Patient Communication Software: Why Is It Essential To Your Practice’s Success?

Dental patients today have higher expectations than ever before. They want to make sure that they feel comfortable, informed, and happy when choosing the right dental care provider. 

This makes patient communication software a must-have for any dental practice. Why? Because it allows you to consistently deliver a personalized experience for your patients and communicate in a way that is most meaningful to them.

But with so many options on the market, it can be difficult and overwhelming to find the right software fit for your practice. That’s why in this blog, we will explore the top five features you should be looking for in a patient communication software and how it can greatly benefit not just your patients, but your practice as well. 

Without further ado, here goes the list! 

#1: Two-Way Messaging: Communication In One Click

Technology has made it possible for patients to keep in touch with their providers in new ways. They now have access to online dental resources and have the ability to book their much-needed appointments with the touch of a button. But what about the never-ending game of telephone tag that goes on between dental offices and patients?

Have no fear, we’ve got the solution right here! A two-way messaging tool will give dental providers the chance to effortlessly communicate with patients. This presents an excellent opportunity to better understand their needs, problems, and concerns.

So how does it work? 

With the help of a two-way messaging tool, patients can chat with your practice’s administrative team in real-time using your very own office number. It is important for dental practices to have a system in place that enables them to communicate with patients easily, leaving no questions unanswered. 

Dental software companies specializing in patient communications, such as Intiveo, RecallMax, and Lighthouse 360, will typically use the two-way chat feature as a virtual waiting room. This tool lets patients know that their dental providers are available and ready to see them ASAP, which can greatly reduce your practice’s no-show rates.

Two-way messaging makes it easy for you to send your most commonly used messages with one click so that you can be there for your patients and react quickly when you need to. 

#2: Automated Reminders and Pre-Screening Surveys: Reduce The Number of Unsuccessful Appointments

One of the best ways to attract and retain patients is to provide high-quality patient experiences. It comes as no surprise that the dental industry is constantly evolving and it’s up to your practice to stay updated. From practice management to patient communications, there are many ways you can use technology to improve your practice. 

Automated appointment reminders and pre-screening surveys go hand in hand, giving the feature a well-deserved seat in our top five most important features to look for. 

We all know that life can get busy and there will always be a time when patients will forget about their appointments. If you want to reduce the number of no-shows, automated appointment reminders are the perfect solution. This handy feature will send automated reminders based on the patient’s appointment type –  accompanied by key pre-appointment instructions to ensure that each patient will come prepared. 

On the other hand – over the past couple of years, we’ve had to readjust our lives to live a “new normal” and pre-screening surveys have been a constant presence in clinics everywhere. Live patient screening response summaries can help decrease cancellation rates by immediately alerting your practice when an appointment needs to be rescheduled. This allows you to free up a spot for a patient on the waiting list and ensure that all patients in the practice are kept safe and healthy! Truly a win for all! 

A solid appointment reminder and pre-screening survey tools are vital to your dentistry practice. Apart from our very own patient communication software, here are some software companies offering the features above that have strong consumer reviews:

• Klara
• SolutionReach
• Weave
• NPI Crusader Plus 

#3: Online Patient Forms: Simplify Your Intake Process

When shopping around for patient communication software, it is imperative to look for one that has an online forms tool. As a matter of fact, manually sending, tracking, and managing patient forms are one of the most time-consuming processes in dental care. Online forms would serve to save your staff time with ready-to-use and customizable form templates tailored for all dental specialties. And even better, contribute towards building a better earth by reducing your practice’s overall paper waste.

Another really great thing about the online forms tool is that it gives your patients the freedom to fill forms out in the comfort of their own homes, increasing the likelihood that necessary forms will be filled out on time. This means that when they arrive for their scheduled appointments, they will feel at ease, all thanks to a smoother intake process. As for your dental team, less time will be spent manually entering data into the computer, giving them more time to focus on what matters most – the patient experience. 

Since this is the ultimate buyer’s guide, we took it upon ourselves to research brands that also offered an online forms solution. Our highlighted brands include: 

• CurveDental’s Smart Forms tool promises to improve your staff’s workflow and save time by allowing your patients to easily fill out forms online. 
• Oryx’s Patient Forms and Consent tool guarantees reduced office waiting time for your patients. 
• ABELDent’s No-Touch Online Forms is committed to giving your patients the freedom to fill out forms on any device on their own time. 

#4: Reputation Management: What Do Patients Think About Your Practice?

Have you ever wondered how patient communication software helps your practice increase online reviews and generate direct patient feedback? 

Don’t worry, we’ve got all the details right here. We know how important it is to have a solid reputation as a dental care provider. Studies show that 71% of patients are more likely to search for your practice online and read reviews before making an appointment, which is why it is so critical that your practice is well-reviewed and has a positive brand image. In addition, paid advertisements can get expensive. By fostering helpful reviews from happy patients, you can boost your practice’s organic search positioning and build online credibility. 

The first step in generating patient reviews is to make sure that your patient communication software has a reputation management feature. With the help of this tool, you can achieve tangible results like an increase in patient reviews and receive direct feedback from your patients – all while their experience is still fresh in mind. 

We understand how it can be difficult to manually send out post-appointment reviews after each patient and this is especially true for busy dental practices. However, Altoona Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery saw a whopping 95% increase in online reviews after investing in a patient communication software with a reputation management tool. 

At Intiveo, we know that finding an all-in-one solution is extremely beneficial for your practice. Among our recommended dental software companies that also offered reputation management tools were SolutionReach and Dentrix.

#5: Centralized Reports: Stay Up To Date, All The Time

If you’re looking for an easy way to keep your patients’ dental histories up-to-date, look no further than the most underrated feature offered by patient communication software – the centralized reporting feature. 

This handy tool allows you to quickly and easily access detailed reports about each patient – in one place, making it simple to stay on top of their ever-changing dental care needs. Whether you need to update a patient’s file with their latest information or monitor their progress after a recent procedure, the centralized reporting feature is an essential part of providing quality dental care. 

For this feature, we would like to highlight dental software companies Legwork and Yapi.

Intiveo’s Intuitive Solutions 

All of the features we’ve highlighted in the blog have been designed to streamline patient communications and enhance the dental patient experience. 

At Intiveo, we pride ourselves in creating solutions that keep the complex needs of your practice in mind, so we’ve created a smarter system built just for you: 

• Intiveo’s Patient Communication Software for General Practices, Endodontics, Orthodontics, and Pediatric
• Intiveo OMS
• Intiveo Perio

Curious to learn more about our patient-focused features? Book a meeting with us today!