When it comes to scheduling and confirming dental appointments, no one likes to wait on the phone lines. Okay, maybe no one except this guy. (We admit, he has some sweet dance moves.)
The rest of us aren’t usually in the mood to jam to our dentist’s hold music.
Take Dr. Ernie’s patients, for example. Whenever they call his office for a dental appointment, they’re usually put on hold while his staff finishes conversations with other patients.
Dr. Ernie’s staff means well, but their phone line rings a lot. In fact, they spend at least four hours a day on the phone. They listen to voicemails, call patients back, confirm appointments, leave new voicemails, and basically “rinse and repeat.”
However, just down the street, Dr. Bert’s dental practice spends less than half that time on the same tasks. The phone doesn’t ring as much, and patients are rarely placed on hold.
Still, his practice is growing at the same rate as Dr. Ernie’s, if not quicker. The best part is—his staff gets to use their “extra” time to focus on biling, filing insurance, keeping up with their messages and reviews, and interacting with in-office patients.
So how does Dr. Bert’s office staff manage their tasks so efficiently?
It’s not magic; it’s reputation management.
Last month, we covered one aspect of Bullseye Media’s reputation management system—online reviews. This month, we’re diving into another benefit of the system—patient messaging.
According to Twilio, 89% of patients prefer to communicate with businesses via text message.
In the example above, Dr. Bert’s office uses Bullseye Media’s HIPAA-compliant messaging service, allowing her staff to communicate with patients via their preferred medium: text.
Bullseye Media’s service enables dental offices to send appointment reminders, reschedule requests, and post-care instructions–all without picking up a phone.
In addition to being easy and efficient, communicating via text is especially beneficial for patients who have anxiety about dental procedures. These patients aren’t always willing to make a phone call, but experience has shown that they are more apt to use text to communicate.
If you are ready to eliminate the hold music and start communicating with your patients more effectively, send us a message today.
