Are online self-scheduling systems merely a trend? Is this the kind of passing dental practice marketing we’ll no longer remember in a decade or so? There’s nothing trendy about online appointment systems. We all know how Uber, OpenTable, and many others made life easier for us. Can you imagine that about a decade ago, you still need to stand on the curbside to hail a cab? You still need to call the restaurant itself to reserve a table? No one website or platform can do all these things for you? The horror!
According to studies, nearly 66% of health systems in the US will use some kind of online appointment system before this year ends. About 64% of customers are going to prefer booking an appointment over the internet or social media.
Such a high percentage of success cannot go unnoticed. Marketers and dental practitioners should find similar appointment systems that they can afford. You will become more accessible to your customers when you integrate an appointment system into your website. Why is that? Your customers want a convenient way of reaching you and scheduling an appointment. They don’t want to have to call you and speak to your receptionist. They don’t want to be put on hold and wait as the secretary checks the open timeslots.
No, consumers (in this case, patients) want things instant. They want to know if they can get the dental services they need on a particular day and time. They can’t entrust this to anybody. They feel better knowing they’re the ones who made and confirmed the schedule. This puts the power in their hands to confirm or cancel any appointments they make.
Aside from that, your patients also need a 24/7 service. They should be able to book an appointment even in the middle of the night. That’s quite impossible because it means having to hire people to take their calls and answer their queries. That’s such a huge strain on your resources. But thankfully, online appointment systems are round-the-clock working.
The automated booking system allows patients to have access to the dentists’ open schedules regardless of the time of the day. Confirmed appointments can go straight to the dentists’ calendars as if the details were entered manually. The best thing about these systems is that they have widgets that can be integrated into your Google My Business and Facebook pages, as well as on Google Ads. This is one of the best dental practice marketing strategies you can implement.