With the many competing priorities your dental team faces every day, you may feel like engaging patients adds complexity to an already tough job. The good news is that you can choose patient relationship management (PRM) solutions with built-in tools that make patient engagement much easier to achieve.
When selecting PRM software, look for these four key features to support your engagement strategy.
1. Patient Portal
Offer your dental patients access to a portal for effortless appointment management and secure patient communication. With a patient portal that’s available to patients 24/7, patients can log in at any time to stay connected and manage their health. A patient portal is an excellent way to engage your patients, who can use it for everything from filling out intake forms to viewing their prescriptions, day or night.
2. Targeted Email Campaigns
Email remains one of the best ways to stay connected to patients beyond office visits. With PRM software that offers a campaign studio, such as Demandforce, staff can create targeted email campaigns to reach patients. These campaigns can include monthly newsletters that share seasonal health reminders, practice updates, and more.
You can also segment patients by groups – such as those managing a specific condition or in a certain age group – to communicate information that is directly relevant to them. By following email best practices, you can reconnect with dormant patients by creating recall campaigns with personalized greetings, such as birthday cards.
3. Text Messaging
Many people use text messaging as a primary means of communication. So why not reach patients using the method of communication they prefer? From one-off text messages to automated review requests, being able to text from your business line is an excellent way to engage patients.
One of the best applications for text messaging is appointment reminders. You should be able to program your PRM software to send an automated text a day or two before a scheduled appointment, asking patients to confirm. And provide a booking link so patients can change or cancel appointments with minimal effort from the front office team.
4. Automated Review Requests
When patients have good relationships with their dental providers, they are more likely to let others know about these positive experiences. You can make the most of these supportive patients by encouraging them to submit a review. PRM software like Demandforce allows your team to send review requests via text or email and lets patients endorse your practice with just a few clicks. From there, staff can easily push the reviews out to sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook and WebMD.
Make Patient Engagement a Priority
Through regular communications and education, your dental practice can stay connected to patients, build their trust and help them make smart lifestyle choices. Demandforce from Henry Schein One is an innovative all-in-one communication tool that can help you attract, engage and reactivate patients — and drive additional revenue to your practice. Learn more at HenryScheinOne.com/Demandforce.
