No-shows and cancellations tank your productivity. You tell that really eager patient that they can’t have their ideal time because it’s taken, but to have that patient cancel last minute or worse, not show up at all. If you can’t find someone to fill the gap in time, you are losing a ton of money and wasting your time.
For obvious reasons, no-shows and cancellations are bad for your dental practice. One key to growing your practice is finding the best ways to reduce no shows in your dental practice. So what should you do if you have a patient cancel a dentist appointment?
Read on to find out how to reduce no-show appointments and cancellations.
Track Appointments
Before you can start reducing now shows and cancellations for your dental practice, you need to know your metrics. A high no show rate at a dental office is a warning sign, so you want to know what your metrics are.
As the top dental marketing consultant, Dental Marketer will help you implement the leading software to measure all vital metrics, including no shows and cancellations. The real-time data gives you clarity, so you know what to address.
Follow Up with Patients
Communication is one primary key to resolve a high no show rate at a dental office. Start by talking with patients while they’re at your practice to help educate them on the importance of getting their care.
The next step is to send confirmations and follow-ups to remind the patient. Many patients that no-show or last-minute cancel a dentist appointment do so because they forget. The patient is very busy with their everyday life and may miss the appointment completely, or not remember until right before when they’ve already booked other things over the appointment time. Send a confirmation the same day and then reach out via text, email, or phone to remind patients three weeks, three days, and one day before the appointment.
Read more: Avoid These Common SEO Mistakes for Dental Practices
As a top dental marketing consultant, Dental Marketer can help you set up the most powerful dental practice software to reduce no shows at your dental practice. With Dental Intel, you can prevent patients from falling through the cracks with automated follow-ups for:
- all broken appointments
- appointments confirmations
- unscheduled treatment and more
Get Appointments on Patients’ Calendars
Sending reminders is a good step, but it really helps to get the appointment on your patients’ calendars directly. This way, the patient can see the upcoming appointment and work any upcoming meetings or events around that.
Welcome New Patients
Reach out to any new patients to welcome them. A simple phone call can make the patient feel welcomed and reduce the chance of a no-show. The call will show the newcomer that you value them and are dedicated to their care. They will also experience the human side of your practice and want to help.
Reduce No Shows at Your Dental Practice
You can’t grow your dental practice with a high no-show rate. To reduce missed appointments and keep your schedule full, it’s essential to address the issue before patients cancel. Work with a dental marketing expert to enhance your dental website design, receive guidance from a dental consultant, run effective PPC campaigns for dentists, and experience more services to keep your practice thriving.
As your dental marketing consultant, Dental Marketer can help you implement the best dental practice software and reduce the no shows at your dental practice. Learn more about how Dental Marketer and Dental Intel can help your dental practice by scheduling your free breakthrough session HERE.
