Online video is being used across numerous industries to engage the customer base in new ways on stationary and mobile devices. Features such as video, text chat, audio, co-browsing, and the ability to capture signatures through touch interfaces provides unique options for businesses to interact with their customers. With the technology of online video moving towards cloud and hosted services and the price point dropping to near commodity levels, healthcare has the same opportunity as other industries – to leverage online video and similar communication solutions for better engagement with its own customer base.
When TTAC updated this videoconferencing toolkit in 2014, the videoconferencing field was rapidly transitioning from a static and easy to describe marketplace with a few large vendors to a much more diverse field of vendors and offerings. Between 2014 and now, that diversity has accelerated and in many ways, transformed how industries interact online with customers. Online video using a standard Internet browser is increasingly being adopted by many companies. Online chat and messaging services are also evolving where users can transition between text, voice, and video communications within a single application and conversation.
One advantage of this growth is that the cost of video over the Internet has dropped significantly. With the availability of more powerful desktop, laptop, and mobile devices, increased penetration of broadband internet, and market offerings of video-as-a-service, small companies and clinical offices can easily add these communication tools and services without incurring a significant financial burden above their basic office internet expenses. While video is certainly possible to use for providers to see patients remotely, there are additional ways to leverage this technology for a more efficient office and better patient customer experience.
To help learn more about how video can be used to support the delivery of healthcare and improve the customer experience in healthcare, this new toolkit on “How to assess online video technologies” adds sections for consumers and those holding clinical, operational, or administrative positions. In addition to using online video for clinical services, some attention will be given to other customer support processes common to a clinical office.
Since the market offerings and hosted infrastructures have changed so significantly since 2014 the details and comparison testing of various vendors (which was a part of past tool-kits), is no longer practical or possible. Archived information is still available on the site and we welcome suggestions or ideas on how to improve the content for our readers.