Clear communication with patients is one of the most important jobs in any medical practice, and failure to do so can impact a clinic negatively in a variety of ways, including lost time and revenue due to no-shows. For that reason,В clinics are always looking for more effective ways to communicate with patients and, particularly, to deliver appointment reminders. SMS is becoming an increasingly popular way to get those important messages out thanks to its high engagement rates and near-complete adoption among younger patients. MedicalCRM, the medical industry’s leading customer resource management tool, includes a full SMS suite that makes it easier than ever for clinic staff to manage SMS messaging and to reap the significant benefits of this rapidly growing patient appointment management tool.В
Give Your Patients the Communication Tools They Want
Text messaging is now the preferred communication method of a huge chunk of the population in the United States, especially among millennials and even many Gen Xers. That makes embracing text messaging a huge opportunity for clinics looking for a more effective way to communicate with patients. Not only is texting convenient and easy, but the vast majority of millennials open text messages within a couple of minutes of receiving them, guaranteeing high read and engagement rates and ensuring that important messages get across. Modern customer resource management software like MedicalCRM offers in-platform two-way text messaging, enabling administrative staff to send and receive messages without ever having to leave the same system they also use for email, scheduling, billing, and more. That makes CRM-based SMS messaging as convenient for staff as it is for patients.В
Reduce Staff Workload Through Automation
The constant stream of inbound and outbound communication that goes on in a medical practice can bury administrative staff. Even just managing the phone can be such a huge task that many clinics set a cutoff time each day, after which the phone system goes right to voicemail. That respite lets staff focus on paperwork and other administrative tasks, as well as on making outbound calls like follow-ups and reminders. CRM-based SMS messaging enables staff to redirect some of those non-stop phone communications to text, which not only makes them easier to manage but also makes it possible to automate as much of the process as possible. That’s particularly true with appointment reminders, which can be easily scheduled to go out automatically via SMS at certain intervals prior to a scheduled appointment, eliminating the need for staff to spend precious time playing phone tag with patients.В
Improve Scheduling Efficiency and Reduce No-Shows
Embracing SMS messaging to send automatic reminders doesn’t just benefit your staff; it also benefits your bottom line. That’s because two-way SMS messaging allows your patients to respond to the automatic reminders they receive and have those responses go directly to your staff, right on screen through the CRM. That enables an unparalleled level of patient engagement and participation in the scheduling process, as they can quickly and easily text-in a rescheduling request or cancellation. The result is fewer unexpected missed appointments, and reduction or outright elimination of the financial and time costs associated with no-shows. Your calendar and schedule management will be a breeze.
