Automation · Note 02
Could appointment reminders make cancellations easier to manage?
A simple way to measure missed appointments and test reminders with staff in control.
A missed appointment is time you can't sell twice.
Many clinics still remind patients by phoning them the day before, when someone has time. On busy days nobody has time.
Who this is for
Dental practices, physios, private clinics, beauty and aesthetic clinics: anyone working by appointment.
Check it this week
- Count last month's no-shows and late cancellations.
- How are reminders sent now, and who does it? What happens when that person is off?
- Is it easy for a patient to cancel or move an appointment without ringing?
An example
For example, suppose a physio with a full Thursday. Two patients don't turn up, one because she thought it was Friday and one because he felt better and didn't think to cancel.
What usually fixes it
An automatic text or email a day or two before, with the time, the address and a simple way to confirm, cancel or ask to move it. Cancellations come back to reception so the slot can be offered to someone else.
Staff stay in charge. The reminder follows fixed rules and only sends what's in the diary. Anything unusual, like a patient asking a clinical question, goes to a person.
Curious how this would fit your diary system? Tell us what you use now and we'll tell you what's possible with it.