Gone are the days when orthodontic offices had to rely exclusively on word of mouth or print advertising to get their name out there. The internet has opened up a whole world of marketing, making it easier to gather new patients without leaving your desk. Before you start advertising online, though, your orthodontic website needs to be patient-friendly. One of the most important ways to do this is with online scheduling.
Allow Online Scheduling on Your Orthodontic Website
We can’t stress this enough! Patients want to be able to schedule quickly and easily, and many of them want to do so without talking to a person and when it is convenient for them. Make it easy to schedule on your website by making the link to schedule highly visible at the top of all the pages. Include it in your header in a clear, bold font. You don’t want patients to “window shop” for an orthodontist—you want them to go to your page and book an appointment right away. Having a website that is easy to navigate so they can find all the information they need about your office quickly will also help them feel confident about booking an appointment with you.
Integrate Your Virtual Appointment Widget With Your Software
You’ve added a link so people can book through your orthodontic website—great! But does it link to a fillable PDF form? If so, it’s time to upgrade to a virtual appointment widget. If not, does it work with your software? Finding a virtual appointment widget that works with your scheduling software is key. Having a scheduling tool that autofills the calendar and patient information on the office side will significantly decrease the amount of work your staff needs to do to onboard a patient. Instead of having to manually put in new patient information and add appointments to the office calendar, your scheduling application will do this for you. This will decrease confusion among your staff and eliminate the potential for human error. Remember: time is money, and you want to allow you and your staff more time to meet with more patients.
Customize Your Scheduling Software to Work Best for You
Make your scheduling software work for you. Track how many people schedule through the website and how many of those people started treatment. Share this information on your website and with your staff. Help your staff understand how much time the software is saving them, so they will be on board with the changes to the website and work processes. Make sure the software works with how your office is organized—do the right people get notified of new patients and appointments? Does it autofill to the right places? Does it prompt a text message or phone call from your staff to confirm the appointment?
If your website doesn’t offer a way for patients to schedule appointments online, it’s time for a change. Greyfinch is here to help—contact us today to schedule a demo!
