Some of the frequent users of SMS messaging services are those in the healthcare industry such as clinics, appointment scheduling software companies and even full-blown EMR (Electronic Medical Records) software companies.
As one of the primary use cases of SMS messaging, it shows the efficiency of bulk SMS notifications in managing and communicating with patients.
Patient care is one of the main priorities for physicians. In this regard, the continuous use of technology improves patient experience.
Simple deployment of SMS API will have a relatively significant impact on the experience of the patient.
Related topic: What are the types of SMS marketing?
Here are a few ways of how SMS messaging especially transactional SMS can help in the healthcare sector.
1. Call-to-Action
This means that an SMS alert could act as a reminder for the patient regarding his appointment. When an appointment reminder is added, a shortened link will be made available so that the patient can reschedule the appointment (if needed).
In this case, it saves the clinic time and there is no need for the patient to make a phone call to the clinic for any changes.
These timely messages, which are best sent beforehand reduce client no-shows and drive future appointments.
For example, clinics and hospitals in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada have provided this kind of service as people tend to check their phone more often and read the SMS message more frequently as compared to email reminders.
2. Patient Care
Appointment reminders will not only act as the notification that notifies patients about their test results.
A shortened link that directs the patient to see his medical examination results on the patient portal will be included in the SMS message.
SMS messages are also very helpful as a recurrent reminder for recurring appointments. Prescription refills can be triggered. They can also remind the patient to take medication.
Therefore, it’s very useful for the doctor as it gives an overview of the health of the patient before an appointment, notify regular checkups of the patients and more.
3. Notifying Staffs
Other than the patients, clinic and hospital staff also will have their phone with them all the time. So, instant SMS notifications can ensure that the doctors and staff are informed, including shift changes and other internal communication.
If you want to increase the speed of SMS delivery, you can use Flash SMS to grab their attention immediately.
Thus this could also save the doctors and the medical staff time as they will be alerted when an SMS message comes in.
Additional ideas, birthday reminders and schedules like maintenance schedules, cleaning schedules, emergency messages, meeting reminders, shift changes can be sent out by a quick blast SMS message.
4. News and Alerts
Other than that, SMS messages can also make sure that everyone is informed. For example, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the whole community should be well informed about the latest updates and precautionary tips.
In this case, MKN Malaysia has made use of SMS messaging and sent out the message for everyone to stay alert. This is a very good example as bulk SMS messaging is now a very effective tool for the government to keep the public informed.
For businesses, this method can be adopted to show how much you care.
5. Healthcare Software Needs to Include SMS
EMR software companies or appointment scheduling software must give their clients the option to communicate with the patient using SMS.
It is also because SMS API is simple and easy to deploy, but not every clinic will have an IT department with the developers. So, this will be the chance for the healthcare software companies to fill the void.
This will not only be a win for the healthcare providers and their patients, but SMS can also become a part of the model that could generate revenue for the healthcare software company.
Similar to CRM, the healthcare management software company can offer bulk SMS services to hospitals and clinics at a reasonable price.
6. Consider Omni Channel Messaging (Bonus)
This is also considered as an omnichannel messaging as it increases the interaction for call-to-action.
More channels for communication also means the patient can have more channels to communicate with the healthcare provider, making things to proceed smoothly.
In this case, a quick message can remind people to always take care of their health. It is because SMS messaging is a powerful preventive approach in healthcare.
Besides that, you can build a satisfaction survey using SMS blasts to get feedback from patients. Tracking the feedback and making improvements will help your practice constantly improve the customer experience.
This piece of software has seen significantly increased use in the industry, and it’s now referred to as Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores.
What Types of Bulk SMS Messaging Can You Consider?
SMS marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses to reach their customers with personalized messages and offers. There are two main types of Bulk SMS – Transactional and Promotional.
Transactional SMS
Transactional SMS hold the purpose of delivering important, rarely urgent messages to both DND and non-DND customers.
Transactional SMS is an effective tool for organizations to use in their marketing campaigns. It helps them target customers based on their location and interests.
It also allows them to provide instant feedback on the customers’ experience with the company’s product or service.
Promotional SMS
Promotional SMS promote or market a product or service to non-DND numbers.
Promotional SMS is a text message sent by a company to its customers. It is usually a one-time message that contains some promotional content.
It is easy and quick to send out, it can be used in any country, and it can be personalized to the customers’ needs.
At the same time, it also offers an opportunity for companies to build a relationship with their customers by providing them with more information about their products or services.
Related article: How to Blast Your SMS in 2 Easy Ways
Round Up – How SMS Messaging Can Help in the Healthcare Sector
So here you go, the 5 Unique Ways of Using SMS in Healthcare. Wondering how SMS services can help your business. If you are interested in Bulk SMS, make sure to check out Exabytes Bulk SMS Marketing service!
We provide Bulk SMS marketing service that is reliable, low cost, and we can help you deliver bulk text messages worldwide.
Please feel free to get in touch with our friendly staff at [email protected]
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