How SMS marketing can revolutionise your healthcare practice
Modern healthcare is at the forefront of change, simultaneously responding to digital transformation, global health emergencies, and everything in between. As well as staying on top of medical advancements, healthcare practitioners also have to stay across the latest developments in marketing and communications.
SMS marketing is one modern tool that healthcare practitioners are using to revolutionise the industry, improve the patient experience, and boost revenue. Here’s how it’s all possible.
Increased revenue and productivity
Reducing no-shows with text reminders for appointments
On a global scale, missed appointments cost healthcare practitioners billions of dollars. Text reminders for appointments can alleviate this problem, with 75% of millennial patients actually welcoming medical appointment SMS reminders.
Safeguard revenue
If a patient cancels their appointment, text messages can also be used to contact other patients on the waitlist. A link will then guide these patients to your online booking system, filling the gap in your schedule.
Notifying patients of test results
SMS is a great way to send routine test results to patients as it saves time and eliminates the need for a follow-up appointment. SMS can also be used as part of the two-factor authentication (2FA) process, enabling patients to easily access their results online.
Promoting products and services
Healthcare practitioners can also use SMS marketing to promote products, services, or deals. For a massage therapist, this may mean making your clients aware of your winter Swedish massage special, while naturopaths can use SMS to promote seasonal herbs.
Improved patient experience
Sending prescription or appointment reminders
Using SMS marketing to remind patients to book their next appointment or refill their prescription is a fantastic way of extending your care.
Studies show 69% of patients would like to receive reminders to take their medication or arrange their next appointment and SMS makes this request easy to accommodate. These reminders are even more valuable when it comes to preventative check-ups that can slip a patient’s mind.
Directly answering simple questions
2 Way SMS can be used as a line of communication between nurses and patients, resolving simple health questions via text. This will help to clear up any backlogs in your clinic and provide peace of mind to your patients.
SMS marketing can also be used to send health tips to your patient databases such as winter wellness tips from a GP or ergonomic home office tips from a physiotherapist.
Checking in after a procedure
Checking in with patients after they have had a procedure done is a great way of demonstrating your ongoing commitment to their wellbeing. Text messages can be used to send these gentle check-ins, making your patients feel cared for and increasing their loyalty to your clinic.
Enabling clearer communication
Today, 91% of adults have a mobile phone and respond to texts in just 90 seconds. This is notable when compared to the response time on the average email - 90 minutes. The chances of miscommunication and oversight are greatly reduced with SMS.
Final Thoughts
As a healthcare practitioner, you’ve already got enough on your mind. Start using SMS marketing to increase your revenue, boost your productivity, and improve the patient experience with just the click of a send button.
