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Dental practices hit one million text messages
20th Oct 2010
Customers of Software of Excellence hit a memorable milestone in September when they collectively sent one million text messages to patients in a single month.
With an estimated 51 million mobile phones currently in use in the UK – and the increasing trend to text instead of talk – dental practices are quickly realising that mobile technology is a fast and effective way to send recalls, appointment reminders and other practice information.
Text message communication has numerous benefits over traditional methods and is being widely adopted, for example a text leaves the practice contact number on the user's phone enabling them to call back if required, a text is more effective than making a phone call in terms of response rates and texts are in general less than a fifth of the cost of sending a letter.
With all these advantages it is easy to see how text messaging technology can improve recall effectiveness and have a positive impact on the overall efficiency of a practice.
Teresa Biggs is practice manager of Lighthouse Dental Practice, Ipswich, and has only recently adopted text messaging technology.
She says: 'We send out text reminders 48 hours before the patient's appointment, giving them time to cancel or reschedule if need be, consequently we save time and fees when compared with previous occasions when cancellations were made on the morning of the appointment. The result: a 50% reduction in no-shows!'
Software of Excellence customers can use Recall Manager to automatically schedule text reminders to patients and EXACT Version 10 includes the ability to see whether text messages have been delivered, enabling you to monitor the delivery status of each message.
Default messages can also be set up for appointment recalls and missed appointments, helping to reduce 'failed to attends' by up to 50% and increasing successful patient recall.
Greg Clay, sales and marketing director of Software of Excellence is delighted to have hit the one million mark.
He says: 'It's great to see practices taking advantage of the benefits of text messaging and we're pleased that Software of Excellence is at the forefront of developing a whole range of practice management systems and business services such as THRIVE, that save money, increase efficiency and enhance communication.'
Don't let your patients miss an appointment!
Call 0845 345 5767 or visit www.soeidental.com and find out more about how your practice can harness texting technology!
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