Online Scheduling: A Critical Tool for Healthcare Practices
There comes a time when it’s very clear that, no matter how comfortable and familiar something might be, a change is needed.
For the healthcare industry, technology has not kept up with the growing demands of consumer expectations. As a result, the majority of patients still have to schedule appointments by phone. Leaving practice managers scrambling to play catch up.
Providing online scheduling is a simple way healthcare practices can reinvent themselves, revolutionize the way they run, and provide an exceptional patient experience.
Keeping up with consumer demand
Online scheduling is a huge differentiating factor when searching for a healthcare practice. It’s not enough to be the nearest practice to that person’s area anymore.
When given the choice between doctors with a similar experience, proximity, availability and patient satisfaction ratings, 80% of patients reported they’d switch providers for convenience factors alone.
Patients will choose whoever can make booking and attending the appointment the fastest, simplest process for them. And they will choose whoever can make it the fastest, simplest process for them.
People want to reserve their appointments when it’s most convenient for them. In today’s busy and fast-paced environment, that can often mean booking appointments after hours. Self-service is the way of today. Not offering online scheduling directly results in lost leads and a backlog of work to come back to in the morning.
By making it easier than ever to take charge of their health, more patients will come and keep coming back.
Creating a captivating patient experience
There’s a reason the hospitality business has boomed in the last couple of decades. People crave experiences.
The patient experience goes beyond what happens at the physical appointment. What happens before they get through the door is just as important.
Turning the process of finding and booking a regular old patient visit into a patient experience that caters to the needs of the patient will create an unforgettable memory. Leaving people wanting more.
No one wants to sit on the phone for 20 minutes trying to schedule an appointment, much less leave a message and wait 24 hours for a returned call.
No one likes to wait. Online scheduling gets the practice staff off the phones and present in the moment. When they don’t have to deal with scheduling changes, appointment reminders, paperwork, etc. they can get patients in and out as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Adapting to the changing landscape requires a shift from “business as usual.” Deploying the right type of tool that facilitates the experiences modern consumers crave, like convenience, is the critical piece of the puzzle that must be solved to create the ultimate patient experience.
Increasing your bottom line
Every business owner has a bottom line. Far too many practices focus on reducing costs to
increase their bottom line when it really comes down to two simple priorities. For a practice owner, it has to be the perfect blend of investing in patient satisfaction to grow their practice which increases the bottom line.
Eliminating back and forth communications and reducing wait times will create happy patients, and happy patients will refer their friends, family, etc.
Online scheduling is the fastest and simplest way to reduce no-shows and cancellations and save your practice thousands, if not millions, of dollars per year, while simultaneously attracting new patients.
People are busier than ever these days, they don’t have time for phone calls, and neither do healthcare practices. It’s a re-search-backed fact that automated reminders like these are far more effective for getting people to show up, and show up on time.
A digital transformation will help practices reach more patients and improve the quality of life for their community by giving them the opportunity to take charge of their health.
There’s no doubt that online scheduling and the patient experience will shake things up in 2021. Those willing to prioritize these two areas will give their practices a competitive advantage.
Check out our online scheduling tool and see first-hand how it will transform the way you run your business. Book a demo here!
