“How can I help you today?” the next time you are typing with and “chatting” online with a representative of your bank, airline or favorite shoe store, know that you might be conversing with a very helpful chatbot. A chatbot is a computer program that fundamentally simulates human conversations.
Today, 1.4 billion people are using chatbots across the internet, including mobile apps and messaging apps. The growth of chatbots has been substantial given bots provide valuable 24-hour customer service, support, comfort, and in some cases- a dash of entertainment. This gives online visitors and potential customers a personalized and positive experience, making them feel valued and important.
Renown Health, a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare network serving northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California, and known nationally bringing innovation to health care, has partnered with Loyal, a software solution that improves online customer and patient service for some of the nation’s leading health systems and hospitals.
“As trusted health advisors for our community and across our state, we started using Loyal’s platform to respond to thousands of people a day, who understandably had a lot of questions about COVID-19 virus- how it was transmitted, signs and symptoms of the illness, and effective prevention strategies,” said Tony Slonim, MD, D.Ph., President and CEO, Renown Health. “Our customers said that having the ability to have their questions answered responsibly and immediately, with credible, evidence-based health care information, 24 hours a day, and from the comfort of their homes, is helping to reduce their anxiety during a challenging time.”
In April 2020, the team at Renown Health introduced Loyal’s artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare chatbot and live chat solution on the health system’s website, renown.org. It quickly became a popular and trusted resource for those looking for information about COVID-19. To date, more than 57,000 questions have answered about COVID, and, to date, over 700 COVID-19 risk assessments have been completed using the tool.
“As we expand this tool, Renown Health will soon be able to serve more customers and be able to quickly provide people with answers to questions they may have as they explore Renown Health’s new website,” said Chad Mallory, CEO of Loyal. “We created this technology to make accessing high-quality healthcare easier and thank the team at Renown Health for helping us to do just that.”
Research by leading organizations supports Renown’s experience. In 2020, 80% of businesses planned to utilize chat bots (Oracle), and 25% of customer service operations planned to use Virtual Customer Assistants (Gartner). Twice as many consumers surveyed in 2019 would knowingly engage with chatbots because they are “very helpful,” compared to 2018 respondents (Helpshift). Salesforce reports that 77% of customers say chatbots will transform their service expectations of organizations in the next five years.
“Thanks to major advances in computing power and the advent of big data, today’s AI systems enable more human-like interactions and can solve specific problems very well, says Chuck Podesta, Chief Information Officer at Renown. “Using a combination of natural language generation (NLG), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, today’s chatbots get better at their tasks as they accumulate more experiences and data; just like us- their human counterparts.”
“Our goal at Renown is to create raving fans of our care and our service,” says Suzanne Bharati Hendery, Chief Communications & Customer Officer, Renown Health. “We are always looking for ways to make health care more convenient and delightful. Being able to quickly provide answers to questions, being able to quickly connect people to a medical provider or service, and allowing people to get care from their couch, in a way that is easy and delightful, is our goal. Loyal’s web chatbot makes it easy for our customers to retrieve information on-demand and in an effortless way.”
Loyal’s HIPAA compliant, machine-enabled platform breaks down data silos and guides consumers on their individual health journeys to the best – and right – care. It provides organizations like Renown Health with a consumer-centric view of its patients, and offers a full suite of omni channel, conversational engagement tools to connect with patients and drive health care actions across the enterprise.
To chat with Renown’s bot, visit renown.org/covid. For more information about how Loyal supports hospitals and health systems in their quest to improve healthcare consumers’ online experience, visit LoyalHealth.com.
About Loyal
A healthcare consumer experience company solely dedicated to the betterment of patient care, Loyal is the preferred software solution for improved care utilization among the nation’s leading health systems and hospitals. One of the first companies to offer end-to-end digital and AI-powered solutions spanning the entirety of the patient journey, Loyal makes it easier for patients to access and schedule care they need. From selecting a provider best suited for them to closing the feedback loop on their experience, patients who engage with healthcare networks via our proprietary platform quite simply, tend to be more loyal. Learn how to streamline patients’ navigation of your health system and network of clinical services at LoyalHealth.com.
About Renown Health
Renown Health is a locally governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. Renown is one of the region’s largest private employers with a workforce of more than 7,000. It comprises three acute care hospitals, the region’s only children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown has a long tradition and commitment to improving the care and the health of our community. For more information, visit renown.org.
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