How to Overcome the “If It Ain’t Broke” Feeling for Automated Appointment Systems.

• Change can sometimes seem like a lot of hassle for little gain (and everyone has a story about how an update created problems)
• But technology overall establishes new baselines—and those who fail to keep up develop a severe competitive disadvantage
• Automated appointment systems for dentists afford an easy way to distinguish yourself and provide an amazing patient experience

Your dental practice has probably been running just fine for years. Perhaps decades. You’ve got your system, and it works to get patients booking appointments, showing up, getting the work done, and booking the next appointment. Now you’re hearing about automated appointment reminder systems. But you’re also hearing something else — maybe from yourself, or from others in the office: “Why change?”

Here’s an anecdote many offices may find familiar. One Monday morning, each employee sits down, turns on their computer—and sees the update bar.

Time passes. By lunch, most of the office is reading books or chatting. The computers are still updating. Scheduled calendar meetings are abandoned—nobody can update documents or answer emails or access files. For the rest of the day, IT is the only busy department in the company.

“I don’t understand the need for these updates,” someone laments. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Just Because It Doesn’t Look Broken Doesn’t Mean It’s Enough

If the old way works, why change? Does everything have to be optimized and improved to the nth degree? Can’t we do it the old-fashioned way?

Getting an automated appointment reminder system might seem costly or like a lot of work, but dentists can’t afford to wait this one out. Technology is often a one-way ride. As it advances, those who don’t hop on may be happily running through processes that built companies and are functionally capable of getting the work done—but they’ll fall more and more behind competitors that do change. Their comparative ability to perform goes down, and patients will seek the better experiences technology enables.

In dentistry, where patient satisfaction is a prime concern, dealing with an inconvenient booking process will become less appealing as that person sees better options elsewhere. If they can order a pizza from their phone, for instance, why do they still have to call about booking an appointment? Why does it take the receptionist five minutes to pull up their existing data? Why is it the other dentist provides this higher standard of care?

These things may seem small individually which can enhance that feeling of “if it ain’t broke…”. But technology drives willing companies toward providing a level of convenience consumers have always dreamed of—and in dentistry, it’s no different. These small things build up. As they do, they push the baseline higher.

Automated Appointment Reminder Systems are the New Baseline 

Automated appointment reminder systems are taking the place personal organizers and diaries used to take up, providing a paperless, portable solution. Sending treatment instructions, information and recall reminders straight to the patient’s phone puts the power over their schedule in the palm of their hand, whilst automation ensures your office runs smoothly—freeing up your staff to concentrate on more important tasks and provide a better experience for the on-site patients.

Sounds simple. So why are some practices still reluctant to make the switch?

People have a history of technophobia. In 1876, many in society were afraid of the telephone with initial reactions ranging from cautionary to outright terrified. But it caught on, and today most of us walk around with a portable version in our pocket.

Recent history is littered with such tales. Every time, technology pushes the bar forward and establishes a new baseline. Automation frees up time and reduces error, and the experience both for the staff and the patient is improved. People may be reluctant to give change a chance. But they do, and see the benefits for themselves, they quickly grow to accept nothing less.

The only question for dentistry offices? Will you wait until you’re reluctantly forced to catch up—or get ahead of the curve and deliver that improved service today?

Try it for yourself! Book a demo of our solution and see first-hand the new world of options automated appointment reminders can open up!