Texting for Dental Offices

Customer Service in a Competitive Industry

To understand the current state of dentistry, and why competition is rising for dentists, it’s useful to look at some recent statistics and projections. 

• In the US, the number of dentists per person is increasing. It’s projected that the number of dentists for every 100,000 people will jump to 67 by 2040; up from 60.7 in 2020.

• Dentists are continuously getting younger. Between 2013 and 2016, 40% of dentists were 55 and older. This figure decreased to 37% in 2020 and is projected to further drop to one-third by 2040. 

• More women are becoming dentists. In 2020, 35% of dentists were female, and this figure is projected to reach almost 50% by 2040. 

These figures indicate not only are there more dentists on the way, but a much more diverse cohort, too. All of this amounts to increases in competition and puts pressure on established clinics to stand out. With more options available, dental offices will necessarily be competing to hold onto customers. 

Therefore, customer care, particularly in the form of convenience and engagement, has never been more important. Personalised services and direct attention are becoming expected, and in such an increasingly competitive environment, industries of every kind are struggling to provide these to their customers and to stay relevant in a world of increasing customer expectations. 

One way that companies are engaging with customers on their own terms is by implementing SMS services. Surveys have shown that customers overwhelmingly prefer SMS to email as their main communication channels with businesses. This particular survey showed that:

• 55% of Customers want to use SMS communications for appointment reminders

• 51% prefer SMS for prescription refills

• 53% choose SMS over email for service outage notifications

• Appointment-based businesses can increase their revenue by up to 20% with appropriately targeted appointment reminders

In all of these categories, no more than 35% of people chose email as their preferred means of communication. This shows that customers have voted heavily in favour of SMS communications when it comes to dealing with businesses, and should be an alarm call to any dental office to keep up with these demands. 

SMS services create that level of engagement that customers are looking for in services as intimate as healthcare, and particularly dentistry. 

When given a choice, it’s not surprising that people want to feel comfortable and valued before letting someone explore their mouths, and dental office texting may be the key to helping them with that, at least in a dental office setting.

Why Use Text Messaging as a Dental Office?

Texting as a dental office can serve a number of purposes, many of which we’ll go into in the next section. For the basics of it, a powerful text message service can provide dental offices with streamlined communications with patients on a platform of their preference. 

CloudContactAI extends dental offices’ abilities to interact with their customers in a number of ways:

• Send appointment reminders – this is one of the most common ways patients prefer to receive appointment reminders. The proliferation of smartphones means text messages are readily available, even easier to monitor, and view than emails, and reminding people of their appointments can cut down significantly on the 10% of appointments that fall through. 
• Reach customers with targeted marketing – the same medium is great for sending out special deals, or personalised offers. Whether company-wide or targeted, your marketing can go out to precisely the people you want it to, and arrive in their SMS, rather than the spam folder of their email account. 
• Request referrals or reviews – after a good service, an SMS is a good way to nudge someone for a review on your site, and can include a direct link to do so, or, in some text services, can be done via the SMS itself. It’s also a great way to offer discounts or promotions for referrals. 
• Provide 2-way communication – SMS messaging doesn’t have to be one-sided. There are options for customer services, appointment requests, and the chance for patients to ask questions by sending an SMS back in your direction. Of all the applications, 2-way communication offers the strongest means of boosting engagement. 

So, engagement is a significant positive effect of simply adding an SMS text service to your communication channels. One thing that comes from texting is the nature of the communications may change. While email can be semi-informal, it’s a lot closer to a letter than a text message is. This means there are more options to present a personality, as long as it’s balanced against keeping a professional and competent front.

Don’t feel afraid to request patient testimonials and express gratitude through SMS messages, dental practices can implement the following strategies:

• Request testimonials: Reach out to your patients via SMS and kindly ask them to share their positive experiences by leaving a rating or review on your dental website, popular review platforms like Yelp, or on your social media channels. Emphasize that patient feedback is greatly appreciated and can help others make informed decisions about dental care.
• Express gratitude: Acknowledge and thank patients who have taken the time to leave positive reviews publicly. Consider sending a follow-up thank you SMS message to show your appreciation for their kind words. This gesture demonstrates that their feedback is valued and encourages continued support.
• Include review links: To make it easier for patients, provide direct links to your preferred review platforms in the SMS message. This simplifies the process and increases the likelihood of them actually leaving a review.
• Personalize your requests: Tailor your SMS messages to each patient by addressing them by name and mentioning their specific treatment. This personal touch can make patients feel valued and more inclined to share their positive experiences.
• Highlight the impact: In your SMS message, emphasize that patient testimonials hold immense value. Explain that their reviews can make a significant difference in helping others find quality dental care and contribute to making more people smile.

Remember to adhere to any applicable SMS marketing regulations and guidelines while implementing these strategies.

With the measured use of shorthand or emojis, a text can navigate that boundary between friendliness and professionalism very elegantly, and this helps people associate your practice with a human front, rather than as a faceless business entity. 

Let’s go into some finer details of how these systems can work for your office.

More Detailed Applications of Dental Office Text Messaging 

Using an SMS platform for healthcare providers, like the one at Cloud ContactAI, you can cover everything from appointment scheduling to test results and a lot more. 

CloudContactAI offers a range of features designed to enhance your dental SMS marketing efforts. One such feature is the ability to easily set up and start messaging your target audience right away. With CloudContactAI, you can implement appointment reminder texts for dentists, ensuring that no revenue is lost due to missed appointments.

In addition to appointment reminders, CloudContactAI provides a convenient and intuitive performance dashboard. This dashboard serves as a trusted tool for your office staff, allowing them to effortlessly send dental SMS marketing messages. With this feature, you can track the performance of your SMS campaigns, monitor engagement levels, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing strategies.

By utilizing CloudContactAI’s suite of features, your dental office can effectively reach and engage with your target audience, ensuring a more streamlined and efficient communication process.

Conclusion

CloudContactAI’s SMS platform offers valuable benefits for dental practices in terms of time-saving and reducing missed appointments. By automating mobile marketing efforts, dental practices can streamline their communication processes and ensure a higher level of efficiency. The platform provides dental offices with intuitive SMS templates which are specifically designed for appointment confirmations, cancellations, and special offers, enabling effective communication with patients.  By utilizing appointment reminder texts, dental practices can significantly reduce the chances of missed appointments and, consequently, avoid losing potential revenue, resulting in a more efficient and more user-friendly experience.