Symposium Synopsis #6: Meet Zoey, The Consumer of the Future 

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Mar 28 2018

There is a growing divide between the expectations of consumers and the current healthcare experience. Today, consumers have access to many conveniences that meet or exceed expectations – for example, they can rent movies, order groceries, and schedule dry cleaning pick-up without leaving the house. But there’s a flip side -- with so many “things” vying for attention, each person must decide which are worth the cost, whether it’s money or time. So a new health benefit program can’t just be good – it has to distinguish itself by being clearly targeted to an individual’s needs.

Meet Zoey, your employee of the not-so-distant future, who is the customer of your benefit offerings. Here’s the consumer experience she will be looking for.

  • Flow - Healthcare in a world where you can do anything from anywhere. All aspects of Zoey’s work and life have great flexibility, thanks to tech-powered connectivity that maximizes her convenience – so she expects the same from her healthcare experience!
  • Bespoke - Making Zoey’s healthcare experience personal. Customizing the health services and information that Zoey receives to match her individual needs, behaviors, priorities and preferences.
  • On-Demand - Putting Zoey’s healthcare at her fingertips. Because Zoey is accustomed to instant access in many areas of her life – transportation, food, hospitality, travel, etc. – she expects the same from all things healthcare.
  • Virtual - Bringing the future of tech to healthcare. Artificial intelligence and machine learning augment Zoey’s reality and bring real-time information to her fingertips, making her smarter and more informed.

Of course, not everyone is a Zoey – but, regardless of your workforce demographics, it’s a safe bet that your employees will start to look for some version of this consumer experience whether they are directly asking for it or not. If you’re not convinced, try asking them! Your challenge is to look beyond the types of benefits that you offer today to connect your employees’ wants and expectations with what you will need to offer tomorrow.

Zoey is inspired by Lippincott’s work on the Customer of the Future. Lippincott is leading global branding firm and a member of the Marsh and McLennan Companies.

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