In our last article, we covered the unified inbox (aka integrated inbox) fundamentals:
- What it is
- How it consolidates communication channels and streamlines workflows
- How artificial intelligence (AI) supercharges its capabilities
Now, we’ll look at how unified inboxes with AI text messaging bring your healthcare practice immense benefits. But let’s get the obvious question out of the way first.
[Related: How To Run a More Efficient Practice With a Virtual Healthcare Front Office]
What Is AI Text Messaging?
Today’s AI tools use sophisticated natural language processing and machine learning to analyze, understand and generate human speech. And they’re (usually) astoundingly accurate.
An AI text message generator can scan, sort and write texts. And those features pair beautifully with unified inboxes.
Harnessing text message AI with a unified inbox lets you save time, not to mention incredible stress. It also condenses countless hours of reading and simplifies the text-writing process. Plus, sending professional messages via cutting-edge technology engages patients on a large scale.
It’s a new solution to an old problem:
- Organizing all your messages
- Responding to a high volume of messages — text and otherwise
- Writing personalized responses based on their content
- Changing your tone and writing style according to who you’re speaking to (patients, colleagues, clients, vendors, etc.)
But despite its wide capabilities, an AI text message responder comes with critical caveats.
[Related: Automated Medical Answering Services: Are They Worth It?]
Healthcare Concerns With AI-Fueled Communication
Using AI tools to respond to people across the board isn’t quite as utopian as it might sound.
An AI text message can contain bias and incorrect information. This presents definite concerns in the life-and-death matters you handle. And text message AI is certainly no substitute for you as a physician — it’s a fast, tireless virtual assistant.
Additionally, a healthcare-centric AI text message generator must be HIPAA compliant while meeting strict software guidelines. Still, with discretion and the right tool, AI text messaging helps you keep patients pleased and your practice on track.
Note. Remember that healthcare professionals need a specialized AI text message responder. Formal healthcare software, including AI text messaging, must meet protocols.
[Related: Considering Using AI in Your Healthcare Practice? Here’s Where To Start]
The Advantages of a Unified Inbox With Text Message AI
Now, we’ll get to those perks we promised earlier. Here are a few around-the-clock advantages that an AI text message generator plus unified inbox offers your practice.
Tool Consolidation
So, your unified inbox collects, scans and prioritizes the deluge of incoming messages from multiple sources. An AI text message responder can zoom to the most standard ones — say, a scheduling request — and generate a secure, smart reply for that patient.
You’re not just maintaining patient satisfaction — you’re combining disparate tools.
Staff don’t have to field phone calls while checking texts, voicemails, emails, website forms and patient portals on dozens of devices. Likewise, you don’t have to hop from account to account while doing the same.
And as a result, you speed to the most pressing matters, while a polite AI text message covers the rest.
[Related: 5 Patient Engagement Strategies for Your Healthcare Practice]
Cost Savings
You already know that your practice’s EHR/EMR, software and IT costs are all over the place.
You might have different systems for calls, secure texts, chatbots and telehealth — and with different price points. Those price points often depend on how many staff members access the system. And then you may have separate billing and payment software to tally the total — It’s maddeningly inefficient.
With a unified inbox plus text message AI, you get an all-in-one phone, text and chat system that wears many hats:
- Personalized, quick responder
- Patient screener
- Website and app chatbot
- Medical scribe, including in telehealth rooms
In other words, consolidating platforms also leads to saving money. In fact, Wendi’s smart unified inbox with AI text messaging, scheduling and more costs less annually than one staff member’s monthly salary.
[Related: The Secret to Increasing Patient Acquisition]
Burnout Prevention
A whopping 60% of U.S. physicians report burnout — and a leading cause is dealing with relentless messages.
You want to give specific, empathetic responses to each patient. Meanwhile, you work nonstop to actually see patients in person. Text message AI and a unified inbox create order in a chaotic (and often exhausting) environment.
An AI text message generator helps you mentally sort where you need to put your energy. With a way to blanket-message broad inquiries and drill down to urgent issues, you’re not stretched so thin. Your day has cadence and a direct through line.
And an AI text message responder learns. As a result, it tailors caring messages based on context, data and past patient interactions to maintain smooth patient journeys.
If that’s not worth giving one a try, we’re unsure what is.
[Related: Streamline Insurance Eligibility Verification With These 5 Tips]
Human Error Checks
Of course, you have lots of space for human error with different systems, sources and replies. An AI text messaging tool with a unified inbox offers a safety net for those inevitable mistakes.
Maybe it’s something as simple as misspelling a word. Maybe it’s as routine as ensuring a patient knows exactly when to show up for an appointment. Or maybe it’s something as dire as mishandling protected health information, due to either staff error or faulty software practices.
AI evolves and doesn’t forget — something we humans haven’t yet mastered — but AI tools can still make mistakes. They don’t flub nearly as frequently as people do, but errors (like bias) can slip in. Why? It’s because humans train AI algorithms.
The AI healthcare system you choose, staff training, patient knowledge and your expertise are irreplaceable.
Note. Scammer schemes get smarter as AI advances. Sending secure AI text messages alongside a unified inbox helps your healthcare practice keep pace — and helps patients not fall for flimflam.
[Related: Why a Patient-Centric Approach to Healthcare Is Crucial]
Discover Wendi’s Unified Inbox and AI Text Messaging
Are you ready to try AI text messages that meet all those rigid healthcare guidelines?
Wendi is a comprehensive and intuitive AI-powered system specifically for healthcare practices. Each HIPAA-compliant AI text message is secure, while you (and your patients) don’t deal with spammy robotexts.
Meet Wendi today, schedule a demo or contact us for more information!
Note. This is the second in our series on unified inboxes, AI healthcare solutions and your practice. Watch for more upcoming articles on our blog.
Featured image via Pexels
