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The Digital Revolution in Healthcare: Harnessing Data for Enhanced Customer Experience

Author: Amanda Beesley | Vice President of Consulting | Aspire
Sponsored by: O’Neil Digital Solutions

The Evolution from CCM to CXM

In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, a new paradigm has emerged, one that places customer experience (CX) at the forefront of business strategy. Healthcare payers and providers are transforming their communication strategies to meet the changing needs and expectations of their customers. Since the unprecedented market disruption in 2020, corporate communications have focused on digital transformation and improving customer experience.

This evolution is driving an accelerating shift from Customer Communications Management (CCM) to a more comprehensive Customer Experience Management (CXM) approach. A key component of this transformation is the growing importance of in-depth consumer insight and data to help craft these superior customer experiences. The ability to leverage data for personalized interactions is becoming a critical differentiator in the healthcare sector.

The Rising Importance of Personalization

Aspire’s 2024 global research has shown that one in five consumers worldwide switched providers in the last year because of poor communications experience, including over a quarter of Millennials and Gen Z. Four out of the top five negative aspects consumers say would lead them to switch providers relate to the content of the communications.

Consumers living in homes with the highest income demand relevant, consistent, and easy to understand communications on their chosen channels while more highly educated consumers value correct, consistent, secure, and concise interactions. These insights underscore the importance of robust and consistent customer experience and the growing need for CX platforms to help facilitate true one-to-one communications with consumers. We’re seeing the growing development of these platforms, which include comprehensive capabilities aligned to manage and enhance individual consumer experience across the entire interaction lifecycle. By leveraging these capabilities, healthcare organizations can successfully drive higher levels of digital adoption through improved engagement, ultimately enhancing loyalty, growing revenue, and reducing costs. The ability to communicate on a truly personal level with each customer is rapidly becoming an essential element of healthcare messaging.

Therefore, the transition from CCM to CXM is not just “nice to have” – it is instead an imperative in today’s competitive landscape. Our analysis indicates that healthcare organizations are increasingly working to leverage comprehensive databases as part of wider CX platform initiatives. These platforms must empower users to collect, analyze, and apply customer data across various touchpoints, enabling a more holistic and personalized approach to customer interactions.

Creating Seamless, Personalized Experiences

Rich customer data is the key to creating a consistent and seamless experience across all of an individual consumer’s interactions with his or her healthcare payers and providers. For example, a health insurance provider could send a personalized video reviewing a customer’s employer-supported options during open enrollment.

This level of personalization extends beyond a single interaction. It allows healthcare

providers to ‘knit together’ all of the bi-directional touchpoints a consumer has with them. From intake forms and online portals to in-office visits and call claims interactions, a data driven approach ensures consistency and relevance across all channels.

Data: The Cornerstone of Enhanced CX

The importance of data in this new paradigm cannot be overstated. Today’s customers

expect their providers to understand their unique needs, preferences, and circumstances. They desire communications and services tailored specifically to them, for example discharge instructions specific to the patient’s conditions and recovery.

Traditionally, data enrichment and consumer categorization by personas have been

primarily marketing-oriented activities. However, as marketing and regulatory

communications converge to form a more unified consumer experience, data enrichment becomes increasingly important across all customer touchpoints. Using data to enhance what you know about your customers is a powerful tool that can improve their experience, drive digital engagement, and foster loyalty.

The Convergence of Marketing and Regulatory Communications

As we move toward a more holistic view of customer experience, the traditional divide

between marketing and regulatory communications is blurring. Healthcare payers and

providers have begun to recognize that every interaction, whether it’s a pamphlet on

wellness and preventative care or an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), contributes to the

overall customer experience.

By applying a uniform data-driven, personalized approach to all communications, providers and payers can turn even routine regulatory interactions into opportunities for engagement and relationship-building. This convergence not only improves customer experience but also helps senders meet regulatory requirements more effectively by ensuring their communications are relevant and tailored to each recipient’s needs and preferences.

Navigating the Regulatory Landscape

While the benefits of a data-driven approach to customer experience are clear, healthcare payers and providers must confront the regulatory considerations that come with collecting and leveraging patient data. Senders must navigate a complex landscape of data protection and privacy regulations and industry-specific requirements.

Cloud-based services have emerged as a powerful solution in this context. These platforms offer robust security measures and built-in compliance features, making them an attractive option for managing sensitive health data. By leveraging cloud technology, payers and providers can ensure data security while still harnessing the power of advanced analytics and machine learning to drive personalized experiences.

The Future of Financial Services CX

As we look to the future, it’s clear that data-driven Customer Experience Management will play an increasingly central role in every industry, including healthcare.

Aspire’s analysts and consultants report that the following key trends will shape the future of communications in healthcare:

AI-powered personalization: Advanced AI algorithms will enable even more sophisticated personalization, predicting patient needs and preferences with incredible accuracy. Reliable data sources are the key to this future.
Real-time adaptation: CX platforms will evolve to adapt in real-time to customer behaviors and their diagnosed conditions, ensuring interactions are always relevant.
Beyond factual data, healthcare institutions will increasingly look to incorporate emotional intelligence into their CX strategies so that they can recognize and respond to a customer’s emotional states.
Predictive guidance: Leveraging big data and AI, healthcare payers will offer proactive, personalized fitness and wellness advice that can help patients better manage chronic conditions.
Seamless omni-channel experiences: The lines between digital and physical channels will continue to blur, creating truly integrated experiences across all touchpoints.

Conclusion

The healthcare industry is at a pivotal point – data-driven customer experience

management is no longer a luxury but a necessity. By leveraging comprehensive patient

insights, payers and providers can create personalized, engaging experiences to meet

evolving expectations. Those who can effectively harness the power of data to create

meaningful, personalized interactions will undoubtedly have a significant advantage in

attracting and retaining customers in the digital age.

About O’Neil Digital Solutions

O’Neil Digital Solutions is a data-driven software and services company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with a strong presence in the US healthcare, financial services, and insurance markets. O’Neil is a fast-growing hosted managed services business offering an integrated cloud platform that manages critical as well as promotional communications underpinned by deep data analytics capabilities and AI. With a rich 60-year heritage deeply rooted in data acquisition, consolidation, and analytics, the company leverages a wealth of intelligence and insight. O’Neil’s background as both an investment management and data research firm gives it a unique perspective on consumer behavior and a keen understanding of predictive analytics. O’Neil harnesses this expertise and applies it to a CXM platform called OneSuite that it has designed to influence consumer behavior through targeted customer communications across all channels.

A Word from our Sponsor

Mark Rosson, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at O’Neil Digital Solutions, notes, “Our ONEsuite CX platform is built upon a powerful data warehouse. This allows us to help our clients create deep audience segmentation, which drives more personalized, meaningful communications and experiences that foster trust, loyalty and an overall

high-level of customer satisfaction.”

About Aspire

Aspire is a global analyst and market research firm providing independent insight and trusted advice to the Customer Communications Management (CCM) and Customer Experience Management (CXM) industries. Aspire empowers Enterprises, CCM/CXM Software, Services and Solution providers, and Business Advisories and Private Equity Firms, with unbiased guidance and actionable insights delivered through a variety of highly specialized services.

Author

Amanda Beesley | Vice President of Consulting | Aspire

amanda.beesley@aspireccs.com

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