How product managers leveraging social engagement to build healthcare products

The next level growth in any innovative technology based feature rich product is based on Data and leveraging data. The Data-Driven Decision, Data-driven Design & Data-driven Product are some of the key indicators that determine growth and scale. The cutting edge technology is replacing AI, ML and Big Data at a rapid pace. The trick is to use data in the right way to scale optimally. The main pain point of many growing companies is that they do have the data but do not drive the right way to use it. A company’s ability to compete and innovate on a tech driven product is dependent on how successfully it uses the data and builds features around that.

Doctor network is the basis of success

The Doctor is a busy and overworked individual who hardly has time to network and update knowledge. The paucity of time has encouraged more and more doctors to come forward and engage on this platform. The discussions and library add to the diagnostic efficiency.

The power of social engagement can help achieve acquisition, activation and retention as a target. The product use is catapulted in the path of 10X growth. Social interaction is one mechanism which has really worked for the team. The core value proposition and doctors’ mindset is traditional and the ease of usage and value addition has led the revolution to adapt to new technology. Mechanism varies from company to company, product to product or user to use. It is important to figure out what that mechanism would look like. Doctors are the most benefited by the process and they are the ones who make the platform a success.

The Healthcare Ecosystem in India revolves around Doctors. The change towards digital adoption is inclusive of a major change in behaviour. Doctors have their own challenges in adopting new things in tech. The lack of time, the resistance to change, and the barrier to using new things often form the roadblocks in the way to change. The mindset of the doctors and the knowledge of their pain points helped create a hooked model using social engagement as the key.

Every social network has one value proposition or hooks for the user. The success of any product is based on the FOMO or fear of missing out factor among the non-users. Every person needs to feel at the top of the game and not lagging behind. The leaderboard has a gamification score and weekly contests accelerate the interest quotient, allowing the company to add and retain users optimally. Literally, thousands of experiments and iterations have led to the final product.

What makes the success viable?

The success of the application is based on data usage, innovation and engagement.

• Decision making is based on data and the data driven methodology is the key to add value to the customer delight. There are clear markers towards customer usage and behaviour that pave the way for future innovations and improvements.

• User feedback is the main ingredient for success in this space. The nature of the industry values makes the feedback of the user the core of innovation and enhancement of features.

• Clarity of vision is the goal. Features and competition result in only short term gains. The long term vision for the product and its growth scale is the most important factor for sustainable innovation.

• Prioritization is the most essential skill of any product manager. The trick here is not to be waylaid by small tweaks in features and feedbacks but to keep the maximum optimization of expectation of delivery.

The Indian Healthcare system is at the cusp of change. Technology invasion has begun and is taking rapid strides. The Doctor fraternity is choosing the right tools to stay abreast and grow their clientele and knowledge. Innovation is the key factor along with the correct usage of the vast amounts of data available today. The major hurdle in keeping pace is awareness and usability of the product. The easy application and engagement will spell success.

By Abhishek Sharma, VP- Products, Curofy