On average 53% of your cancellations happen within the last 48 hours, you’re going to need to explore options to decrease this number.
The most important factor impacting late cancellations is reminder SMSs. Your practice management may be sending out reminder SMS 48 hours prior to your patient’s appointment, which reduces your no-show rate, but does little to decrease late cancellations.
The cure? Eliminate the element of surprise from the SMS, and allow more than 48 hours for your clinic to refill this gap should your patient choose to cancel. Anywhere from a week, to 3-4 days, can prove sufficient, as it gives patients time to act on your message. This also prepares them for the SMS they will receive, which, in culmination, will bring down your clinic’s cancellation rate while allowing the patient to reschedule their appointment well in advance.
Follow the instruction below to set the best automation:
1. Messages: Create one Email.
You may use the scripts below:
Hi {FIRSTNAME},
We would like to remind you that your next appointment with {NEXT_PROVIDER_FIRSTNAME} {NEXT_PROVIDER_LASTNAME} is on {NEXT_START}.
Please Reply to this email or contact us on 12345678 to confirm your appointment.
PS: we require a minimum of 48 hours notice or a cancellation fee may apply.
We look forward to see you at our clinic.
Clinic Name
2. Click on Automation Rules and Click on New Automations
Then:
Name the Automation for your reference.
Select unsubscription category
Select unsubscription automation type. For information about automation categorization and type click HERE.
Select the iteration of the automation
Click Continue to proceed to the next steps
Click the SELECT button and choose Patients with Appointments
Select the clinic location and click the and button
Then choose their appointment
And set it to more than 6 days remain before next appointment. Click the and and choose have appointment date then set it to 6 days in the future and 7 days in the future.
Continue by clicking the then button. Select communicate with patient -> send email -> select the email that you created and set the timing to 1 hour later.
Click on Apply Changes
Then Save Automation
To start the automation simply click the PLAY ▶️ button.
When you activate this automation, your patients will receive an Email 7 days prior to their appointment. On the 4th day prior to their appoint you may opt to send the appointment confirmation sms. This will reduce the late cancellations and will give you more time to fill your calendar in case of cancellation.
If you have any questions, please chat with us in your Cliniq Apps web messenger.
Enjoy growing your practice!
Cliniq Apps 🚀