We are living in the Conversation Economy. With the proliferation of messaging platforms and mobile devices, we live in an always-on, on-demand culture with instant access to each other. We “like,” we “comment” and we “share” – everything we do speaks. It has changed the way we communicate and has influenced our expected experiences with businesses.

But focusing on consumer experience is still relatively new in healthcare. Patients today are expecting more than just episodic care transactions; they’re behaving more like consumers and want personalized, easy interactions with providers.

Is your organization ready to successfully engage consumers in the Conversation Economy? Six signs include these capabilities:

1. Offer consumers full, immediate access to their healthcare information. To have meaningful conversations and interactions, consumers should have full access to their own records. Consumers should own their health data, which should be as mobile as they are.
2. Meet consumers where they are. Technology should enable consumers to engage wherever they are. It should be device-agnostic so they can use their computers, smartphones or tablets. Wearable or other home devices, such as weight scales or blood pressure monitors for example, should seamlessly flow into apps, so patients can easily view information and make decisions.
3. Make it easy for caregivers to engage. Time is precious, and for many of us, we cringe at the thought of one more login, password or sign-on. Whatever technology platform you choose to engage consumers, make sure care teams can have simple access from a secure browser.
4. Can quickly respond to consumers. According to Parks Associates research, 72% of consumers using text messaging and secure email would prefer a response within two hours. It also found that more than 70% of consumers would not wait more than 15 minutes when reaching out to medical professionals for real-time voice or video consultations.
5. Enable consumers to share information with loved ones. Maybe you’re a parent, or someone who’s caring for an aging parent. You also need to participate in conversations about care decisions and care plans. Technology should enable this fluid dialogue.
6. Keep learning for smarter, more personalized messages. For technology to work as an engagement tool, conversation needs to feel like natural experience. That type of technology has arrived and experts forecast it will be used even more. Conversational AI and systems that build on and learn from patient health data will deliver the tailored experiences healthcare consumers are seeking.

Bottom line: we need to remove friction and create better experiences. And the right technology can help us do that.

Healthcare no longer has permission to deliver long, arduous interactions. Organizations must find ways to fit into people’s lives and exceed expectations. We must do more than just have episodic transactions with patients. Today it’s about delivering meaningful and personalized conversational experiences that create value in our relationships.

Editor’s note: Allscripts recently formed a partnership with Conversa Health,  an automated patient conversation platform, to power Allscripts CareInMotion™ Engage.