2026 Healthcare Benchmark Report Reveals Customer Experience Progress, Preferences, and Pitfalls
The 2026 Healthcare Benchmark Report is almost ready, and it reveals in detail what over 4,000 consumers around the globe think and feel about their experiences with healthcare payers and providers.
The biggest benefit of fielding a survey over multiple years is the longitudinal look it yields. That long-term perspective shows that, when it comes to customer experience and engagement, consumers concede payers and providers have made some progress.
They also shared how they prefer to be engaged with and where healthcare organizations (HCOs) could provide better digital customer experiences. Let’s dive in.
Customer Experience Is a Leading Indicator of Loyalty and Advocacy
Firms like Forrester Research and Gartner have long linked customer experience to business outcomes. The Benchmark Report reinforces this relationship, as evidenced by a few data points below:
- 86% say customer communications are important to their overall experience
- 80% are likely to recommend an HCO if communications exceed expectations
- 52% are likely to switch HCOs if communications do not meet expectations
Here, communications include outbound communications (e.g., correspondence), inbound communications (e.g., forms), and two-way communications (e.g., SMS exchanges). And clearly, they’re important to consumers. So much so that when HCOs do a great job, customers are willing to recommend them to family and friends. Yet, poor communications (more on this in the full report, which will be available June 16) have been shown to drive customers away.
Healthcare is a Relationship Business, and Relationships Are Built on Trust
Healthcare is arguably the industry where trust matters most to relationships. Consumers are at their most vulnerable when they engage with providers and payers. HCOs know the most intimate details about their customers. Preserving trust means keeping customers for their lifetime. Breaking that trust comes with consequences.
The Benchmark Report provides a fascinating look into trust. Here are some salient stats:
- 65% of consumers say they always or sometimes trust their HCOs
- 61% say they trust HCOs more if they offer a consistent omnichannel experience
- At 94%, accuracy of communications received was the top driver of trust
The survey revealed several other key trust drivers, some scoring nearly as high as accuracy. But we shouldn’t be surprised to see accuracy at number one. Think about what drives calls or complaints, and accuracy (sometimes called “clarity”) is often at the top.
Additional Insights Contained in the 2026 Healthcare Benchmark Report
Our research report covers a lot of ground, including:
- The use of AI for customer engagement and communications
- Channel preferences, including when communicating PII and PHI
- Digital self-service preferences and requirements
- How consumers feel about the forms HCOs use
- Accessible digital experience awareness across generations
The report is broken down into several areas and presented in an interactive format that makes consuming and contextualizing the data a breeze. In each section, we call out key stats and provide our high-level analysis for your consideration.
Webinar Highlights Actionable Data in the Benchmark Report
Catch the webinar on June 25th, where we expand on the benchmark data, analyze findings, and put them in context. If you can’t make it to the live event, or if you’re reading this after that date, we’ve got you covered. You can use the same link to register to access the on-demand version.