Can no shows be eliminated completely?
No, unfortunately no shows are the cost of doing business when it comes to running a dental practice. There are several things; however, that can be done to minimize them, including:
- Having a systematic and multi channel process for reminding patients of their appointments and confirming them
As no shows can’t be eliminated completely, a great solution to keep the utilization rate of your practice and staff as high as possible is to supplement your new patient funnel with emergency dental patient marketing, as these dental emergency patients serve a great purpose for filling the holes in the schedule left by no shows.
What are SMS reminders?
SMS reminders are automated text messages that are sent to a patient’s cell phone to remind them of the details of their upcoming appointment. There are several third party platforms that offer this service focused on dental practices, with one of them being BrainHi. Depending on the platform used, patients may also be able to confirm their appointment or even engage in a two way conversation with the office through text.
How do SMS reminders help reduce no shows?
SMS reminders are a very effective tool for reducing no shows because they are both automated and will be read and acknowledged by most receivers, unlike email for example which may get missed. Almost all patients nowadays have access to a cell phone with SMS capabilities, so it makes sense for all practices to implement a version of this technology.
Should I charge for no shows?
This is a business decision without a clear-cut answer, but we can help you decide by detailing the pros and cons. The pros of charging patients who don’t reschedule in advance are obvious, in that they help discourage patients from rescheduling all the time. The discouraging effect is really the main benefit, more than actual cost recouping. The key, though, is that the policy needs to be crystal clear so that #1, patients are aware and it influences their behavior and #2, patients aren’t disgruntled and caught by surprise by the charge. The best way to achieve this is to inform patients of the policy in every communication starting from the initial appointment call.
The cons is that you run the risk of having a very disgruntled patients. Almost 50% of negative dental practice reviews are associated with reschedule and no show charges, so there are reputational risks with this strategy.
Should I charge a deposit for new patients appointments?
Many practices incorporate a phone deposit for new appointments to recoup some of their costs in the event of a no show, but this strategy should be evaluated carefully before implementing. It can work for practices that already have a backlog and waitlist of patients, but for practices that currently have dead time and could use more patients, we recommend against it. In our experience, this strategy ends up in higher patient acquisition costs because conversion rates drop 4 to 5 times on inbound patient leads, resulting in higher costs than assuming 20-40% no shows.
What are the costs associated with no shows?
No shows are probably costing your practice much more than you think. The direct costs are al the staff and facility costs incurred, but there is also the opportunity cost of the lost revenue from an actual patient that could have been scheduled in place of a no show.
Can SMS reminders replace the phone calls that my staff does to confirm appointments?
Sms reminders by themselves can help significantly reduce no shows, but they are most effective when used as part of a multi channel strategy. Many high value dental patients are older patients who prefer communicating over the phone instead of SMS, whereas some are unable to use SMS at all. In contrast, many younger patients prefer SMS and some won’t answer the phone at all for unknown numbers. A multi channel strategy that relies on SMS as a first line of defense for confirming appointments and then has the staff follow up with a phone call with those patients that haven’t scheduled is the most effective strategy.