Updated: 6/14/2022
Patients cancelling their appointments last-minute can understandably be frustrating for dentists & their dental staff, who often take the common approach of simply re-booking an appointment farther down the production schedule.
And sure, some patients may only have to wait days for a new appointment. Yet some patients may have to wait weeks or months. This can be frustrating for them, and dental marketing is about building relationships with current and prospective patients, who typically view dental practices as a service.
This means, in a competitive dental market where customer experience directly impacts revenue, waiting weeks or months can easily come off as not being much of a service.
So, the question for dental practices naturally becomes this:
How do you provide optimal service to patients with respect to appointments while also doing what you can to prevent last-minute cancellations to keep your dental chairs full and profits high?
Here are five secrets:
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Enable Patients to Book and Cancel Appointments Online
- You provide a service that meets the needs of patients
- You make it easier for patients to fill your schedule
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Provide Patients with Solutions
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Send Timely Appointment Confirmation Emails
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Reward Good Behavior
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Extend or Change Your Hours if Necessary
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