Five Ways to Improve Appointment Confirmations with RevenueWell

Looking to boost your appointment confirmation rates? 

RevenueWell Appointment Confirmations and Reminders are powerful in getting patients to prioritize dental care and confirm their appointments. Practices using this feature see a better patient response rate, fewer no-shows and cancellations, and more satisfied patients. Here are a handful of expert tips on how to leverage Appointment Confirmations to guarantee patients show up to their next appointment:

1. Encourage every patient to schedule their next visit.  
    
   The best way to prepare patients for their next appointment is to schedule it before they leave your office. Scheduling weeks or months in advance allows patients to plan around their appointments and increases the likelihood of a successful confirmation when the time comes. Booking in person is convenient for patients and allows you to share the benefits of consistent dental care and inform them about confirmations and reminders they will receive later.
2. Update patient information and preferences.  
   
   Every patient should have a phone number, email, and address on file so you can communicate through text, calls, emails, and postcards for appointment confirmations. Check in with patients during their visit to discover their preferred communication methods, then modify their preferences and information in their Patient Profile. 
3. Activate multiple Appointment Confirmation attempts.  
    
   For most patients, one appointment reminder is not enough. Our Appointment Confirmations and Reminders include five attempts to confirm attendance. Each attempt can be individually activated and customized, allowing you to adjust messaging, delivery method, and schedule to fit your needs. We recommended using 4-5 attempts to maximize the chance that patients will confirm their visits. 
   

4. Create an effective schedule for Appointment Confirmations and Reminders.  
    
   There is no one-size-fits-all schedule for confirmations and reminders, but sending first reminders 2-3 weeks out is a great place to start. You want to find the sweet spot of reaching out to patients when their appointment isn't too close or far away. Since you know your patients best, adjust the schedule for each attempt and utilize Advanced Settings to manage send-out schedules based on your practice hours. 

   We recommend this schedule for Appointment Confirmations:

   • 1st Attempt - 14 days before an appointment.
   • 2nd Attempt - 7 days before an appointment.
   • 3rd Attempt - 2 days before an appointment.
   • Final Attempt - 2 hours before an appointment.
5. Include your appointment cancellation and rescheduling policies.  
   
   Appointment Confirmations provide an opportunity to educate patients about the risks of missing and allow patients to reschedule. If patients know they'll be penalized for missing an appointment, they might be more motivated to confirm or reschedule in advance, allowing your office to adjust and preserve productivity. Add this information to Appointment Confirmation templates by selecting ‘Edit Message.’ Make sure your policies are clear and easy for patients to understand.

A Closer Look at Appointment Activity

1. Patients Seen: Total number of completed patient appointments last week
2. Future Appts Made: Total number of appointments scheduled last week
3. New Patients: Total number of new patients created in the PMS last week
4. Scheduled This Week: Total number of appointments for each day this week
5. Confirmed This Week: Total number of confirmed appointments this week

*This data is curated from information in your practice management system (PMS) and RevenueWell account.

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