Medical and dental offices rely on appointment scheduling to keep their business running smoothly. When a patient forgets or misses visit, the office has to contact the patient and reschedule and will sometimes charge the patient a regular office call charge. Hiring an appointment reminder service will help ensure that all patients are reminded of office visits in a timely manner.
Missed visits take money away from the business and many of them daily can be financially devastating. Hiring a reminder service will give the patient ample time to reschedule or cancel a set visit, allowing staff to set that time for someone else. This keeps the office running smoothly without lulls in patient visits.
Reminder services will schedule a previously recorded message to call the client with a visit reminder and give them an option to confirm or press a button to be connected to office personnel for rescheduling. This option is good for people who are unable to be reached via text message or email.
Email reminders are available, but will often go unnoticed unless the client checks email messages often. This type of message may work well with a work email address for the client, as they will be checking them a few times throughout the day. These emails easily end up in the spam folder or bounce back without delivery.
With mobile phones being a popular venue for keeping in touch, text messages are a good method of reminding patients of upcoming office visits. The patient is also able to send a message back confirming the date or asking for a new schedule. This method is quick and easy for both sides allowing schedules to be maintained properly.
The patient will feel more connected and comfortable with a doctor or medical office that assumes the responsibility of alerting them of their scheduled appointments. This gives the impression that the doctor cares about the patient as an individual, not as just another number. This type of service is very helpful for the patients that have a difficult time keeping up with appointment cards given at the office, especially if the dates are made several months in advance.
An automated office visit alert service will save both time and money allowing staff to concentrate on the job at hand without worrying about calling and reminding patients of appointment dates. With reminders in place, the office will run smoothly and be less stressful for both staff and patients, producing a more productive environment and successful business.
