Appointment reminders can reduce no-shows and get your patients in the chair as scheduled. Learn best practices for sending appointment reminders to patients for increased engagement. 

Staff time spent on reminder calls can detract from your dental practice's productivity but getting patients into the office is important. Utilizing these best practices for appointment reminders can save your staff time on calls and reduce no-shows and cancellations. A well-crafted and well-timed appointment reminder can help you achieve your practice's goals, getting your patients in the chair. 

Timing Is Everything 

Making reminder calls during work hours can be tricky, as many patients are unable to pick up phone call reminders while at work. Providing email and text message reminders gives patients the flexibility to respond to reminders on their own time. You can also utilize Voicemail Drops to send a message directly to the patient’s voicemail with just the click of a button, without fear of ringing them while they’re busy at work.

Many dental practices find that the best timing for reminders is one to three days before an appointment. If you send a reminder too far in advance of the appointment, the patient could still forget. Too close to the appointment, and the patient may have arranged their schedule already and need to cancel. Consider sending multiple texts or email reminders to patients, one a week before the appointment, and another the day before. 

Include Key Appointment Information

A well-crafted reminder can make all the difference. Make sure you include all the necessary appointment information in your reminders. Include the name of your practice, your address, important directions, the time and date of the appointment, and how the patient can contact you to cancel or reschedule. You want to make it as easy as possible for the patient to respond and giving them the information they need is the first step. 

Though you want to provide all the right information, remember to keep reminders — particularly voicemails — short. Patients may tune them out if they are too long. Include the most important information for the patient to get to the appointment on time and leave it at that. 

Request a Response

Reminding patients of appointments is one thing but being certain that they have confirmed their appointment seals the deal to reduce no-shows. Asking patients to respond to your reminder keeps them engaged and more likely to show up on their appointment day. You can ask the patient to call you back to confirm or make it even easier by allowing text message confirmations. Automated email and text reminders with a confirmation feature can help. 

Automate Your Patient Reminders

New technologies can provide your practice with the tools to deliver automated reminders to patients. Using automated reminders can be a game changer in reducing no-shows and staff time spent on reminders. The most effective systems use different reminders to reach patients using their preferred communication channel. Some patients prefer text message reminders, while others might be more receptive to email or push notifications (if your practice is using a mobile app).

Dental Intelligence's dental appointment reminder software allows patients to customize their reminders and set preferences for the number and type of reminder sent before appointments.

Keep that Personal Touch 

Providing good customer service and letting patients know how you value them are important for patient retention and continued engagement. Train staff on keeping reminders brief yet conversational; adding that personal touch goes a long way for your patients and business. 

Automated reminders and Voicemail Drops can help to free up staff time, but you can still personally reach out to those patients who haven't responded. 

Why Invest in Reminders?

Craft your reminders based on what you are trying to achieve in your practice. Implementing patient reminder best practices can help you to reduce no-shows, free up staff time, and increase revenue and patient satisfaction. Additionally, scheduling will become easier as more patients respond by confirming or requesting to cancel their appointment, making your schedule more consistent and predictable. 

Automated Reminder Software that Benefits Your Patients and Practice 

No-shows and empty calendars are becoming a thing of the past. Dental Intelligence's appointment reminder software can keep your schedule full and your patients healthy with automated and fully customizable appointment reminders for patients. The system integrates with your scheduling software, automatically updating and confirming appointments based on patients' responses. Patients can respond when it is convenient for them and set preferences for how they want to be contacted. Staff can focus more time on writing patient re-engagement emails and customer care. 

Try out Dental Intelligence's digital solutions for dental practices and get your patients back in the exam room. Contact us today to schedule a demo.

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