CDS Member News and Articles

Professional News Articles : FRONT DESK by Mary M. Byers, CAE : Tired of confirming appointments by phone?

Tired of confirming appointments by phone?

November 3, 2008

New technology is making it easier than ever to confirm appointments for your office. Automated calling software makes calls for you while e-mail and text programs allow you to remind patients about appointments without even picking up the phone. If your office isn't taking advantage of the new resources available, it may be time to talk about it. When deciding whether or not it's time to make a change, consider the following:

The value of the human touch. Though new technology makes it possible to send patient reminders without much effort, ask if any goodwill would be lost if you relied on e-mail, text, or automated call reminders instead of calls made by a human. Even voicemail reminders are most pleasant when left by a human voice. Carefully consider what, if anything, would be lost in terms of connections with patients if you decide to use an automated system.

The nature of your practice. Automation is perfect for practices that cater to busy professionals who regularly use texting and e-mail in their daily lives. It makes less sense in rural practices where technology may not be as prevalent or the average patient age skews older and technology usage may be lower.

Time gained from automating reminders. Calling patients daily to remind them about upcoming appointments takes time, which could be utilized to accomplish other tasks in the office. Do a return on investment analysis when addressing the time issue. Is it better to utilize staff time making reminder calls or better to automate the process and use the human effort elsewhere? The answer to this question is as individual as your practice.

Cost analysis. Will you have to buy software or equipment? If repairs are necessary, are they expensive? How much does the service cost on a monthly basis? How long does it take to set up account information? Some services don't charge anything (although advertising appears in the reminders) but do require initial set up. Others charge a one-time set-up fee.

Ease of set-up. Can you find a patient-friendly system that is easy to set-up and use? The easier the program, the more likely it is to be both utilized and useful for your practice. Programs that are hard to understand or use are more likely to fail. When determining if it’s time to automate your current system, be sure to fully understand the complexity involved in doing so.

Ability to test drive. It’s a good idea to test drive a system or software before fully committing to it. Find a program that allows you to try before you buy, then sample it for a month or two before making a final decision. This gives you a chance to see how easily the selected system integrates with your current practice management software and allows you to gather patient feedback before making a commitment. If the test is a disaster, you can abandon the program before attempting a full-scale roll out.

Time is money. Automating patient reminder calls saves both. But it's necessary to determine if the savings will be beneficial for your practice in the long run. Use the considerations above to make a cost/benefit analysis for your practice. Doing so will allow you to move ahead confidently in deciding if it’s time to automate your patient reminder calls.

CDS presents Front Desk, a column addressing problems dentists and staff members experience in the office. Front Desk is prepared by Mary M. Byers, CAE, a professional speaker and freelance writer. Ms. Byers may be reached at mbyers@marybyers.com or www.marybyers.com. Send suggestions for topics to be covered to review@cds.org.

© 2008, Chicago Dental Society