Portal utilization and ROI is driven by more than just the functionality; it takes intentional efforts to get your users online regularly. Thankfully, increasing portal utilization isn’t rocket science, and there are several things you can do to drive stronger utilization and ROI. Here are our top 5 suggestions:
Assess Your Login Screen – How Many Clicks Does it Take?
Studies show that every time your users make an extra click to reach the login screen, you’ll lose half the users. For example, let’s say your login screen is two clicks away from your public website home page. If 100 potential users go to your home page, only 25 will actually make it to your portal login. As a result, when you assess portal utilization, ask yourself “how many clicks does it take to get to the login”? To optimize your portal utilization, put your login screen in the header on the home page of your website. The fewer the number of clicks, the more likely users will be to access your portal and the better your ROI will be.
Make Your Portal Mobile-Friendly
Users are doing more and more from their mobile device, so your portal should be ready. If users see that a portal is not mobile-friendly and requires excessive zooming in or scrolling, they will abandon it altogether. As a result, make sure your portal is usable on all types of mobile devices. You’ll find that utilization will go up, thereby reducing the number of phone inquiries to you as well.
Tell Your Users About it Often
Promoting your portal is an ongoing effort that requires repetition. HPS provides its clients several privately-branded marketing materials that they use to promote the portal to users on a regular basis. So whether they’re trying to drive employer, provider, or member utilization, clients have turnkey communication materials they can use to push utilization and ultimately portal ROI.
Use Multiple Methods to Tell Them
To reach the optimal number of users when promoting utilization, you need to promote the portal using multiple means. For example, HPS clients have used a combination of postcards, reminders on EOBs, reminders on on-hold messages, and monthly wellness newsletters to drive users to the portal. Using multiple types of reminders ensures that you meet your different users where they’re at – and direct them online where you want them to go.
Collect Email Addresses
Email is still one of the most effective and least expensive ways to remind users to use your portal. Not only can you reach their inbox, but you can also conveniently link your portal to the email, making it that much easier for them to reach your login screen. If you don’t already have your users’ email addresses, start collecting them now, whether it be from enrollment forms, W-9 submissions, portal registrations, or by other means. With those addresses, you’ll have a very direct way to engage your users and drive them to your portal on a regular basis.
Driving portal utilization takes a little work, but it can pay off in dividends for your portal ROI. Take these small steps to get started, lean on HPS for support, and watch your portal utilization climb! For more information, contact us.