--- title: Why Digitization in Healthcare Needs to Focus on Customer Contact description: A look at how digitalizing customer contact transforms healthcare CRM, enhances engagement, and builds lasting patient loyalty. image: https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/iStock-2202908449.jpg --- [![Logo\_Logo white](https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/Logos/Logo_Logo%20white.svg) ![Logo\_Logo colored](https://blog.digitall.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/Logo_Logo%20colored.png?width=400&height=54&name=Logo_Logo%20colored.png)](https://blog.digitall.com/) - [to the DIGITALL homepage](https://digitall.com/) - [English](https://blog.digitall.com/why-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact) - [Deutsch](https://blog.digitall.com/de/why-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact) - [English](https://blog.digitall.com/why-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact) - [Deutsch](https://blog.digitall.com/de/why-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact) - [to the DIGITALL homepage](https://digitall.com/) - Example Link - Example Link - Example Link # Why Digitization in Healthcare Needs to Focus on Customer Contact By [Sabine Kirchem](https://blog.digitall.com/author/sabine-kirchem) on 09.10.2025 [CRM](https://blog.digitall.com/tag/crm) [Digitalisation](https://blog.digitall.com/tag/digitalisation) [CustomerManagement](https://blog.digitall.com/tag/customermanagement) [dCRM](https://blog.digitall.com/tag/dcrm) ![Featured Image](https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/iStock-2202908449.jpg) 2 min read The healthcare industry is under pressure - costs are rising, customer demands are evolving, and digital competitors are ready to pounce. In his chapter **“The Digitalization of Customer Contact in Healthcare,”** Kolja A. Rafferty emphasizes that insurers can no longer rely solely on efficiency; they must actively shape the customer experience. What I took away from the chapter: - Contact with customers in the healthcare sector is infrequent and often carries negative connotations. Therefore, every interaction is vital. - To date, many digital solutions have focused solely on process digitization, lacking genuine services, added value, or emotional connection. - Health is increasingly viewed as a lifestyle issue. Insurers that accompany, motivate, and reward their customers have the opportunity to reposition themselves in the market. - The chapter provides compelling examples, such as an ecosystem that includes insurers and pharmacy associations and a digital platform that rewards preventive measures, offering a low-threshold and data-secure approach. - Digital customer loyalty only works if users derive real benefits from it, through engaging elements, relevant content, and tangible rewards. My conclusion: Rafferty illustrates how customer relationship management (CRM) in the healthcare sector can be reimagined. It goes beyond sending invoices or providing a service hotline; it's about empowerment, motivation, and creating smart ecosystems. To build customer relationships today, companies must earn this trust through transparency and genuine relevance. 🔗 [To the book on Springer](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-45798-3) ***This blog post is based on the chapter „The Digitalization of Customer Contact in Healthcare“by Kolja A. Rafferty from the book "CRM Goes Digital – Design and Use of Digital Customer Interface in Marketing, Sales and Service," published in 2024 by Springer Gabler Publishing House.***  Share: [![Share on Facebook](https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/Blog%20Files/Icon_Facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.digitall.com%2Fwhy-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact) [![Share on Twitter](https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/Blog%20Files/Icon_Twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.digitall.com%2Fwhy-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact&text=Why+Digitization+in+Healthcare+Needs+to+Focus+on+Customer+Contact) [![Share on LinkedIn »](https://blog.digitall.com/hubfs/Blog%20Files/Icon_Linkedin.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.digitall.com%2Fwhy-digitization-in-healthcare-needs-to-focus-on-customer-contact&title=Why+Digitization+in+Healthcare+Needs+to+Focus+on+Customer+Contact&summary==A+look+at+how+digitalizing+customer+contact+transforms+healthcare+CRM%2C+enhances+engagement%2C+and+builds+lasting+patient+loyalty.) 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In the chapter **“Customer...** ###### 2 min read #### [Why smart technologies are transforming relationships](https://blog.digitall.com/why-smart-technologies-are-transforming-relationships?hsLang=en) by Sabine Kirchem Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is no longer just a technical discipline but revolves around... ###### 1 min read #### [Why feedback is the biggest untapped resource in customer management](https://blog.digitall.com/why-feedback-is-the-biggest-untapped-resource-in-customer-management?hsLang=en) by Sabine Kirchem There's loads of data out there – but are we truly utilizing it? 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