Why not communicate with your patients by email?

To confirm appointments, strengthen your relationship with patients and reinforce your brand as a dentist, there are many forms of communication today. Some are faster, some cheaper, some more accessible to patients. However, one that has few results in practice is email, a form of contact that is still used by many dentists.

This is because most people no longer open their inbox so often, preferring to communicate by texting on their mobile phone. So, when they access the inbox, the important emails get lost in the various content sent during the day.

The rule is that you know your audience first. If you know that they don't stay on the computer long and use their cell phone a lot, like most Brazilians, choose a communication that is easier. Learn why email isn't always the best option:

They have a small open rate

As I said earlier, the custom of opening an email inbox is losing ground for mobile and social networking. This reduces the number of people who will open your submission. A normal open rate for an email marketing campaign is 20%, sometimes less. So, don't use this strategy with your patients unless its content isn't urgent and doesn't require a quick response from everyone who received it.

Take longer to be done

To create an email trigger for the entire patient list, you must design the email design, compose the text, place graphics such as images and Gifs, and insert your signature. Also, you need to think of a headline that convinces people to open the content.

With SMS messages for example, this does not occur. All you must do is type up to 160 characters, with space, and trigger for your list. What's more, the result is fast, as they instantly reach the recipients' phones.

Does not facilitate a quick return

As we just mentioned, communication slows down when you only use email. Patients may take days to read what you have written. If you plan to disclose a time-limited action or confirm inquiries, this is not the best option.

With text messaging, either SMS or WhatsApp, you can already get a confirmation from the patient to know if they will attend at the scheduled time. For satisfaction surveys, this is also a good strategy for getting more patient responses faster.

Using a variety of communication tools for your dental office is a good strategy but remember to always choose the purpose of each one. And don't forget to contact your home base not only to confirm schedules, but to give you oral health tips and information on the best treatments to keep your smile up to date.

Source: Dentista Organizado. Available at: https://www.dentistaorganizado.com.br/noticia.html?id=270&Por-que-nao-se-comunicar-por-email-com-seus-pacientes.htm. Access on: 07/29/2020
Image: BrianAJackson, de envatoelements