How can your healthcare mobile app benefit from push notifications?
Healthcare mobile apps can be a revolution in the way we track our efforts in the healthcare field and how we take care of our health. Consequently, it is no wonder that more and more developers and businesses want to invest in this lucrative segment of mobile app development.
You need to stand out from the crowd of healthcare mobile applications not only by attracting users but also by keeping them engaged.
Here’s where push notifications come in handy – yet are often overlooked. But what is a push notification in the first place? It’s a brief, attention-grabbing message sent directly to a user’s device by an application or website, even when the user is not actively engaging with the platform. Push notifications appear on the lock screen or as a pop-up, serving as a direct communication tool to share updates, promotions, reminders, or alerts in real time.
If your mobile app wants to retain and drive more engagement, then you should incorporate push notifications into a marketing strategy for your healthcare mobile app. It has an even greater impact on healthcare because users are expected to stay engaged all the time. Since their setup is simple and the cost is minimal, there is no reason not to use them.
We are eager to convince you why nearly all mobile apps should send push notifications. And in this particular article, we will outline how healthcare mobile apps can leverage push notifications.
Benefits of push notifications in healthcare mobile app
Navigated user retention
User retention is supported by push notifications. Due to their cyclical delivery as well as triggering on a variety of activities (or not), they are one of your users’ most intensive communication channels. Mobile app users disregard some communication channels, but push notifications are quite effective since they are activated on their screens.
As they appear on a screen and can be easily pushed and familiarized with, they are a preferred means of communication for many.
In healthcare, push notifications can be used to retain mobile and progressive web apps users and remind them that the app is waiting for them to move.
For example, a fitness app might prompt (via push notifications) users to log their exercises in-app.
Constant traffic booster
Your app may also generate more traffic thanks to push notifications. Many users enter your healthcare app to take action after being prompted to do so instead of just reading a push notification. Push notifications, when configured and compiled correctly, can be a real gem for mobile app traffic and in-app actions.
For example, if your healthcare mobile app asks users via push notifications to log in to see their daily rewards, the likelihood is that they will.
Taking action on each notification
With a swipe of their finger, users can read more about a particular push notification or dismiss it as quickly as possible. This proves that push notifications are one of the most interactive forms of communication.
For example, a healthcare mobile app can inform the user about automatic updates that can be performed in a single click. Such push notifications can e.g. ask for accepting or declining of rescheduling an appointment. After clicking one of the buttons, the selected action is sent to the app.
Cyclical info
Push notifications can be used to send users cyclical information over a specific period of time. This info can concern their actual app usage or recent activities, etc.
For example, your healthcare mobile app can send notifications on your performance (Last week, you’ve burnt 650 calories thanks to XYZ workouts. It increased by 10%, compared to the previous week. Well done!).
Constant updates and news
To gain user consent on receiving notifications, you need to invest time and resources into onboarding and explaining why they must receive them. Many of your users consider push notifications nothing more than a nuisance since they receive hundreds of them a day. This is why it is necessary to configure onboarding in a way that each user is properly informed of when, why, and how many notifications are going to be sent. This is the only way to ensure users acknowledge and understand the benefits of receiving such push notifications, and so will be content to receive them. Obviously, only if you don’t spam your users to death and deliver what you promise.
Your healthcare mobile app will be more likely to be used by them when push notifications are sent. Then you can use push notifications to reach out to your audience and send them information about discounts, new features, and alerts.
For example, your healthcare mobile app can send push notifications when there is a planned outage.
Reach notifications for better engagement
If you add reach push notifications to your healthcare mobile app, you can drive even higher engagement with gifs, instant responses, and other interactive features. In the sea of notifications, push notifications do not need to look like regular messages; instead, they can be customized to catch the attention of your users.
For example, an app that encourages people to try out the new workout can send a GIF with a preview of it, as well as a swipe recommendation.
Most common push notifications’ features and use cases for healthcare mobile app
Hospitals and doctors
Hospital management and doctors’ workflow can benefit from push notifications in quite a few situations.
Patients’ monitoring
Patients can be monitored constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without the necessity of physical contact with doctors, using healthcare mobile apps. As this solution minimizes logistical overhead and allows for full information to be provided instantly, it is convenient for both doctors and patients.
The information is updated regularly and at a glance, as it requires only a click or a swipe, and can be triggered by many different actions. If there are any anomalies, both parties can contact each other or doctors can get alerted and act.
Equipment management
Push notifications can also find their use in the management of resources in healthcare. The daily monitoring of resources made possible by push notifications enables managers to be notified when some of the resources are running low. We could be talking about beds in a clinic, medicine, or any other kind of equipment – for example, face masks or gloves. Equipment anomalies can also be detected using push notifications for equipment management.
Patient management
In terms of communication with patients, push notifications can do so much more than just monitor patients. The push notifications feature can be used to send reminders about upcoming appointments or changes to them. In addition, they may be used for sending interesting and relevant content, such as instructions on how to care for yourself after surgery or what preventive measures should be taken. Also included in this could be some kind of announcement of new types of treatment at a given medical facility.
Healthcare business
The healthcare industry has a lot of potential uses for push notifications in healthcare mobile apps as well.
All types of reminders
It can help users cultivate self-discipline and ensure they utilize an app effectively by sending them push notifications. Using push notifications as reminders is highly effective because they are quick, direct, and hard to overlook. Healthcare mobile apps use them to remind patients about upcoming or undergoing treatments, exercises, or diets – just to name a few examples.
Cross-selling and up-selling
Cross-selling can also be accomplished through push notifications. Your healthcare mobile app can quickly upsell your services by sending push notifications offering new services, appointments, or consultancy hours. When a particular user already uses a free workout plan, a push notification can offer them a special offer on a customized workout plan, for example.
Announcing offers and discounts
“Get your tickets soon, they are selling out fast!”
It is possible to use push notifications to send offers and discounts and reminders that they are about to expire. Users may be prompted to take action and convert as a result.
Patients
Patients can also benefit from push notifications as they can be of great help to them.
All-round notifications
A particular patient can be informed about their condition, spikes, and anomalies in their health by push notifications, especially when they are connected to healthcare wearables. Push notifications can be sent for things such as too high blood pressure, pulse monitoring, or blood glucose meter readings on an ongoing basis, just to mention a few examples.
Various reminders
Patients may also be reminded of routines with push notifications. Reminding patients to take or purchase their medications is certainly beneficial to many. Push notifications can also be connected to the calendar and send reminders of doctor’s appointments. For broader healthcare and wellness, users can receive reminders about training and exercise (e.g. at a specific time).
Constant monitoring
Also, push notifications allow you to monitor your health conditions and alert and notify the right people if an attack occurs or if you collapse. This is especially important not just for the people who need medical treatment, but for their families, too. Keeping them in constant contact is possible with push notifications.
Constant monitoring makes treatment and recovery better and more effective.
Types of push notifications
A push notification is a message the user sees without having to open the app. These messages look like SMS messages, are displayed on the lock screen, and are sent to users who are not currently using the app.
Often, these are confused with in-app notifications. Although in-app messages are ones the user receives once they have opened the application, these are messages given to them in the application itself.
In-app notifications appear only while someone is actively using the app. Push notifications appear anytime.
A third type might also be recognized here: an IoT push notification delivered directly to a wearable device using Bluetooth (e.g. a notification sent across to a particular smartwatch).
When can push notifications be sent?
Well, here is where we could recognize a lot of use cases, but we’ll provide you with examples of just a few of them.
- Wearables push notifications. User activity triggers the transmission of push notifications to wearable devices. This message can be sent when a particular user’s heart starts beating way too fast, for example.
- Rich push notifications. They are nothing but superpowered push notifications. Such a message can contain embedded images and videos (for example, of a quick 10-second workout), as well as clickable responses.
- Complete-the-action push notifications. Incomplete transactions, abandoned shopping carts and incomplete appointment bookings can trigger push notifications.
- FYI push notifications. Their purpose is to provide information on trends, updates, requirements, and so on. An upcoming maintenance outage of your healthcare mobile app can be communicated, for example.
- Reminder notifications. All types of reminders – shall we elaborate more?
What to remember when launching push notifications in your healthcare mobile app
Development isn’t all: engagement is what matters
To ensure your push notifications are successful, you should not only invest in their development but also promote and cultivate engagement. Be sure your healthcare mobile app sends push notifications that are as specific and personalized as possible. Moreover, adjust the time and triggers that contribute to their delivery. That mix will yield the best results: people who not only receive push notifications but also actively engage with them. That’s what you want, isn’t it?
You should also be crystal clear when it comes to communicating value. In the sea of notifications and messages, it’s not that easy to persuade your users to get another batch of notifications their way. Explain the benefits of push notifications („Always stay up to date on the latest diet plans!”) and make sure you are not bombarding your users with them.
Provider versus developer
A wide variety of providers are available for you to use for building push notifications.
However, you should be aware that ready-to-use solutions, although they appear cost-effective, may also present some limitations. Here, we’re talking about usage, message lengths, capacities, or personalization features.
In many cases, using a software development company to create a healthcare app with push notifications as part of an ecosystem will be more beneficial.
Assess the risk
The benefits of push notifications are numerous, but there are also risks and challenges associated with it. Before you begin creating push notifications, make sure you assess them. Additionally, you should familiarize yourself with the guidelines of various app stores (for example, Apple App Store) and make sure they align with your business goals. There may be circumstances where you are not allowed or limited to use push notifications in the way you wish.
This is how we do it
We can highlight our project for PelviFly as an example of our experience with healthcare mobile apps. Notifications were also one of the features we managed to integrate into the app.
The exercising women are kept informed about the progress or abnormalities during the training sessions. The coach may also send such notifications.
Read more in our healthcare mobile app case study.
Over to you
It is easy to see how push notifications in healthcare can be extremely beneficial to all parties involved. Using this effective communication channel, the healthcare industry can stay connected with clients. Such an app can provide a better and more personalized experience for clients, users, and patients, resulting in greater revenue and better treatment. It’s a win-win situation!
We are more than happy to assist you with the mobile application development of your own healthcare mobile app. With the launch of PelviFly, we have quite a few other examples under our belts. Let’s chat!
