Whether you are in physiotherapy, dentistry, family practice or veterinary practice, Mateo gives you complete control over patient communication.

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In the healthcare sector, efficient communication between patients and practice staff is of great importance. WhatsApp can play an important role here to facilitate and improve the exchange. Many practices mainly communicate with their customers using time-consuming phone calls and are unsure how to use WhatsApp without violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In this blog article, we will show you how using the WhatsApp Business API can simplify communication in the healthcare sector.

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Challenges in patient communication

Communication in a practice is often a challenge. Multiple communication channels must be managed simultaneously, including phone, email, and in-person patient care. A constantly busy phone can negatively impact the patient experience and is also frustrating for staff. Email communication is often lengthy and response times are high. Emails quickly get lost in patients' crowded inboxes, and it's difficult to keep track of all communications. The percentage of practices' time spent communicating with patients is often far too high. There are much better alternatives to using practices' limited staff resources than in continuous phone calls with patients.

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WhatsApp is widespread - but for practices in the standard version not GDPR-compliant

Most people now prefer to communicate via WhatsApp. In Germany, more than 60 million citizens use the messenger several times a day. However, the use of WhatsApp in patient communication is subject to certain guidelines and requirements of the GDPR. The use of the classic WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business App is not recommended with regard to the applicable guidelines. Both options access address and metadata of the stored contacts and are therefore not GDPR compliant. In addition, they cannot be optimally managed from multiple users or devices, which can lead to chaos in communication with patients.

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WhatsApp Business API as an alternative

The only alternative is to use the WhatsApp Business API, which offers extended and GDPR-compliant functions of the messenger. Mateo is a software that bundles relevant communication channels such as WhatsApp, SMS and email in the Universal Inbox, thus enabling efficient and individualized patient care. Message templates ensure highly efficient processing of requests. Even fully automated chats for simple topics, such as booking an appointment, can be implemented. This saves the limited human resources of practices in the healthcare sector. In addition, internal communication between employees is integrated in Mateo. With Mateo's WhatsApp API connection, there are no limits to the number of users and devices per account from a technical perspective. We make sure that every one of your employees gets access to WhatsApp, if that's what you want. With Mateo, it is also possible to connect multiple phone numbers to the WhatsApp API. Even your existing landline number! This ensures fast and efficient processing of incoming requests. Different locations and mailboxes can also be managed.

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Keep your patients informed with the WhatsApp newsletter

Appointment reminders: Healthcare practices can use WhatsApp newsletters to remind clients of upcoming appointments. A timely reminder allows more customers to keep their appointment. This makes efficient use of doctors' working time and increases the chance of follow-up appointments.

Health tips and recommendations: You can also use WhatsApp to educate clients about health issues related to your specialty.

Sending important information: Your practice wants to enjoy a well-deserved vacation? A doctor is absent due to illness? Or renovation work has to be carried out? Send important information to your patients with just a few clicks. This way, your patients stay informed and you massively reduce the communication effort.

Additionally collect more online reviews

Positive reviews are vital in the medical field to gain and retain patient trust. However, many practices do not have efficient processes in place to remind happy patients to leave a review on Google. Unhappy patients, on the other hand, often express themselves in negative online reviews. With Mateo, automated messages can be sent to patients to remind them to leave a review, improving the practice's online reputation.

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30+ industries already trust Mateo

"We want to offer our customers the best possible service. MATEO's software makes it much easier to clarify issues via WhatsApp, SMS, which is also super accepted by the customer."

Philipp Schult

Physio Lola