We’re now offering HotDoc clinics the option to send appointment reminders as a free push notification, rather than a SMS.
What is a push notification?
A push notification is a message sent direct to a patient’s phone through the HotDoc app. Unlike a traditional SMS, a push notification is free to send and adds an additional level of patient security because reminders are sent to a logged-in user rather than just a phone number.
Push notifications open the door to clinics who are looking to provide even better communication to patients — with reminders likely to be the first of a string of notifications clinics will soon be able send to patients.
Other types of future push notifications may include patient feedback questionnaires, broadcasts, recalls, appointment lifecycle events, one-off ad hoc messages etc
As always, clinics will have full control over which messages are sent to which patients.
Push notifications also have the added bonus of being nicely integrated into the HotDoc app allowing patients to access an ‘inbox’ type section where they can view unread messages and keep tabs on all of their past appointments.
What are the benefits of push notifications?
Save money: Push notifications are free to send, which means you can reduce the cost of your monthly expenses while minimising no shows.
Improved security: Push notifications add an additional level of security compared to SMS because reminders are sent to a logged-in user rather than just a phone number.
Strengthen patient trust: Push notifications allow clinics to build better trust with patients by displaying the familiar HotDoc logo on the reminder, rather than a blank phone number.
Will this affect my no show rates?
Preliminary data from our trial clinics has shown that push notifications are slightly outperforming the open rates of traditional SMS reminders
Still, we understand that it can take patients time to adapt to a new system. This is why for the time being we automatically send a SMS to any patient who hasn’t clicked ‘confirm’ or ‘cancel’ within two hours of receiving their push notification. It’s our way of ensuring patients have time to get used to the new technology.
How can I get started?
To start using push notifications, head to the ‘Reminders’ tab in the HotDoc Dashboard and click ‘Settings’ then check the box beneath ‘Enable Push Notifications’.
If you need help, please contact your Customer Success Manager.
