SMS Broadcast In Healthcare – Importance & Application
SMS Broadcast In Healthcare – Importance & Application People can ignore phone calls, leave their emails unread for days, but SMS messages always get attention. The whooping SMS open rate of 98% says a lot as compared to the email open rate of 20%. With time, SMS Broadcasting has become a preferred method of communication for the healthcare sector. Let’s dive in and understand how you can use SMS Broadcast to manage the pandemic and thrive in the Healthcare space. Provide Relief To Anxious Patients Let’s say a person requires serious surgery in the next 15 days. He needs to prepare himself physically and mentally for the surgery in this half month. Firstly, you can convey the stages of the surgery clearly to keep them informed. Secondly, you can send out tips to physically prepare their body for what’s coming next. Sending motivating messages can help them reduce anxiety. They must be prepared for the surgery in advance to experience less pain. SMS Broadcasting Led To A Decrease In Anxiety And Pain (Case Study) A study conducted by Dental Press Journal Of Orthodontics shows that sending SMS messages prior to treatment resulted in less pain. They divided the total of 103 patients into two categories. The first category didn’t receive any sort of post-treatment communication. On the other hand, the second was sent out with a well-structured message. The results revealed that 53% of patients in the first category got too anxious and experienced heavy pain after the treatment. On the flip side, only 28% of patients from the second category showed signs of anxiety and extreme pain. This study concluded that you are more likely to deal with pain if you prepare the mind in advance. We all know about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our mental health. The anxiety levels are at an all-time high. To ensure you give your patients an experience with minimal pain, make sure you prepare their minds first. Reminding Patients Of Their Scheduled Appointments In the healthcare sector, constant reminders need to be delivered to the patients. If you don’t, they are likely to miss appointments leading to disruption of your schedule. Apart from reminders regarding appointments, you must remind them of the date of their membership (if any), due fee, etc. Once their test results are out, you can quickly inform them regarding the same. Another core reminder can be regarding their well-being after a necessary surgery or operation. Here are some SMS templates for the healthcare industry that you can use. Appointment Reminder “Hi <FIRST NAME>, your appointment is scheduled at <DATE AND TIME>. Reply <WORD, NUMBER, OR SYMBOL> to confirm.” Test Results “Hi <FIRST NAME>, your test results are out and can be checked <HEALTH PORTAL> here. If you find any trouble in accessing the same, feel free to contact us.” Checking Up On Them “Hi <FIRST NAME>, we are just checking up to see if you are doing well. In case of any distress, feel free to reach out to us, and we will assist you with the same.” Prescription Reminder “Hi <FIRST NAME>, a gentle reminder that it’s time to renew your prescription. Book your appointment today.” Suitable For Conducting A Patient Satisfaction Survey Gone are the days when people were short of options. Whether we talk about the healthcare or education sector, collecting feedback is of utmost importance. When you make your patient feel valued and heard, they will keep their thought of switching to a different clinic away. It will help you nurture a long-lasting relationship with your current patients. As collecting feedbacks is a crucial process, we must know that the channel of communication matters. If you are still stuck with paper-based surveys, you are unlikely to receive a great response. Research conducted by Medical Economics shows how 80% of patients are interested in receiving SMS Broadcast messaging-based communication from health providers. Right after switching from traditional surveys, they tripled their survey completion rate. To ensure you receive a great response, Survey Monkey identified that the best time to send a survey is the day of the visit. The earlier you sent it; the better are the chances of a response. Whether they are highly delighted by the service or disappointed, they are likely to respond. Still, Wondering If SMS Campaigns Work for Healthcare Professionals? The California Department Of Public Health organized a flu vaccine SMS Broadcast campaign. The results were great as they found out that 33% of people get vaccinated that week. Another 30% of people made up their minds about getting vaccinated. Another great example is the National Cancer Institute’s SmokefreeTXT campaign. They doubled their results from 3% to 6% after running this campaign. Many teens were motivated to quit smoking altogether. If you need people to take some action, you need to aim at the communication channel of A Space For Confused And Scared Patients A patient is stuck with many questions once he is informed about a particular treatment to follow. He may ask you the impulsive ones, but what about the questions that overthinking brings them close to? SMS Broadcast through an SMS Gateway is a great way to motivate patients to put forward their queries. The only thing that can cost you, patients, is a delay in replies. On the flip side, a space that offers instant replies to queries will hold them tight. If they are putting forward their questions, they expect quick replies. Make sure you have a team of experts in the field assigned for this task. This will show how much you care about your patients and their well-being. Another area that might bug you is whether or not patients follow the tips received through SMS Broadcast messages. The study conducted by The University Of Maryland revealed that the health tips sent by them were followed by 73% of recipients. Remember that you are using one of the most responsive forms of communication. Taking Feedback To Provide Improved Experience Make sure you give enough emphasis to taking feedback. After COVID-19, the era of complete online
Why is Text Messaging is the best tool to manage the vaccination process for GP Clinics?
Why is Text Messaging is the best tool to manage the vaccination process for GP Clinics? With the pandemic on the rise, arming up the people of Australia by providing vaccination against covid-19 is the government’s topmost priority. The role of GP Clinics in speeding up the vaccination process is significant. With the help of the government of Australia, many private hospitals and GP clinics are working tirelessly to facilitate and speed up the vaccination process. So what is the best communication tool that these specific GP Cilinis can use to manage the whole vaccination process efficiently? This tool should have the following qualities: easy to use, Cost-effective, Reliability, customizable, and efficient in meaningful engagement. Text messaging or SMS & MMS Messaging is the best tool or medium of communication that fits the bill. SMS Broadcasting, when compared to other mediums such as Email or social media, is cost-effective and has a better engagement rate. SMS Broadcasting is already being used successfully by the government and other healthcare players on spreading awareness and resourceful information about the pandemic. Constant meaningful engagement and communication are crucial for the success of the overall vaccination process. Spreading info through people who are not tech-savvy is challenging. Mediums like Email and social media require the Internet. But text messaging only requires a mobile phone. The reach is more. A study by Givewell shows the role of SMS in successfully facilitating and managing the vaccination process in developing countries. A live program was conducted in which SMS was implemented to promote, manage and facilitate the overall vaccination process. It was a cost-effective program with a 90% success rate. Studies show that the program was effective in both rural and urban areas. Different stages of the vaccination process The overall vaccination process can be categorized into mainly five steps or stages. Let us try to understand how Text Messaging can add value in those specific five stages. The different stages of the vaccination process are: Create awareness Booking appointments Sending resourceful info Acknowledgement and certification Relationship building Create awareness: SMS Broadcasting can be implemented using an SMS Gateway to create mass awareness about the importance of vaccination, the slots available and other resourceful information. SMS has a broader reach and high engagement and open rates when compared to other mediums of communication. SMS is a two-way channel as it can handle both outgoing and incoming messages. We could have personalised conversations with the target audience and clear any of their doubts regarding the pandemic and the need for vaccination. Booking appointments: In SMS, open rates are pretty high; around 90% of people open the text messages within five minutes of receiving the message. Info on the slots available, Booking of a particular vaccination slot, Confirmation and reminders and the rescheduling of vaccination slots can be done via text messaging. Everything can be tracked properly with the help of an SMS Gateway. Sending automated text messages make the whole process much easier. Sending resourceful info: Any resourceful information that might help the target audience can be shared with the masses with just one click. For example:- Info about the vaccination process, the slot timing, reminders, etc. Anything from everything that the target audience wants to know can be shared instantly so that total transparency can be maintained. A 2-way sharing of resourceful information can happen as well. People can rate their experience, their doubts and their queries about the vaccination process. Acknowledgement & Certification: The Acknowledgement and certification process can be managed well by using an SMS Gateway. Links to certificates, acknowledgement and other details can be passed on with ease. Relationship building: Through SMS, you can also collect feedback and answer queries. Engagement with the targeted audience does not have to end with the completion of the vaccination process. Quality relationships could be built upon by meaningful, personalised engagement through an SMS Gateway. To sum up: The use of Text Messaging in managing and improving the vaccination process is significant. But partnering with any SMS Gateway provider won’t do the trick. You would need a reliable partner who would be with you full time throughout the whole vaccination process. Guni SMS, Australia’s No-1 SMS Gateway, would be the best choice. Their consultants provide custom made solutions and use-cases as per your requirements. They would also be providing a free campaign manager too throughout the whole vaccination process. The best part is that you would only have to pay for the SMS sent, which would be pay as you use. Guni has helped many businesses across Australia tackle the pandemic by helping them capitalising on the power of SMS. It is safe to say that Guni would be with you and your clinic full time, catering to all your needs and requirements. Capitalise on the power of SMS Broadcasting with the help of Guni for free today! Share Via Facebook Instagram Twitter Whatsapp Youtube Linkedin Double upon your engagement. Start Growing with Guni today
6 powerful ways in which an SMS Gateway can improve the patient experience in the Healthcare Industry.
6 powerful ways in which an SMS Gateway can improve the patient experience in the Healthcare Industry. Healthcare service providers in Australia are working round the clock to assist patient that walks into their doors. The pandemic situation has drastically affected the Healthcare space. Since resources are being stretched, maintaining the required quality in the patient experience has been a challenge to many healthcare service providers. The Covid-19 pandemic has also impacted the way on ho people/patients wants to interact with the service providers in the Healthcare Industry. You’ll be surprised to learn that ‘’80% of people want the option to use their smartphones to interact with their healthcare providers.’’ In fact,‘’66% of smartphone users want to receive medical advice through digital channels instead of visiting a doctor.’’ The current processes implemented by the service providers concerning patient engagement in the healthcare space needs an overall change as per the demands and requirements of the present scenario. Text Messaging or SMS is a cost-effective tool that can be implemented to improve patient engagement. The overall patient journey can be appropriately managed with the help of an SMS Gateway, and the overall patient experience can be drastically improved. Here are six ways to do so:- 1. Book Appointments/Send Reminders In a study, it was found out that ‘’69% of people want to receive reminders to arrange medical appointments and to receive notification for taking their medication.’’ With the help of an SMS Gateway, Healthcare service providers can book appointments and send reminders to patients. The whole process of booking appointments and sending reminders can be managed appropriately and facilitated with ease. Automated text messages can be sent to book appointments, confirm appointments and to send reminders. 2. Conduct Regular Follow Up With Patients Conducting regular and timely follow-ups with patients is essential in ensuring that they move forward with the prescribed treatment plans. A proper follow up also reduces liability concerns and increases safety. With the help of an SMS Gateway, doctors and nurses can follow up with the patient and have personalised 2-way conversations. 3. Educate & Inform Patients Text Messaging is the best medium that can be used to educate and inform patients about healthcare. The best example of using SMS to inform patients would be about the Covid-19 pandemic. When the virus struck Australia, no one knew of its complications, the safety procedures, the do’s and Don’ts, etc. Proper awareness could have been spread with the help of an SMS Gateway. Resourceful information related to healthcare can be promoted with a single click to the masses. SMS has a better engagement rate when compared to other mediums such as email and social media. 4. Improved Staff Management Healthcare professionals are stretched due to the pandemic, and all most all of them are working overtime. An SMS Gateway would help improve the efficiency of those health professionals through automated SMS communication. Health professionals can easily track and manage their day to day activities with the help of timely reminders. It is also to be noted that the healthcare professionals’ efficiency will have a direct impact on the patient experience. 6. Getting Feedbacks SMS is an excellent tool for collecting feedback from patients. Ensuring that your patients are cared for and listened to is essential in the healthcare space. An SMS Gateway can be used to engage with the patients and collect timely information and feedback, which can be utilised for making things better. 7. Overall Management An SMS Gateway is an effective tool for the overall management of a patient’s journey. The whole process can be managed with ease. Medical Prescriptions can be sent by text messages. The waiting time of a patient can be reduced by providing accurate appointment times. This would be helpful for the patients as well as the staff. Huge crowds can be avoided. Appointments can be confirmed or denied by the patients or rescheduled. The best part is that custom made use-cases can be made based on the processes and the requirements of the health care service providers. There are SMS Gateway providers such as Guni SMS, that provides custom made solutions as per the requirements for free. Conclusion The expectations and preferences of the patients are changing. Healthcare service providers need to adapt to these changes for providing better quality services. Investing in an SMS Gateway would be the best cost-effective alternative for meeting these respective expectations and improving upon the patients’ experience. But just investing in any SMS service provider won’t work out. You should invest in an SMS service provider who can give you custom made solutions or use-cases as per your requirements. You should invest in an SMS service provider who has the experience in improving processes through meaningful engagement. The best alternative would be to go with Guni SMS– Australia’s No-1 SMS Gateway. They provide custom made solutions as per the requirements for free! Guni SMS is the best practical option concerning effective cost and ROI. Try Guni for free today and get free consultation services from professionals. Share Via Facebook Instagram Twitter Whatsapp Youtube Linkedin Double upon your engagement. Start Growing with Guni today