We are all hearing more and more about artificial intelligence (AI), but one thing that most of us are struggling with is how we can be using it now. In reality, you already use AI on a daily basis. From the music that your smart speaker plays for you to the GPS that you use to get somewhere, all of this technology uses AI. But the important question is how we can use it to connect to our patients and have a positive impact on their encounters and appointments. Where I have been using AI most often is for my marketing, and you can do the same in a few simple ways.
Patient Communication
AI chatbots are popping up all over the internet to create a more personalized experience. When I was first using these tools, I figured there was an actual human on the other end of my text message answering questions for me, but in reality, AI is so good that it fools us by answering so well. Consider adding an AI chatbot to your website. Once you decide which service to go with and have ensured that your website hosting company can integrate, begin the process of teaching the AI chatbot how you want it to respond.
More than any other method of marketing, I have leaned on AI to assist me in my email campaigns. I send out a monthly email to all my patients, and a quarterly newsletter about each of the specialties in my practice to the specific patient population that most benefits from that service. With proper prompts, AI can draft an email touching on all the important topics that you want covered. I generally use a grammar modifier to adjust the first draft and then spend a few minutes making the email resonate in my voice and tone. But the bulk of the work on content creation is done with AI, and it allows me to get more messages to my patients more often. The key with marketing, after all, has less to do with what you say and more to do with being relevant and in front of your patients.
Patient Education
AI virtual assistants can be used through the written word or spoken word or through video to create and deliver messages to your patients. Want a scripted video on your premium intraocular lenses for patients to watch before they come in for an evaluation? Use AI to create the script and select from one of dozens of AI-generated actors, who look lifelike, to read your script in the voice you desire. If you decide later to make a change, you do not need to hire a whole camera crew. Simply enter the changes to the script and have AI generate a new version.
The winners among us will adopt early and capitalize on the tools as they become available to make our patients’ experiences in our offices even better than we can imagine.
