5 Egregious Virtual Assistant Fails and How to Overcome Them

Healthcare organizations are increasingly driven toward digitization due to patient demand for online experiences, manual processes straining overextended staff, labor shortages, and the need to control costs and streamline workflows. However, a significant barrier to this progress is the historically poor performance of chatbots. The article identifies five key factors contributing to virtual assistant failures and suggests ways to overcome them:

Bad Source Content: The quality of a virtual assistant relies on the accuracy and completeness of its source content. Generative AI is proposed as a solution, enabling the rapid ingestion and configuration of vast amounts of information from various formats, ensuring up-to-date and reliable content.

Not "Speaking the Language": Many virtual assistants struggle to understand patients' lay terms, requiring advanced tools like conversational AI and natural language processing. These tools help bridge the gap between patient input and clinical language, improving the accuracy of responses.

Misleading Use of Virtual Assistants: Lack of clarity about whether an interaction is automated or human-led can lead to patient distrust. The recommendation is to introduce the virtual assistant as an automated system, clearly communicate how users can reach a live representative, and allow seamless transitions between automated and human-led interactions.

Perceived Lack of Empathy: Virtual assistants can come across as impersonal, but conversational AI designed for empathy can address this. Integration with healthcare systems allows virtual assistants to access patient-specific information, delivering personalized responses and improving the overall patient experience.

Ignoring the Need for Change Management: Resistance to change in healthcare and the high-trust nature of the provider-patient relationship pose challenges. Education, engagement, transparent communication, and providing options for personal interactions are suggested strategies to overcome resistance and promote the adoption of virtual assistants.

Despite the challenges, the article emphasizes the potential of virtual assistants to enhance healthcare efficiency and effectiveness, making their adoption a priority.