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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : FRONT DESK by Mary M. Byers, CAE : E-Call recall E-Call recallDecember 3, 2008 Are you tired of dialing for dollars in the form of patient recall reminders? If so, it’s time to change your recall to “e-call”—using electronic reminders to communicate with patients about upcoming appointments. Not only is this cost-effective and a huge time saver, a recent study confirms that many of your patients actually prefer this reminder method. Reachon.com surveyed 10,000 people and found that 85 percent prefer communicating by e-mail rather than by phone. That’s good news for your practice. Here’s how to set up your e-call system. Explore possibilities. Does your practice management software allow you to automatically program electronic reminders when setting appointments? If so, you’ll be able to capitalize on existing technology. If not, do a little online research to find resources for electronic reminder services. There are many available. Look for ones that are HIPPA compliant that will integrate with your current practice management software. Test drive the software. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the software. Often, it can be mastered in an hour or less. If not, keep looking. Software should be both intuitive and easy to use. Confer with patients. When appointments are set, ask patients how they’d like to be reminded prior to the scheduled time. Record this information in the patient record. Those who don’t have access to e-mail or who prefer a phone call should be flagged accordingly. For those who prefer e-mail, an electronic reminder can be set at the time the appointment is made. The best part of these systems is that patients can confirm the appointment with a single click on their end, allowing for interactive communication from both parties without the necessity of a phone conversation. Streamline calling. With a high percentage of your patients preferring e-call, the number of personal calls to be made each day will decrease. Streamlining calling means more staff time for other activities. As e-call replaces phone calling, staff can begin to tackle other “back burner” projects that have been on the practice to do list, further increasing practice productivity and/or profitability. Reactivate “lost” patients. After the initial task of setting up e-call has been completed, attention can turn from recalling to reactivating patients. Even a slight increase in reappointing former patients has an impact on the bottom line. Connecting with them through e-mail can be done both conveniently and comfortably. Patients can request their own appointment times online without having to explain the reason for their absence from the practice, making it easier for them to reengage without apology or embarrassment. New patient communication. In addition to appointing, e-call software can also be used to send questionnaires to new patients prior to their first engagement with your office. And, when patients come as a result of a referral, an e-thank you can be easily sent to the referring patient. The human touch. As you use technology to increase effectiveness in your practice, don’t forget the value of the human touch in your office. When e-call is done electronically, it’s even more important to greet patients with eye contact, a friendly smile and a few words of reconnection each time they enter your office. E-call isn’t meant to replace relationships with patients, but to enhance them. In-office customer service still determines whether or not patients will reappoint. And when they do, they can easily, inexpensively and efficiently be reminded using today’s e-call software.
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. |
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