Automated appointment reminders can help your office keep costs down. It is costly when a client or patient does not keep their appointment. Of course it is costly to have to assign someone from the front desk to handle the appointment reminders when they could be better spent putting their energy elsewhere. Automated systems can help to remind patients, clients and customers about a scheduled appointment so they do not forget and you do not lose revenue from missed appointments.
How Much Are Missed Appointments Costing You?
Missed appointments are expensive, how much you lose per missed appointment largely depends on how much you would have charged for that time slot. Depending on your fee scale it can be a substantial loss.
Automated Works!
When you have an automated system in place for appointment reminders you are able to really take a chunk out of your losses. An automated reminder allows users to:
- Be reminded of the upcoming appointment
- Confirm the appointment
- Cancel the appointment
- Reschedule the appointment if necessary
Patients, clients and customers appreciate the reminders because life is hectic and it is easy to forget to jot down an appointment. Being reminded allows people to work their schedule out in advance to be able to keep their appointment. They are able to confirm the appointment which can work out well for you in the event they are a last minute no-show. Many businesses (medical practices and others) use this type of reminder as a way to set up “no show” fee for missed appointments. Typically, the reminder is used a couple of days out from the appointment, if the person confirms and does not show up for the appointment a fee agreement can be worked out so that some of the loss is recoupable from a missed appointment. They can cancel (so you know ahead of time if the slot is opened up) and they can reschedule.
