The online appointment booking system is a boon for the healthcare industry. It has benefited the industry in more ways than anticipated. With the online appointment booking software, it has become a cakewalk for the doctors to manage their appointments, and now, the patients can see their doctor more conveniently than ever.
The software has made it very easy for the patients to book doctor appointments online from anywhere and at any time, and doctors have finally found the solution for no-shows.
The primary motive of any online appointment booking software is to improve patient engagement and enhance practice efficiency. But, as everything has two sides, the online appointment booking system also has some downfalls.
There are a few loopholes in the system that tarnish the user experience and cause issues.
Here are some problems that the users are facing while requesting any doctor’s appointment online.
No live chat spokesperson
An automated computerized interface system can work for any industry but not for the healthcare industry, where every patient has their tailored requirements. It emerges as a loophole in the online appointment booking systems.
Although not all websites use the computer interface system to send or receive the information, some websites use this system that leads to many issues at the patients' end.
While booking doctor appointments online, every patient wishes to speak to a live chat spokesperson. With a live spokesperson, the patients can discuss their problems more openly and get solutions to their difficulties occurring while booking their appointment. They look for a more tailored experience, but the automated system ruins this experience.
The healthcare system needs a system where the patient can connect with the staff member while booking their appointment to reserve their appointment without specific questions in mind, such as what medical information would be needed during the appointment?
A complicated booking system
Another barrier that most online booking portals pose is providing a complicated booking process. Just like the users hate to endure the long check-out process on online shopping portals, users do not like to go through a long and troublesome process to book doctor appointments online.
Username and password serve as a roadblock in a smooth user experience. Many online doctor’s appointment booking portals mandate providing a username and password before selecting a doctor and book an appointment. Most users look for services that do not demand a username and password to book.
Not getting an appointment based on urgency
Every patient’s needs for healthcare services vary. While some suffer from minor issues, some require urgent medical attention. When both the patients' categories take the online route to book a doctor's appointment, problems occur.
The service providers give them an appointment without considering the urgency or need for services. The patients who do not need urgent attention might get an immediate appointment, while the patients who want urgent medical care may not get the appointment on time.
Online doctor’s booking system has made lives easy, but these challenges still need to be resolved. Let us hope we get a proper solution to these problems in the future.