Get more patient appointments with WhatsApp Chatbots: Healthcare Industry

Get more patient appointments with WhatsApp!

“The progress of technology hinges on seamlessly integrating it into daily life, to the extent that its presence becomes imperceptible, becoming an intrinsic part of our everyday routines.” 

In 2020, the health & care industry faced significant challenges, with everyone striving to find solutions to manage medical crises amidst the pandemic. As a result, researchers are currently seeking AI-based methods capable of efficiently processing vast amounts of data to generate valuable insights. Among the potential solutions, chatbots possess the transformative potential to revolutionize the healthcare sector. 

With the use of WhatsApp Business API; health care industry can be benefitted in numerous ways. This chatbot will not only be patient centric solution but will also enhance the hospital revenues by automating tasks and services reducing the operative costs. 

Traditional VS WhatsApp Way to reach out in 2023 

In 2023, the traditional way of reaching out to the healthcare industry would typically involve methods such as phone calls, emails, and in-person visits. Healthcare professionals and organizations may still use these channels to communicate with patients, colleagues, and other stakeholders. However, the traditional approach might be seen as less efficient and slower compared to more modern methods. 

On the other hand, the WhatsApp way of reaching out to the healthcare industry in 2023 would involve leveraging instant messaging through WhatsApp. This approach offers several advantages like Real-time communication, convenience, Multimedia sharing, Broadcasts & reminders, Privacy with security and Global outreach. 

Key concerns for Health Care Organizations in 2023 

According to a report by Deloitte, healthcare businesses are bracing for a challenging year in 2023. Key concerns, 

•  staffing shortages,  
•  inflation,
• decreasing profit margins,
• supply chain disruptions,  

are expected to persist and significantly impact the strategies of hospitals and healthcare institution. These issues are likely to have a disproportionate effect on the overall direction of the healthcare industry. 

How can health sector bring solution for this pain points? 

The primary challenges faced by industries today revolve around inflation and staffing shortages. To address these issues, WhatsApp presents itself as an excellent solution. Originally known for its messaging capabilities, WhatsApp has undergone substantial development, transforming into a crucial tool in the healthcare sector. As outpatient appointments largely take place digitally now, healthcare companies encounter difficulties due to the surge in online user engagement. Thankfully, WhatsApp chatbots offer a cost-effective remedy by efficiently managing 80% of queries, thereby allowing human resource staff to focus on more complex issues. 

Let’s understand the role WhatsApp can play for Healthcare Industry: 

1. Automate the repetitive tasks 

The chatbot serves as an efficient tool for automating repetitive tasks within the healthcare industry. By leveraging artificial intelligence and natural language processing, these chatbots can handle routine and repetitive processes, such as 

• appointment scheduling, 
• answering FAQs,  
• providing general health information, 
• sending medication payment reminders, 
• medical test updates, 
• conducting initial symptom assessments.

This automation not only saves time and resources but also allows healthcare professionals to focus on more complex and critical aspects of patient care. Overall, the healthcare chatbot streamlines operations and enhances efficiency within healthcare systems. 

2. Round the clock availability 

A healthcare WhatsApp bot is available 24×7, ensuring continuous access to medical assistance and information. This round-the-clock availability allows users to 

• seek instant help, 
• doctors can share & access internal patient information, 
• make payments within, 
• submit documents without waiting in que, 

at any time, day or night. The constant availability of the healthcare bot ensures that individuals can receive support and guidance whenever they need it, enhancing convenience and addressing healthcare concerns promptly. 

3. Reduce Operational Cost 

A role of WhatsApp chatbots can indeed lead to a reduction in operational overhead costs compared to relying solely on human personnel.  WhatsApp has become the most convenient app in which the ai-powered chatbots can help business to handle a variety of routine and repetitive tasks, such as lab-test booking, providing instant healthcare information, answering frequently asked questions, and offering basic medical advice based on predefined algorithms and data. By automating these tasks through the bot, healthcare providers can streamline their operations and allocate human resources more efficiently. This, in turn, can result in cost savings, as the need for human staff to handle simple inquiries and administrative tasks is reduced. 

However, it’s essential to strike a balance between automation and human interaction. While a bot can handle straightforward queries, more complex or sensitive issues may require the intervention of trained healthcare professionals. Therefore, a well-designed Healthcare WhatsApp bot can complement human efforts, enhance efficiency, and help optimize operational costs in the healthcare industry. 

4. Enhance patient engagement 

Ensuring that individuals can comfortably share their health concerns and medical information is of prime importance, and chatbots for healthcare play a significant role in achieving this goal. Users are aware that these chatbots are non-judgmental, allowing them to freely ask questions and share their queries without any discomfort.  

When customized and programmed right, WhatsApp healthcare chatbots can understand and identify complex queries asked by patients. And the same will be transferred to respective agents allowing medical staff to take care of patients at the right time.  

Additionally, chatbots streamline the process by collecting all relevant user information at once, storing it for future reference and purposes. This fosters a trusting environment where users feel at ease while seeking assistance and support from healthcare chatbots. 

Case Study: Apollo Hospitals has taken leverage of Kevit. Io’s WhatsApp Chatbots to revolutionize healthcare sector.

Apollo Hospitals strives to achieve excellence in patient engagement and has set a service vision of “Offering Care beyond Compare,” benchmarking itself with the finest service organizations globally. 

To streamline operations and provide immediate attention to patients without delays, Apollo Hospitals has implemented WhatsApp chatbots on their website. These chatbots are programmed with predefined flows, enabling automation and simplification of initial tasks. As a result, patients can receive prompt assistance, eliminating the need to wait.

Apollo Hospitals employs a secure OTP (One-Time Password) interface to ensure the verification of genuine human users and prevent the use of fake or fraudulent numbers. This verification process involves collecting pertinent information from users, thus enhancing the authenticity and reliability of interactions within the system.

The process of scheduling an appointment with a preferred doctor, along with selecting desired time slots, is made effortless through the utilization of WhatsApp Chatbots and virtual assistants. With just a simple click, patients can access these automated systems, which facilitate seamless booking procedures, catering to individual preferences and ensuring a convenient and user-friendly experience.

Why Kevit. Io’s WhatsApp Chatbot?

Kevit. Io offers a comprehensive AI-driven customer support platform designed to enhance businesses’ ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Among its features, Kevit. Io’s WhatsApp chatbots employ advanced AI, Natural Language Processing, and Machine Learning technologies, ensuring consistently excellent customer support. These chatbots are highly customizable, enabling the configuration of welcome messages, away responders, and responses to frequently asked questions. Moreover, they support interactions in multiple languages and provide valuable customer engagement metrics for further insights.