Why and How Your Dental Office Should Contact Patients

Technology has made it much simpler to stay in contact with your patients. From traditional communication methods like mail or phone calls to email and social media, maintaining communication with your patients can almost feel overwhelming! It can be tough to determine which mode of communication is right for your patients and your practice.

There are three main reasons to contact your dental patients. These are:

1. Appointment Reminders
2. Surveys or Reviews
3. Ongoing Dental Needs

Appointment Reminders

Reminding your patients about their appointments is a great way to keep your schedule full and reduce the number of no-shows in your office. Patients should be responsible for remembering their own appointments, but a reminder from your office never hurts! Below are a few ways for you to send reminders to your patients.

• Automated Calls – Leave a friendly voicemail that your patient has an upcoming visit.
• Emails – Smartphones can allow you to include calendar invites for appointments.
• Text Messages – Not everyone can or wants to talk on the phone. Text messages are a less intrusive way to remind patients of their appointments.

Surveys or Reviews

Word-of-mouth recommendations have been shown to produce the most loyal customers among all businesses, including your dental practice. Reach out to the patients who visit your office by sending follow-up emails or automated phone calls requesting that they share about their experience in your dental office.

Ongoing Dental Needs

Each of your patients has ongoing dental health needs, whether they visit for six-month dental cleanings or need more intense restorative work. No matter what the treatment may be, make sure to communicate with your patients about their ongoing dental health needs.

Maintaining open lines of communication with your patients is the best way to build patient loyalty and increase word-of-mouth recommendations for your office.