How to Improve Communication with Your Patients

Kiltesh Patel
November 10, 2017 | 3 min read

how-improve-communication-with-patientsIn our last post, we talked about the value of each patient and how much it can be worth to your bottom line to keep all those hard-earned patients. One of the ways to ensure you keep patients is clear, consistent communication. Fortunately, communication these days can consist of a range of methods—from text messages to email, phone calls to mailers so your practice can reach patients in the most effective way. The flip side of that, though, is finding the right method, the right message, and the right frequency.

At tab32, patient communication is really important to us. That's why we've developed the range of features in hello patient. We want it to be easy for you to keep those lines of communication open. But we can't do all the work for you, you'll have to do a little legwork and thinking on your own. Here's where to start:

Make a patient communications plan

How do you onboard patients? How do you remind them of appointments? How do you answer the phone? When do you follow up? How often do you contact them for a recall? These (and many more) are all questions you should be answering before you even take your first patient. And they can't just "exist": write everything down and create documentation. This will save you a lot of headache in the long run.

Train team

Next is to get everyone on your team on the same page when it comes to communication. Everyone should know the answers to the questions above and have the documentation you created (ta-da!). There will likely be different people reaching out to patients at different times, so this plan and coordinated effort are really important. There should be best practices for noting when and why patients were contacted so there aren't embarrassing (and annoying) duplications.

Leverage dental practice software

Like we mentioned above, tab32 was created with patient communication in mind. You can utilize your software to take some of the burdens off of keeping client communications organized. Our hello patient features help set and send text messages reminders, send birthday greetings, and even follow up surveys. Our practice management features give you great patient and treatment information for quick, personalized responses and help to patients. When you have the right tool in place, you can really utilize it to get the results you want.

Be authentic

This is really important, especially as we talk about software and auto-generated emails and messages. Most people are pretty smart—they'll know if they're "talking" to a robot. It's key to the relationship you're building to use the right messages and methods for the right situations. Sometimes, the situation warrants a phone call from your staff, where others a quick text message is perfect. Whatever you do, be authentic and genuine with these interactions to help patients feel like they are a priority, because that is the whole point!

Want to see how tab32 can help you build great patient loyalty? Our cloud-based dental software is unlike any other on the market. We want to help you get your new dental practice off the ground and started on the right foot. 

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