Social media is a large part of almost everyone’s daily life. It’s where people connect with friends, meet new people and find out information to make important life decisions. More and more people are using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media outlets as a tool to help them decide where to get their health care. And, a growing number of patient families are using social media and the Internet to describe their experiences at Texas Children’s Hospital and make their voices heard about the patient care we are providing.
In order to reach the majority of these patient families, Texas Children’s goal is to gradually achieve superior customer engagement by strategically finding, responding and reporting on relevant conversations on behalf of the health system. This can include online reviews or direct messages about our care on Facebook, Twitter, Google, YELP or other review sites. The goal of these efforts is to improve customer service and patient experience, respond to issues in real time and drive our brand’s reputation.
“The power of social media cannot be ignored,” said Texas Children’s Senior Social Media Specialist Cara Lovan. “We have to use social media as a tool to access our patients and families, talk to them in real-time and improve the overall experience they receive when they are here. If patients feel like they are being heard and that we are actively working to solve their issues, they are more likely to recommend us to friends and family who are looking for health care options.”
Texas Children’s has made a great deal of progress in this arena over the past two years, work that recently landed the hospital’s Facebook page a “Very Responsive” distinction from the social media giant. The distinction is given to organizations that respond to 90 percent of their Facebook inquiries in under 15 minutes. The average response time for Texas Children’s is less than five minutes.
Across various Internet and social media platforms including Facebook, Yelp and Google, Texas Children’s receives an average of about 2,000 reviews a year, all of which are monitored in real time 24/7. Those involved in the review process work closely with Family Advocacy and practice administrators to close the loop on complaints. They also work with leaders across the system to share positive reviews with staff.
“We are working to move beyond just being responsive,” Lovan said. “While that is important, we hope to proactively elicit positive reviews in the future as well as directly improve patient experience.”
Part of that effort includes maintaining and improving our star ratings across various online platforms. Currently, Texas Children’s average score for its hospitals is 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. That same rating for Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care is 3.9 stars.
“Texas Children’s has a stellar reputation on and offline,” Lovan said. “We want to make sure it stays that way.”
Texas Children’s Social Media and Online Outlets
Texas Children’s Website: http://www.texaschildrens.org/
Texas Children’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasChildrensHospital/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/texaschildrens
Texas Children’s Blog: http://www.texaschildrens.org/blog/