Bupa says its customers are embracing technology with telehealth appointments on the rise and more than 180,000 digital membership cards added to Apple Wallets in the past month.
The company said that since it introduced telehealth claims in March 2020, which was the early period of the pandemic, demand has remained steady with claims dipping slightly over the summer months and increasing to more than 2,000 per month in July and August 2021.
According to Chris Carroll, Bupa health insurance retail director, the pandemic has accelerated digital advances with customers increasingly looking for convenience and simplicity in their health care.
“What we’re seeing is our customers becoming increasingly comfortable with technology in their everyday life, and now looking at how they can apply that to their health care experience.
“Telehealth was fast-tracked out of necessity at the beginning of the pandemic, and there have been spikes in usage as the states move in and out of lockdowns. But our claims data also shows there is an underlying demand for the service regardless of whether physical appointments are available or not,” said Mr Carroll.
“We’ve also seen record uptake of our new digital membership cards which allow customers to claim by tapping their phone, huge growth in our MyBupa app and an increasing move towards customers contacting us via messaging services like Whatsapp.”
Mr Carroll said despite the growing demand for online services, Bupa was still committed to providing in-person options for customers.
“While we’ve been investing in technology and digitalisation for some time now, there is no doubt that COVID-19 has accelerated the customer appetite to interact online. However, we know there are still many customers who prefer to talk with Bupa in person or on the phone, so we continue to have our teams available in our contact centres and in our stores when they are able to open,” added Mr Carroll.