Type “book a dental appointment” into any search engine and you’ll find a plethora of dental practices offering patients the opportunity to do just that – or so it seems. Often on clicking the link the patient is actually taken to a contacts page where they are required to fill out a form so that the practice can “get back to them”. This is not only frustrating for patients it is also quite a lot of increased administration for the reception team.
Imagine if these online responses didn’t have to be collected though, and valuable reception time lost following up each and every reply, but in fact the patient had already booked a dental appointment with one of your dentists or hygienists at a time convenient for them (and you).
Set to become the next big thing in dentistry, real-time online booking is now here, providing a smart, powerful and secure online solution for both NHS and private practices. Allowing your practice to be open for bookings 24 hours a day, seven days a week effectively ensures increased visibility to patients and reduces stress on reception staff. Despite the evident cost-effectiveness of this innovative marketing approach and the potential practice profitability, there are still some discerning dentists that need convincing and some questions to be answered before many realise this will become a lifeline for your practice, as online booking sweeps the globe.
Attendance
Patients failing to attend are one of the most common myths surrounding online booking. A reliable online booking system will ensure that each booking is genuine by sending a pin code via text message to each new patient before they can confirm their booking. This way you have a verified contact number for your new patient, so you can take a deposit and/or an SMS reminder.
Diary organisation
Diary control is a key part of every successful practice and something that must be retained. With online booking, you can still retain 100 per cent control of the diary and decide which appointment slots (and their duration) you want to be visible online. It works in the same way you use a normal diary.
Pre-payments
Normal procedures can take place such as pre payments or deposits. Just like when booking a hotel or spa treatment a confirmation email can be automatically sent to the patient once the booking is made – this can include your cancellation policy and a clear note that the reception will be in touch to take pre-payment or pre-authorisation of the patient’s credit card. You are then able to give them a call and the relationship starts to develop. It works the same way that your current system does.
Practice website
Some 50 per cent of UK dental practices don’t have a website and the truth is your hard-earned cash need not be spent on one to start benefiting from online booking. Some systems offer new patients delivered directly to you via a ‘find-a-dentist’ website in itself; giving you a professionally designed and intuitive practice profile that displays all the key information to drive patients to your practice. You can even buy a web address for as little as £10 tailored to your practice that re-directs to your online booking page.