Sep 30, 2015
As mobile apps increasingly disrupt the healthcare industry, payers have an incredible opportunity to increase member satisfaction and drive transactions with consumers by investing in mobile communications.
- The JD Powers 2015 Member Health Plan Study found that overall member satisfaction is 108 points higher among those who contacted their plans via mobile apps at least once in the past year than those who did not.
- The 2015 IDC Health Insights predictions indicate that 65 percent of consumer transactions with healthcare organizations will be mobile by 2018 as a means to improve overall consumer experience.
Consumers prefer the convenience and ease of use of mobile apps to conduct transactions so long as it can be done in a secure manner. As mobile enrollments in health plans is on the rise, mobility platform vendors are building solutions that help health plans drive enrollments through health exchanges. These exchanges deliver new value through interactive mobile apps—high-definition video conferencing is one way the process of selling plans to consumers and companies is made easier and faster for advisors.
How Payers Can Take Advantage of Mobile Opportunities
The widespread use of mobile devices by consumers has opened up new avenues for delivering information and care. Mobile apps have also improved member access through telehealth, self-service, and “do-it-yourself” healthcare opportunities, such as remote monitoring devices and health tracking applications.
But it isn’t enough to simply have a mobile presence—payers must put an effort into quality content that connects with and helps members participate in their care. An omni-channel strategy for consumer communication will be necessary to ensure a consistent experience across Web, mobile and call center channels.
Health plan satisfaction hinges on putting consumers first, which can be done with increased messaging, engagement, higher relevance and frequency of messages to members. The responses and education members receive from their plan partners about services and programs drives member trust and participation in quality wellness programs.
Mobile technology has become central to delivering these messages and providing customer centricity, in turn driving higher customer satisfaction. Health plans should now focus on building the right content and securing connections so that mobile communications become trusted and valued contact methods between members and health plans.
Read more about this topic in our white paper on mobility trends in the payer market.