With people getting busy in their lives, it’s natural that a few important things slip through the cracks and get forgotten. As dramatic as that might sound, it holds true as most people forget about their important appointments.
A study in healthcare shows up to 30% of patients forget follow-up appointments, and 50% of patients don’t show up.
However, people are more attached to their phones than ever. Business can use this to their advantage. Research shows people read 98% of text messages. So, where exactly are we going with this?
This blog looks at why SMS reminders work best, and how to boost appointment attendance.
Why should you use SMS appointment reminders?
We know how important appointment reminders are to ensure customers keep their appointments. You can remind customers via email, phone, postcard, or text. Out of these methods, text reminders are most beneficial. Here’s why:
- Texts are widely opened compared to emails
Texts are much more likely to be seen by customers compared to emails, with 98% of texts being opened versus only 20% of emails. This boosts the chance of customers reading reminders. Overall, this high open rate makes texts effective for communicating important appointment information.
- Texts get quick responses
Texts have a better response rate than other methods, and people typically respond to text messages within 90 seconds. This quick response time allows businesses to make timely adjustments if needed. It helps ensure smooth operations and better customer engagement.
- Texts deliver reliably and reduce missed appointments
With a 95% delivery rate, texts are a reliable way to reach customers. Moreover, 90% of businesses using SMS for reminders report seeing fewer missed appointments. This improves overall appointment attendance and helps businesses run more efficiently.
Texting beats other methods for appointment reminders due to better engagement. To take this further, we introduce the Ego SMS, a bulk SMS service provider.
How the system works?
The key EgoSms features that enable the reduction of missed appointments are:
- Automated SMS Scheduling.
The platform allows for pre-setting reminders to be sent at future dates and times, with a lead time of up to a year in advance.
With Ego SMS, users can log into their account, go to “Scheduled messages,” and choose when they want the message to be delivered. This allows for automated sending of appointment reminders at a chosen time (like a day before an appointment), making it convenient and effective for businesses to remind customers without manual effort.
Messages can be customized to include recipient names and other relevant details, which is noted to increase customer interest and attention.
- Bulk Messaging & Contact Management
EgoSms facilitates the efficient sending of reminders to a large client base through features like address book merge functionality and bulk import of contacts.
Challenges of Missed Appointments
Financial Losses
This is the most immediate impact. Each missed appointment means a lost opportunity for revenue that cannot easily be recouped, especially if the slot goes unfilled.
For eample, a salon in Uganda, booking a client for an expensive hair treatment loses the potential income from that service when the client doesn’t show up. This can significantly impact daily or weekly targets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Wasted Resources
Businesses often allocate staff, equipment, and sometimes even consumables (e.g., prepped materials for a beauty treatment, sterile instruments for a medical procedure) based on scheduled appointments. No-shows lead to these resources being idle and wasted
Disrupted Schedules and Workflow
No-shows create gaps in the schedule that are hard to fill at the last minute, leading to under-utilization of staff and facilities. Conversely, they can also lead to overbooking as businesses try to compensate, which then risks frustrating clients who do show up with long wait times.
Why Choose EgoSMS?
Performance: Ego SMS efficiently handles sending or scheduling messages. The system reliably sends messages as scheduled without issues. Reminders are delivered on time as chosen by the user.
Direct Access: Users can interact with the Ego SMS platform directly. They log in and manage their messages themselves. This direct interaction makes it easy to control reminders.
User Friendly: Ego SMS is easy to use for messages. Users can manage reminders without needing extensive technical knowledge. The interface allows for straightforward interaction.
Conclusion
Ego SMS offers a practical solution for businesses to automate appointment reminders. With features like scheduled messages, direct accessibility, and a user-friendly interface, it helps ensure reminders are delivered efficiently.
Try EgoSms today to streamline your appointment reminders and boost customer engagement. Sign up today!
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