Anatomy of a perfect dental recall campaign

Of all the systems that keep a dental practice more up-to-date and efficient, patient recall is the one that separates success from failure of an activity.

The ideal dental recall campaign can prevent and address problems that, when left untreated, typically involve emergency appointments. Maintaining current patients is less expensive than attracting new ones. Since you have patient information and know the services they need, it is much easier to market existing patients effectively.

Not only is it cheap to implement, but creating and following a strategic recall campaign can translate into a lot of additional money for your practice. However, many dental offices remain stuck in a recall routine, leaving patients without information and many potential entries on the table.

Three ways to win over patients

There are two types of patients in the medical field:

There is the pre - selected patient - the responsible patient who plans follow-up appointments at the end of each cleaning or procedure.

Then there is the unscheduled patient, who forgot to plan his next appointment.

These two types obviously require very different recall marketing strategies. Before going into the details of each, there are some basic principles to follow that apply to any dental recall campaign, that is the message, the means and the timing.

The message

The call to action for recall campaigns may seem simple: make an appointment or don't miss an appointment. However, getting people to act requires more nuances, especially for unscheduled patients, clearly communicating why they would benefit from making and keeping an appointment.

People only do things if they know what they are getting - a bright smile, friendly staff, a 10% discount on cosmetic work, cavity prevention. Think personal, not prescriptive. If a patient feels considered, he is much more likely to keep coming back.

Callback communication should always balance a sense of urgency with a feeling of community.

The middle

Effective recall campaigns use multiple communication methods (phone, email, flyers, regular mail). What works for one patient may not work for everyone.

People typically require six to eight touches before acting. In other words, they must be contacted (touched) at least half a dozen times before making an appointment.

By spreading your messaging across different channels, patients are more likely to remember making an appointment. Different means also reduce the risk that patients will experience some sort of booster fatigue.

Timing

Within an optimal Healthcare Marketing strategy, timing is everything for patient recall.

You must play your game by sending reminders well in advance. However, you also need to balance a short strategic game with texts and emails. Learn the right days, as well as the best times of the day, to send a reminder: it is a decisive factor that can make you have a certain appointment or an annoyed patient.

When you start planning your strategy, remember that patients are human. They have good intentions, but they are also struggling with a series of daily commitments and contingencies. Patients need a series of reminders that bring value without adding stress.

Similarly, you also need a system that minimizes effort and maximizes conversions, for example by creating a timeline with personalized messages for both scheduled and unscheduled patients. Doing all this in advance reduces the pressure on what to say and when to say it.

Set goals for your dental program

Before you jump to updating the planning templates and send appointment reminders, take a step back. Focus on what you plan to accomplish. From there, set a simple goal for your patient program.

Your program should increase cost efficiency while reducing staff stress. The easiest way to measure progress is to set an average daily production target that can achieve monthly or annual goals.

Just divide your monthly or annual production target by the total number of working days (full or partial) in that period. Depending on your growth plan, aim for 10-15% growth over the previous month or year.

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This number allows your office to manage a guide light. It allows them to balance routine procedures, such as free cleaning and consultations, with high ticket procedures, such as root canals or periodontal surgery. Your growth number also helps indicate the time spent in the office. In essence, it provides more clarity to your bottom line.

Examples of dental recall campaigns for scheduled patients

Reminder no. 1

Medium : postcard postcard

Messaging : include an engaging photo of your office or team. This is also an excellent opportunity to grow your personal branding.

Timing : 6 weeks before the appointment

Reminder no. 2

Medium : email or phone call

Message : let patients know that their appointment is just around the corner (eg "A week before cleaning!")

Time : 1 week before the appointment

Reminder no. 3

Medium : text

message Message : send a confirmation message for the friendly appointment ("We can't wait to see your smile tomorrow!")

Time : 24 hours before the appointment

Examples of dental recall campaigns for unscheduled patients

Reminder no. 1

Medium : post card

Message : send an engaging photo of your health facility and your team, phone number and clear instructions on how to schedule an appointment.

Timing : 8 weeks before the appointment (if it had been scheduled)

Reminder no. 2

Medium : email

Message : include a personalized message about the importance of cleaning and include a link to your online planning portal.

Timing : 3 weeks before the appointment (if it had been scheduled)

Reminder no. 3

Medium : text

message Message : communicate a sense of urgency and inform the patient that it is possible to get an appointment as soon as possible ("We have a hole for tomorrow afternoon. Plan your cleaning now!")

Time : 24 hours before appointment (if it had been scheduled)

Subliminal Recall Marketing

The patient's recall is not limited to an email, text or phone call sent directly to a patient. It's impossible to talk about the perfect recall campaign without going through all the subtle marketing that helps keep patients involved.

Support your primary recall campaigns with some subliminal marketing strategies such as:

Special offers or discounts by mail

Seasonal social media posts promoting housekeeping (back-to-school, weddings, holidays)

Six-monthly e-mail newsletter with office updates

Electronic or postal greeting cards that thank your patients

This holistic approach to patient recall strengthens your message without patients feeling spammed. It all comes back to that balance between urgency and appreciation. Patients should feel compelled to act - to make or maintain an appointment - because you have created a timely sense of value around the appointment.

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