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Why You Should Consider Implementing Online Scheduling In Your Dental Practice

Why You Should Consider Implementing Online Scheduling In Your Dental Practice
by Sally McKenzie

Your patients are busy people, and they often do not have time to call your office during the workday to schedule appointments. Even when they do find a few minutes to jump on the phone, they’re often placed on hold or told the team is out to lunch, which leads to frustration that could very well prompt them to call another practice.

Of course, this hurts your patient retention and costs you money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Scheduling an appointment should be as easy and stress-free as possible for your patients, which is why I recommend implementing online scheduling. With online scheduling, patients can make an appointment when it’s convenient for them, no matter where they are or what the time of day.

Not convinced online scheduling is right for your practice? Read on to learn about the many benefits for your patients and team, and how to make online scheduling work for your practice.

It shows patients your practice is up-to-date—These days, most patients expect to do just about everything online, including scheduling appointments. If your practice doesn’t offer this benefit, patients may wonder what other technologies you’re behind on and decide to make an appointment at another dental practice.

Your team members will love it—Like your patients, your team members are busy and would rather not spend a lot of time on the phone. If patients can schedule appointments online, team members won’t have to handle nearly as many calls, which frees them up to perform other tasks.

Now don’t get me wrong. Team members should still be properly trained and prepared to handle phone calls. They just won’t have nearly as many, and this will enable them to better focus on your patients who are in the office.

Online scheduling improves practice efficiencies—If your online scheduling system is synced with your practice management system, appointments will show up as soon as patients schedule them. This reduces the amount of data entry required, which again gives team members more time for other tasks that benefit the practice.

Read full article on Dentistry iQ.