplicity was a key factor, is there anything we can accurately measure that could affect change more than improving the accessibility of care in 2022 and beyond?

Assuming cost is beyond the control of any single entity and quality should be a ‘table stake’ expectation, then making care more accessible to everyone could include anything from new digital solutions to changing hours of operation and outdated policies.

Loyalty

Every consumer exhibits some level of loyalty to their favorite brands. This quadrant of the CX/PX Compass measures all the little things that demonstrate to the healthcare customer that they are important to us and we value their time.

Forrester research indicates that 77% of consumers say ‘valuing their time’ is the most important thing a company can do to provide a great experience. In healthcare, hurry up and wait is so systemically problematic that it’s consistently a top five complaint.?

People value communication and relationships. Changes in coverage or insurance can be a reason for healthcare customers to switch providers, but almost 60% say they switched for better treatment or service.?

As healthcare providers, if we want customers to be loyal… we need to be irreplaceable.?

Advocacy

Loyalty leads to Advocacy, but not every loyal customer shares a five-star review. This quadrant measures the reputation we are building online, and the likelihood a customer will recommend us to a friend of family member.

Arguably, this is the gold standard of metrics because word of mouth is the best advertising money can’t buy. And a [2022] Healthcare Trends Report revealed that 72% of consumers expect to see multiple online reviews when selecting a new provider.?

Yes, there will always be good and bad reviews. We should appreciate everyone that loves us and listen to understand anyone that feels disenchanted or has a complaint. Somewhere in-between is who we really are in the eyes of our customers, and what we can do to change.

Because CX/PX is Good for Business

People won’t remember an average experience, and they may not fully appreciate everything that went into a great experience. But they will never forget a bad experience.?

This year is presenting a golden opportunity to inspire the change we want to consumers to experience in healthcare.

Considering that consumer out-of-pocket spending on healthcare is estimated to hit $491.6 billion dollars by 2026, and the National Health Spend is projected to reach $6.2 trillion dollars by 2028… then at the very least, healthcare should be delivering an experience where its customers feel valued.?