Dental reminder software helps reduce the number of missed appointments and saves time for the front desk staff. To enjoy these advantages, your office needs to properly implement the patient appointment reminder software into your current routine.
Use the following best practices for dental reminder software to reduce no-shows and increase office efficiency.
Choose a Suitable Time of Day and Frequency for Reminders
The most essential best practices for dental reminder software are related to the time and frequency of the reminders. Emails or text messages sent too frequently, early, or late may annoy patients.
When selecting the time of the day for appointment reminders, stick to normal business hours. People are more likely to prefer messages sent during the daytime, instead of during mealtime or when they are getting ready for work.
After choosing the time of day, select a suitable frequency for the reminders. The common practice is to send a confirmation message after scheduling the appointment and a follow-up reminder 24-hours before the appointment.
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Provide a Clear Message and Instructions in the Reminder
If patients need to scroll through the text to find appointment details or instructions, they may not read the entire message. This reduces the effectiveness of the appointment reminder.
The best reminders are simple and straightforward. The message should only include relevant information.
Display the date and time of the appointment at the beginning of the message, followed by the reason for the appointment and the location of your dental practice.
The message should also prominently display the office phone number. Any additional instructions should be provided directly below the main details. Include information on how to reschedule or confirm appointments if needed.
Give Patients Multiple Options for Greater Convenience
Most appointment reminder software provides the flexibility to send emails or text messages. While most people have smartphones and can receive SMS text messages, some patients may prefer email notifications.
Along with choosing a delivery method, your patients may prefer to receive reminders based on their schedule. For example, you may offer the option to receive a notification two hours before the appointment.
Allow patients to select the option that works best for them. Using a custom approach is more convenient, helping to keep your patients satisfied with your services.
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Keep Track of the Reminders and Patient Feedback
After implementing the appointment reminder software, continue to track the results and feedback from patients. You may find that most patients prefer multiple reminders or messages sent during specific times of the day.
Keep track of when the messages are sent, the frequency of the messages, and the number of no-shows. Use these details to fine-tune your delivery methods and analyze the return on investment for using the software.
Using these best practices for dental reminder software should bring increased productivity and greater customer satisfaction. Patients tend to appreciate getting appointment reminders if you avoid sending messages too frequently and deliver clear instructions.
As a final tip, be sure to personalize the messages. Use the software to automatically place the patient’s name in the message to make it more personal.
