I asked for a human.
The system transferred me. Someone—or something—responded. And I still wasn’t sure if I was talking to a person or a bot.
Here’s what I’ve gotten very suspicious of: When you get transferred and you know it’s not a human, but the bot is using empathy statements.
- “That sounds very frustrating.”
- “I understand that can be difficult.”
Nice empathy statements but they still weren’t helping to solve my problem. That’s worse than no empathy at all. Because now you’re using AI to fake caring.
The Transparency Problem
Healthcare organizations are implementing AI at multiple touchpoints. Chatbots. Automated scheduling. Portals. Kiosks. Medication reminders. Many are making a significant, positive impact.
But here’s what many aren’t doing: Being transparent about when AI is being used.
Patients are getting suspicious. They ask for a human, get transferred, and they still don’t think it’s a human. They can tell. And when they realize you’ve been misleading them, that erodes trust.
You promise human-centered care. Patient-centered care. But when a patient needs help, they interact with a system designed to seem human without actually being human.
- The bot says “I understand.” But it doesn’t understand. It’s pattern-matching words.
- The bot says “That must be frustrating.” But it’s not empathy. It’s a programmed response to make you feel heard.
And patients can tell the difference.
Patients also get frustrated when your systems get things wrong because they’re not reliably synched with each other—and with your staff.
The Kiosk That Rejected My Sister
My sister pre-registered for an appointment. When she got to the office, she was directed to check in at a kiosk. She stood in line for the kiosk. The kiosk walked her through all the questions. She entered all her information.
Then she got this message: “Your information is incorrect. See a registration agent.”
She was already frustrated from waiting in the kiosk line after pre-registering. Now she had to wait in the registration line. Once at the front she was told, “Everything looks good. I’m not sure why you were sent here. Go ahead to the waiting area on 4th floor and someone will call you.”
Because now she was running late, she checked in at the 4th floor desk where she was told, “We can’t see you now because you are late.”
But the kiosk delivered the message with certainty. No nuance. No understanding. No ability to recognize that the delay would make her late for her appointment.
Just: “Your information is incorrect.”
Think about what that does to patient experience. You’re trying to improve efficiency. But you’ve created a worse experience than if she’d just gone straight to a human.
Be Honest About Limitations – Manage Expectations
When I was a public health nurse working out in the middle of nowhere, I often thought: “What I wouldn’t give if we could somehow have remote monitoring of these patients.”
Well, now we do. And it can be incredibly helpful. But it doesn’t take away the need for human interaction. AI can extend your reach. It can improve efficiency. It can provide capabilities you never had before.
But only if you’re honest about what it can and can’t do. Only if you design clear handoffs to humans when the bot can’t solve the problem. Only if you’re transparent with patients about when they’re talking to AI. And only if you remember: Nothing is foolproof.
Be transparent about when AI is being used. Design effective handoffs to humans. Monitor closely what patients are actually experiencing.
And remember: You can automate processes. But you can’t automate trust.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can provide a transparent, engaging, and positive experience for prospects and patients when using AI, we’d like to invite you to our upcoming webinar: Don’t Automate a Bad Experience? Why Human Skills Are Your Highest ROI Investment in an AI World
Tags: AIinHealthcare, DigitalTransformation, PatientExperience, PatientTrust
