Banner Health Streamlines Onboarding & HR with Mobile Apps

BACKGROUND

Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the United States. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Banner Health operates 30 hospitals, including three academic medical centers and other health entities across a six-state region. Banner Health was experiencing challenges in communicating with their workforce. These challenges were intensified further by the coronavirus pandemic. Banner Health was dedicated to providing resources and support to their employees in an effective, timely manner.

PROBLEM

Banner Health faced three specific challenges. First, Banner Health physicians are on their feet, interacting with patients and staff their entire shift. They’re not sitting in front of a computer screen to receive email communication. Second, when onboarding new physicians, the HR department needed a seamless, automated process available on a smartphone. And third, when the coronavirus pandemic began, information, resources and policies were constantly changing. Health team communication became absolutely critical.

SOLUTION

The Banner Health team investigated different technology options to address both their communication and  onboarding needs. Ultimately, they chose Engage by Cell’s mobile platform consisting of text message communication combined with a mobile portal for resources.

• Employees do not have to download an app.

• Employees do not have to log in to access content so there are no complicated logins to remember or passwords to reset

• Anyone on the Banner Health team can build the mobile web apps with an easy drag-drop-interface. No IT department or web designers needed.

• Changes and additions can be made at any time, in real-time.

• When users text-in to access the mobile web apps, they are automatically subscribed to text message communication, and can opt out at any time.

• Text message communication can be segmented into targeted groups. Text messages can be scheduled in advance or set in a sequence.

• Employees can respond to text messages with questions  or comments, one-to-one, via Text Chat.

OUTCOMES

The Banner Health team observed several positive outcomes as a result of implementing text message communication and using a mobile web app to onboard new physicians.

SEAMLESS ONBOARDING FOR NEW PHYSICIANS

New physicians can text into a specific keyword and receive a link to the Banner Physician Onboarding mobile web app. By bookmarking the link to their phone, physicians have access to an entire suite of resources accessible 24/7, at work or at home. The Physician Onboarding app includes links to employee programs, new hire survey forms, benefit information, links to the Banner Health intranet, contact directories, and much more. Changes or additions to the Physician Onboarding mobile web app can be made by  the Banner Health team at any time and do not require  the assistance of an IT department or any contact  with Engage by Cell.

The Banner Health team can also send onboarding instructions to new physicians via text message.  New physicians can text-in questions to the HR team  and receive answers via one-to-one communication.

“How do we give our 50,000 employees one place to go from their mobile phone? They’re working 14 hour shifts with patients all day, or sitting in a break room and don’t have their computer with them. Now they can just pull up our Engage by Cell mobile website on their phone and be connected with any support that we’re offering.” Samantha Hickert, Senior Consultant of Physician Experience and Development

GREATER EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR STAFF

When employees text-in to access a mobile website, they are automatically subscribed to text message communication. The Banner Health team regularly pushes out encouraging text messages like, “Hey Banner Healthcare heroes, keep it up! So far we’ve saved  200 lives during this pandemic, and it’s because of you!”

INSTANT TEXT MESSAGE COMMUNICATION

The Banner Health team now uses the Engage by Cell text message platform to communicate with employees on the device they know best and check most often: their phone. Text message content includes details on employee trainings, holiday greetings, flu shot reminders, links to employee surveys, and other important alerts.

THE ENGAGE BY CELL EFFECT

10 mobile web apps

44,048 total page views

3,389 Users across several departments

72,789 outbound and inbound text messages sent

Time Period: July 2020 – July 2021

Thanks to Engage by Cell’s mobile technology and the Banner Health team, Banner Health now has a cost-effective, communication and productivity tool that reaches and informs all employees faster, more reliably, and more efficiently. To date, the Banner Health team has created 10 different mobile web apps used for general employee resources, trainings, conferences, physician onboarding, and other departmental resources.

‍

‍