The idea of offering online forms on your Web site is a beautiful thing. Done correctly, it improves access and increases your availability to and accommodation of your patients. The reality, however, is too often, we put the forms on the “lot” before taking them for a test drive.
We’ve all experienced it. You click on the link for an online form only to end up confused or frustrated and in too many cases, you simply pick up the phone or worse yet, give up. I suspect this is because the person who created the form never “tested” it on real end users. And in this new world of pay-for-performance, patient satisfaction (yes, even the ease of filling out forms) is more critical than ever before.
Your online forms should be as simple and clear as possible. This means easy-to-understand directions and a logical flow.
Moral of this story … have a few folks “test drive” your online form before it goes live. And not people in your office who are looking at it through the lens of what they need. Have “real” people in your target market take it for a spin. It will be well worth the extra step.