OPTIMIZING CONSUMER JOURNEY AND FULL FUNNEL IN HEALTHCARE

• The disruption that has resulted from digital transformation has altered the foundations of the sales and marketing process across all industries including the healthcare industry.
• According to this report, 93% of healthcare and pharma companies noted that their top strategic priority is customer experience while 22% noted that "optimizing the customer experience is the most exciting opportunity."
• Having compelling customer experience positions healthcare companies with primary competitive advantage. According to a recent study, in 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiators.
• If this happens in 2020, healthcare companies must optimize the customer journey, throughout the full funnel i.e. from acquisition and onboarding to engagement, retention and advocacy.
• Full funnels means a healthcare provider meets consumers at all the touchpoints that are spread out throughout the sales funnel.
• According to company respondents to a survey i.e. companies in healthcare and pharma, the digital marketing priorities in healthcare are: optimizing the customer journey across multiple touchpoints - 74%, ensuring consistency of message accross channels - 65%, training teams in new techniques, channels, and disciplines - 60%, using online data to optimize offline experience - 44%, understanding when and where customers use different devices - 42%, understanding how mobile users research/buy products - 40%, and using offline data to optimize online experience - 39%.

FACTORS CONSIDERED BY CONSUMERS WHEN PICKING A PROVIDER

•  Insurance coverage - in healthcare, consumers are usually very price sensitive. As a result, approximately 72% of consumers choose physicians and providers based on whether or not they accept their insurance cover.
•  Brand awareness and positive brand perception - consumers make decisions using the information they are aware of. If consumers are not aware of a particular provider, they will not consider it even if it is the top-rated healthcare provider in their locality.
•  Access and convenience - factors that affect access and convenience also play a critical role when consumers are choosing a provider. Examples of key consideration include speed of service, convenience of service, quality of service, accessibility of locations where services are offered, and the office hours.
•  Customer experience - a positive experience from a particular healthcare provider also play a big part when consumers are picking providers. Therefore, having healthcare staff that are well-trained in providing good customer experience to patients is important. According to recent research, "organizations with the best consumer experience are most often organizations with above average clinical quality."

FACTORS CONSIDERED BY CONSUMERS WHEN CHOOSING PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS

•  Location - when choosing a primary care doctor, location is a key consideration because nearer distances offer convenience to consumers. According to a study by the University of Michigan Medical School, a patient's chances of recovery decrease as the distance to their primary care doctor increases.
•  Type of doctor - patients also consider the type of doctor when choosing primary care doctors with a basis on their particular healthcare needs or problems.
•  Availability - patients usually want to choose doctors that can see them within 1-2 days for mild concerns and on the same day for acute concerns.
•  Comfortable in divulging information - healthcare is a very private field and patients generally choose the primary care doctors that they are comfortable with in divulging private, possibly embarrassing health concerns and information.