What is the right medium for a healthcare chatbot?
Web, Messenger, SMS, Whatsapp, Mobile App, or Alexa
In my previous articles, I discussed about the applications and technologies employed in healthcare chatbots.
In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various media. Note that the same chatbot can be deployed on several media at the same time, to reach the users at their favorite app.
- Web page (the familiar chat icon on the bottom right corner of websites)
Advantages:
- Full-control of user interface of the bot
- No need to install app
Disadvantages:
- ‘Cannot send follow-up messages
- Hard to automatically authenticate user (may ask for username/password)
Can be HIPAA compliant: Yes
2. Facebook Messenger/Whatsapp/Viber
Advantages:
- Can authenticate user based on their username or phone number
- No need to install app (assuming user already has Messenger or Whatsapp app installed)
- Can push notifications and follow-up messages to users
Disadvantages:
- Not as customizable as the web bots
Can be HIPAA compliant: No
3. SMS
Advantages:
- Great for authenticating, as a phone number generally uniquely identifies a user
- No need to install an app
Disadvantages:
- No fancy user interface, like Messenger cards or quickreplies to tap or swipe
Can be HIPAA compliant: No
4. Voice (Alexa, Google, Siri, Cortana)
Advantages:
- Voice; can access while driving or cooking or other activities that require the user’s hands
Disadvantages:
- Hard to authenticate, as often the whole family is sharing one account or device
- Cannot exchange files or images
Can be HIPAA compliant: No
5. Mobile app
Advantages:
- Full control on the user interface. Could also support voice, although it is not common
- Support mobile notifications and follow messages
Disadvantages:
- User has to download app (recall that chatbots became popular as a replacement of apps)
- Higher development cost, as mobile app has to be created and maintained
Can be HIPAA compliant: Yes
6. Patient portal (web site or app)
Advantages:
- Supports user authentication and integration with health recordsUser has to login to patient portal
Disadvantages:
- High development cost, as chatbot has to be developed as part of a larger project
Can be HIPAA compliant: Yes
I discuss some general recommendations on which medium is better or more common for what healthcare application in my previous article on “How is the healthcare industry using chatbots?”
For more details on the HIPAA compliance column of the table, see my previous article on HIPAA in chatbots.
