Posted on December 28, 2021 in News

In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, about 40 percent of Americans are still hesitant about going to the physician even though checkups are essential for good health. Now more than ever, patients need access to their healthcare providers and health information. Two-way texting can be the solution. Using two-way texting, you can educate patients on measures your practice has taken to curb the spread of COVID and encourage them to book appointments. Here are more ways two-way texting improves communication with reluctant patients.

1. Gets You More Patient Reviews

Consider this: Over 80 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Before most patients ever set foot in your practice, they’ll go online to see what others are saying about you. This means is that having more positive reviews can do wonders when it comes to new patient acquisition.

So how can two-way texting get you more reviews?

Statistics show that texts have a 98 percent open rate. As such, patients are more likely to open the texts you send them. Simply text your patients requesting them to write reviews for your practice on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Most will be happy to do so. Stellar reviews are an important marketing tool that helps you attract even patients who are not so sure about your practice.

2. You Can Reschedule Appointments

Due to one reason or the other, patients might not always be able to make it to their appointments. That’s why it’s important to send a confirmation message ahead of time using two-way texting. The best part is, texts are read almost immediately, so you’ll get a fast reply. It only takes 90 seconds on average for someone to respond to an SMS message versus 90 minutes to respond to an email.

Therefore, if, say, your 11 am texts back saying they can’t make it, you can reply asking them to reschedule. At the same time, you can send messages to other patients who are due for checkups informing them to take advantage of a last-minute opening. This might just be the push they need to finally show up.

3. Puts Your Promotions in Front of the Right Audience

Two-way texting is one of the most efficient ways to engage with patients who are yet to make up their minds about your practice and services. So, send past and prospective patients promotional texts whenever you have specials, such as consultation for lifestyle changes and quarterly wellness checkups.

With 95 percent of texts being read within 3 minutes, your engagement using two-way texting has a higher chance of success than online or print ads. And in case your promotion doesn’t directly appeal to your contacts, chances are they’ll forward the message to family, friends, or co-workers who can benefit from your services.

4. Enables Prompt Communication with Prospects

Texting is great for scheduling more appointments. For example, a potential patient you’ve been sending educational texts to finally responds asking about your office hours. It’s important to reply promptly with your opening hours. Further, you can ask the patient if they’d like to book, then go ahead and inform them you have some open slots available. Make sure you include the link for self-scheduling. That way, prospects can easily and conveniently find a time that works best for them.

Secure, Two-Way Texting Platform

Patients love the convenience of text messaging. Why not go above and beyond by offering them two-way texting from MDprospects. This HIPAA-compliant tool will not only help you convert prospects to patients, but it’ll also motivate past patients to come back.

Want to learn more about how you can efficiently communicate with patients using MDprospects two-way texting? Grab a quick demo today.