How to Increase Client Visits and Reduce No Shows at Your Practice

When patients miss appointments, it’s no fun for anyone. Not only is the patient not receiving the treatment they need but your practice may be losing out on revenue from that missed appointment; not to mention the fact that another patient could have been seen at that time. Now, you probably can’t prevent every no-show, but there are steps that your practice can take from the beginning of a patient’s relationship with your practice to reduce no-shows and increase visit frequency.

Increase Visit Frequency + Reduce No Shows

First, the Basics

Establishing a beautiful, optimized website platform will help you increase visibility in local searches for your services. Showcase your practice to potential new patients searching online through your about me page, photos, and video of your practice, and client testimonials. Including this information on your website sets up the relationship you will have with patients, current and prospect.

By implementing SEO and paid advertising techniques to better the chances of your business showing up in search results, you’ll be seen by more potential patients in your area and increase the number of leads you receive so that you can book that first appointment. But what about the second and third appointments?

It’s All About Mobile

Many patients can’t get to their to-do list until the end of the workday when they’re heading home. And that means that booking appointments may fall in the evening hours when your practice may not be open. Ensure website visitors are easily able to access your practice over the phone or by requesting an appointment online through a mobile responsive website. When you allow patients to book their appointments online, you can increase the chances of patients returning back.

Marketing Made Easy

Bring back more patients in just one click with ready-made email promotions and newsletters that market your services to your current and prospective patients. Offer incentives and customize the timing to the timeframe in which a specific client is due back in the office for a visit.

Appointments Made Easier

If you weren’t able to book a second appointment in the office after your patient finished up with their first appointment, consider sending out a “Make an Appointment” email to nudge your patients into booking their second appointment online or over the phone. If the client has to book the appointment themselves and selects a date/time that works best for their schedule, then they may be more apt to remember the appointment and show up.

Remind, Remind, Remind

Save your team hours on the phone each week confirming with patients by automating the process. Remind patients of upcoming appointments with automated voice, email, and text reminders and allow them to book appointments online conveniently. But don’t send out reminders using every method, ask your patients how they prefer to be reached and note that in their file.

Create a Clear, Concise No-Show Policy

While it’s not the most desirable, sometimes having a clear no-show policy that includes a small fee for missing an appointment without calling can help save your practice a little on the cost of a no-show. But don’t go crazy with your policy. Make sure that the policy is clearly stated on your website and in your office where patients can see it. And consider waiving the fee if the patient makes a second appointment and keeps it.

Recall Patients Back to Your Practice

How often do your patients forget to book their yearly visits all together let alone not show up for a scheduled appointment? Do most pass that one year mark without calling in to book? Consider an automated recall plan to help get those patients who’ve missed making their appointments back in the office.

Start reducing the number of no-shows at your practice today.

In addition to custom, mobile-responsive websites and advanced search engine optimization that can improve your website’s search rankings, we will soon offer the tools you need to take your business reputation and patient relationship management to the next level.

Call us today at 800.807.1885 or click here to learn more about our new Suites.