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Most service-based businesses thrive on efficiency and excellent customer management. To run successful operations in today’s technology-driven world, businesses need to be smart and focus on saving time as well as effort. Automated reminder calls are one of the most effective ways to save time, money, and effort while generating more revenue.
Live agents are an expensive ordeal. Depending on the type of business, setting up a dedicated call center can be a tedious task. Not to forget the costs involved per interaction. In the US, it can go up to $15 per interaction whereas, in Canada, it may cost around $22 to $28. Investing in an automated software solution or IVR is pennies when compared to the massive costs involved. The outbound reminder calls are the most way to deliver short messages to the customers while reducing no-shows. This is especially beneficial in healthcare businesses to alert patients of upcoming appointments thereby improving patient satisfaction.
What are reminder calls?
Reminder calls are automated voice call messages that are automatically sent to the clients. These calls can be personalized to prompt them about an upcoming appointment with their business. These voice reminder calls or messages help improve client turnout and ensure a consistent stream of revenue. A reminder call can be automated through a software solution or done by a person depending on the business requirement. However, in the case of an automated reminder call, the clients do not need to pick up or answer the call. The customer or client can listen to the message and act at their convenience.
A dedicated appointment scheduling software helps you schedule and customize voice reminder calls or messages. They are delivered to the client with minimal disruptions and help increase response rates.
Benefits of reminder calls
Reminder calls have numerous benefits, especially for small to mid-sized healthcare businesses. Some of the key benefits are enlisted below –
- Improves efficiency – Using automated voice reminder calls, you can schedule voice calls or messages to let your clients know about their upcoming appointment or business meeting. You will also know whether they received the reminder call or not. This information is helpful to schedule your work day accordingly. Using the automated appointment scheduling software, you can coordinate effectively with your staff, calendar and various locations seamlessly to improve efficiency across your business.
- Reduces no-shows -A simple voice reminder can help reduce no-shows by up to 90%. Most no-shows or cancellations happen because clients usually forget their appointments. With automated reminder calls, missed appointments don’t happen as clients can cancel their appointments in advance if needed.
- Increases response rates -Sometimes clients are busy and they may not get time to read the text or email. Giving them an automated reminder call is a great way to remind them of upcoming appointments with minimal disruption. This helps in improving response rates and reduces no-shows drastically. The result is more loyal and satisfied clients which translates into more repeat business over time.
- Improves profitability -Having an automated scheduling software solution for reminder calls helps improve the quality of service. When you have less time to spend on administrative tasks, you can focus more on client relations. Also, scheduling software helps automate and manage appointments by filling gaps in the schedule. This ensures that you retain every valuable booking.
- Enhances customer loyalty -Offering clients consistent appointment reminders helps them not to miss out on an appointment and improves customer service. Automation of reminders using an appointment scheduling software solution takes little to no effort on your end. Additionally, it also helps the clients reach on time for their appointment and minimizes service disruptions.
- Facilitates seamless business operations -Automated reminder calls using scheduling software help reduce the burden on front staff and free up your business resources. About 88% of healthcare appointments are made using the phone in the US. Reminder calls are slowly taking over reminder messages or emails. When managing cancellations gets automated, it saves a ton of energy, time, and resources to help run your business smoothly. If you are not using a dedicated scheduling software solution, you might be missing out.
- Automated reminders 24X7 – Businesses can easily customize message content that gets directly sent to the clients anytime, anywhere. This gives you the necessary peace of mind and ensures that the voice reminders are sent promptly.
- Clears waitlist quickly- Using reminder calls, you can easily identify if a client is coming for the booked appointment or not. This information can be used to give other clients the chance to use the waitlist to get scheduled in case someone had to cancel their appointment. This means that your calendar remains intact and you get a chance to keep your clients happy.
Using SMS for reminders
SMS for reminders are widely popular among businesses these days to maintain successful client relations. Using SMS for marketing is an effective tool for service-based businesses to remind clients of appointments and share important updates in a fast and reliable manner. SMS reminders are highly successful because of their high open rate. Almost everyone has their phones all the time and SMS reminder messages can have up to 98% open rate.
While reminder calls have their own benefits, reminder SMS with a custom message are simple to confirm and bring down the no-shows. Another advantage of using reminder SMS over reminder calls is that you can schedule them beforehand. Using appointment scheduling software, you can create and schedule the custom message that you would like to send. The ease of texting resonates with the preferences of most clients and it is easy to confirm, reschedule or cancel an appointment using a simple SMS response. Reminder SMS also imparts a personal touch that adds value to the existing clients and retains the new ones.
Additionally, reminder SMS can also be used to drive last-minute sales. You can share information on new products or offer launches, ongoing discounts, and promotional offers using SMS reminders.
How to create a successful reminder call strategy for steady cash flow?
Arguably, reminder calls are the smart solutions to deliver client satisfaction and increase business profits. But the success of these reminder calls depends on a couple of factors. A strong reminder call strategy requires both planning and management as per one’s unique business goals. Here are the guidelines to help you create a successful reminder calls strategy for driving consistent ROI –
- Determine what type of reminders to send
Identify the content of the reminder message to send. For instance, healthcare businesses find that appointment reminders are best to encourage patients to schedule their next appointment. Make sure that the content of the message prompts the client to take appropriate action.
- Keep it brief and concise
Make sure that the message is clear and concise. It should not be long, confusing, or complex. For example, in healthcare businesses, the reminder message should be customized keeping the patients in mind. It needs to be relevant and should not contain the patient’s personal or medical details. It is best to stick to the specifics that are straightforward. The client should not spend a lot of time listening to the message.
- Choose relevant channels
There are a variety of channels that can be used to send messages. You must choose the relevant channel depending on your business requirements to cater to your clients. Using a dedicated appointment scheduling software, you can send personalized messages as well as notifications through voice, text, or email.
- Personalize the messages
Reminders are effective when they contain the recipient’s name and the specifics. You can personalize voice messages using the available templates accordingly. Templates are a solid starting point to start sending reminder calls. While sending reminders, focus on the tone and content. Make sure that it contains the relevant response request for the client to act accordingly. Also, some businesses customize the voice calls to cater to both Android and iOS users. By integrating voice messages into your CRM, you can also tailor the recipient information.
- Choose the appropriate time to send
Timing is very important. You want to avoid calling the client at the wrong time. At the same time, you don’t want to overboard the client with repeated calls. There is an ideal time for sending voice calls as well as messages to the client. According to some research findings, a good time to send reminders is when people get free from work or start their day. It is not recommended to send a reminder too early or too late in the day. Another study suggests that 4 pm is a good time to send patients reminders in the healthcare business. On the other hand, reminders during lunch break witness a lower response rate. Choosing an appropriate time to send reminders to ensure high response rates. Additionally, have a response window that ensures success. Having a 24-hour or 48-hour response window sees a higher attendance rate. This also improves business productivity and makes sure there are no unexpected cancellations or missed appointments.
- Track results
If you are using automated scheduling software, it is easy to gain insights into client responses and behavior. You can easily track how a certain appointment or promotion reminder is doing – whether the client has listened to the entire message or not. While tracking the success of reminders, you should also be prepared for cancellations, though try not to see them as negative. The reminder call allows your client to reschedule the appointment if needed. You can adjust your calendar accordingly to take action and salvage the day.
- Get feedback
Reminder calls can also be used to your advantage to solicit your business’ feedback from your clients. You can send an automated survey call that leads to valuable customer interaction and offers feedback for continuous improvement. An appointment scheduling software does not simply automate outbound or inbound calls but also leverages technology to improve customer experience in many ways.
Conclusion
Several studies show that clients miss appointments not because of a lack of trying but due to forgetfulness. Businesses spend a ton on reaching out to their clients manually before an important appointment. However, automated reminder calls are the most effective way to reach your clients on time and facilitate easy rescheduling. Even if they miss it, a missed call log is more visible than a text or email. Having an automated patient scheduling software solution like Emitrr will ensure that you get the most of the system in place allowing more profitability and client satisfaction. Your clients will thank you for it!
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