Take Scheduling to the Next Level

Real-World Insights from Vanessa Escobar, DAADOM.

In the Fall of 2021, we implemented online booking at our office. There was hesitation on my part about trying this new program.

  • Will the software program schedule these appointments appropriately?
  • Will it create more work for our team?
  • Will online booking patients increase no-shows to their appointments?

You would be surprised how many patients book their appointments after hours, in the middle of the night, and over the weekend.

We realized that online booking was a great tool to help fill openings on our schedule or when trying to build up a new provider schedule. Since October 2021, we have booked 444 online booking appointments, which include 113 current patients and 331 new patients.  That’s an average of 11 new patients a month!

Online booking is worth a try and can take your office to the next level when scheduling patients.

Why Scheduling Can Be a Challenge

Once the end of the day hits our office, appointments stop getting booked. We all know that most patients avoid leaving voicemails, especially if they are new patients. Our phone system texts a patient if they call after hours, and they will be informed that we are closed and that we will reach out the following business day.

However, by the time you reach out to these patients, they might have scheduled with another office, or you simply can’t get ahold of them.

I also tried a 3rd party to help pick up after-hours calls and schedule appointments, which didn’t go well. The 3rd party company we hired would give the wrong information, and they would take forever to answer simple questions.

Several years ago, there was a website where patients could book online, and you would pay for each scheduled new patient. I tried it for a few months, and it did not work well because we had to put the appointment on the schedule manually, and by the time we input the schedule, it changed.

Online Booking is King

After viewing different online booking platforms, I found one that is customizable to our office needs. We started with simple appointments such as emergency appointments and new patient appointments.

In the Fall of 2021, our office needed help building one of our new associate dentist’s schedules. It started with online booking of new patient appointments on hygiene columns and emergencies on the doctor’s column. The online booking platform was customizable, and you could book appointments by column and by the time frame of the day. You could specifically book the appointment type according to the schedule’s need and the amount of time needed.

The best part was that it integrated with our dental software, so it would show up on the schedule as soon as a patient booked their appointments.

The online booking patients were adjusted to our schedule with a white color to stand out. As soon as the appointment was visible to the team, they would text/call the patient and get their insurance information. There’s also a location on the online booking that lets the patient inform us if they have insurance, but our team must text/call to get more detailed information and confirm the appointment.

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The Downside of Online Booking

What are the cons of online booking?

There will be patients who book appointments, and we might not take their insurance. This is when training your team on verbiage becomes essential.

Our dental team makes sure to give these patients the best option by being seen as an out-of-network provider, or they are informed about our affordable in-house membership plan.

We also have patients booked online and no-shows. This is like a patient calling the office to schedule an appointment. We must get ahold of the patient and get confirmation about their appointment.

Filling Up the Gaps

A dental office’s schedule constantly changes with ongoing cancellations and rescheduling. Online booking is open 1- 2 weeks prior so that it can help fill up the openings on the schedule. It has helped our team fill up open gaps on the schedule. We also text our patients when there are openings and attach an online booking link for them.

In 2023, we opened online bookings for current patients’ hygiene re-care. I was hesitant and concerned it would create a mess in the schedule, but it has worked great.

Emergencies are my favorite appointments that are booked online. These patients have an urgency to resolve their dental issues, and we convert them into new patients. When Friday hits, we leave spots open on Monday for patients to book emergency appointments online, and what a pleasant surprise it is to see these appointments on Monday. I tell the team to call those patients to finish getting all the necessary details when they see them.

Every office looking for ways to help improve their scheduling, fill gaps in the schedule, or build up a new provider schedule should try an online booking. It’s not just in dental; you see online booking for fitness classes, nail appointments, and even kids’ extracurricular activities.

It’s a convenient way for your patients to book their appointments and to help keep your schedule full.

From my experience, most online booking platforms charge a fair monthly fee and are easy to maintain once the setup is complete. I recommend you put the online booking link on your website, Google page, Facebook page, and when texting/emailing your patients to schedule their next recare.

Take your scheduling to the next level and try online booking today!

 

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About the Author

 

Profile of Venessa Escobar, DAADOM.

Vanessa Escobar, DAADOM

Vanessa grew up in Central Florida and graduated from Cypress Creek HS in 2004. She then attended Florida State University and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in International Affairs with a Minor in Business Administration in 2009.

Vanessa started with Winter Garden Smiles since pre-opening in December 2011. Vanessa is responsible for overseeing the finance, operations, and marketing of the Winter Garden Smiles & Winter Garden Pediatric Smiles. Her goal is to provide the highest level of customer service to her patients.

She enjoys having an active role in her community. She has participated in organizations such as Lambda Theta Alpha, Central/North Florida Alzheimers Association, Leadership West Orange C/O 2013-2014, Voci Del Coure in 2017, Garden Community Choir, and her neighborhood social committee.

She is currently the Founding President of the Central Florida Dental Connection, DPLN, and was inducted as MAADOM class of 2022 and DAADOM class of 2024.

During her time off, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her husband, Ricardo, and her kids. She has two dogs, Princess and Balto. She also enjoys singing, traveling, trying new restaurants, and indoor cycling.

 

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