Why Secure Texting is Essential for Modern Healthcare Contact Centers

A CMP Research annual survey of global customer contact and CX leaders?identified creating a frictionless customer experience is in the top three challenges and priorities in 2024 and ahead to 2025.? This aligns with Forrester 's results in their Budget Planning Guide 2025: Customer Experience report that finds 37% of CX decision-makers plan to increase tech investment by 5% or more in 2025.?

In today's digital age, healthcare contact centers play a crucial role in patient communication and care coordination. However, the increasing demand for instant, convenient communication has highlighted the need for these centers to adopt secure patient texting. Here's why healthcare contact centers should embrace this technology:?

Enhanced Patient Engagement?

Secure patient texting allows healthcare contact centers to communicate with patients more effectively and efficiently. As more non-healthcare contact centers offer texting, patients are increasingly expecting secure texting to be an option with healthcare organizations.? In fact, per Providertech , 85% of individuals prefer mobile messages to emails or calls.? Patients can receive appointment reminders, follow-up instructions, and important health updates directly on their phones.?This immediate and accessible form of communication leads to better patient engagement and improved health outcomes.?

HIPAA Compliance and Data Security?

One of the primary reasons for adopting secure patient texting is to ensure HIPAA compliance. Standard SMS lacks encryption and poses significant risks to protected health information (PHI).?Secure texting platforms offer end-to-end encryption, access controls, and audit logs, safeguarding patient data and helping healthcare organizations avoid potential legal and financial penalties.?

Improved Efficiency and Productivity?

Secure texting platforms such as QliqSOFT’s Quincy platform, integrate with contact center systems, enabling contact centers to reduce wait times and to address patient requests asynchronously.?This integration can significantly increase the efficiency of healthcare contact centers, allowing staff to manage patient interactions more effectively.?

Real-Time Communication?

Secure texting also enables real-time communication between healthcare providers and patients. This immediacy can be crucial in addressing patient concerns, providing timely updates, and even facilitating remote consultations when appropriate.?

Patient Preference and Satisfaction?

The average hold time?in healthcare call centers tends to be longer than many other businesses at 4.4 minutes leading to an abandonment rate of 7%.? This results in lost business, higher no show rates and patient frustration.??

Many patients prefer text messaging as a communication method due to its convenience and immediacy. By offering secure texting options, healthcare contact centers can cater to these preferences, potentially increasing patient satisfaction and loyalty.?

Cost-Effective Solution?

Compared to traditional phone calls, secure texting can be a more cost-effective communication method for healthcare contact centers. It allows for efficient, asynchronous communication that can reduce the workload on call center staff.?

In conclusion, the adoption of secure patient texting is becoming increasingly essential for healthcare contact centers. It offers a HIPAA-compliant, efficient, and patient-friendly communication channel that can significantly enhance the quality of care and operational efficiency. As healthcare continues to evolve in the digital age, secure texting will likely become a standard feature in patient communication strategies.?