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How to Use a Digital Solution to Keep Your Exam Chair Full

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By Lynn Stromness, OD

Feb. 15, 2017

Staying in touch with your patients, and reminding them of upcoming appointments, is a challenge for many practices—including my own. That’s why adding Solutionreach in my practice two years ago has been so important to our growth and profitability.

Solutionreach has made recalling patients easier, increasing the likelihood that they will return to Dr. Stromness’s office. What’s more, the system frees up staff time with its ability to automate messaging, with no additional work required from his staff.

One Patient Communication System, Many Options
Solutionreach enables us to automate recall messages, automatically send post-appointment surveys, and send e-newsletters, e-blasts and birthday greetings. The system also integrates with our social media sites. With such effortless connectivity, my patients can easily learn who I am, and what my practice has to offer them.

Better and More Frequent Contact
It’s one thing to facilitate communication with patients, and it’s another to reduce staff workload. Prior to rolling out Solutionreach in September 2015, my staff needed to spend many hours a week on the phone recalling patients, advising them of the need to schedule yearly comprehensive exams, and reminding patients of upcoming appointments.

Now that we have Solutionreach, which integrates with our scheduling system, those calls are automated. Patients can elect to receive reminders of appointments by e-mail, text or phone, with no additional work required by my staff.

That newly free time means a greater focus on my patients. Staff can now spend additional time helping patients in the optical, encouraging sales, conducting contact lens training and processing patient insurance.

Target Marketing Capability
In addition to the ability of Solutionreach to send recall messaging to all patients, the system also can be set to reach only certain segments of my patient base for specific marketing purposes. For instance, we could use the system to send e-blasts about the availability of a new contact lens just to our contact lens patients, or to send a thank you discount for a pair of plano sunwear to any patient who purchased a complete pair of eyewear (lens and frame) within the last month.

Track Recall Metrics
Solutionreach doesn’t just make communication with patients easier, it can also show how my practice is doing on the number of patients recalled, and the amount of revenue generated from those appointments, as this photo from inside the system shows:

Planning for a Future of Greater Patient Engagement
We primarily use Solutionreach as a vehicle for recall, and in the near future I plan to explore more of its features, such as e-newsletters, to keep our patients informed of the new products and services we offer, and birthday greetings.

Letting patients know they are on your mind is the first step to getting them to keep you in their mind.

 

 

Lynn Stromness, OD, is the owner of Canyon Eye Specialists in Sandy, Utah. He can be contacted at: lynnstromness@msn.com

 

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