About 75% of U.S. dentists now communicate with patients online, according to a report from TeleVox Software summarizing trends of how dentists are using online tools to engage with patients.
The results are based on findings from a survey of 9,000 U.S. dentists and orthodontists, the company said. The report found that 75% of practices are using voicemail, email, or text messaging to remind patients of their appointments.
More than 80% of practices are not currently marketing new products and services, according to TeleVox. In addition, while 95% of practices have websites, only half have Facebook fan pages.
Other findings from the TeleVox report:
- More than 50% of respondents confirmed that Mondays are the worst days for missed appointments.
- More than three quarters of missed appointments are by men.
- Nearly half of missed appointments are from patients in the 14-25 age group.
TeleVox offers the Engagement Communications portal, which features HTML emails that link to practice websites, outbound email communications that integrate with Facebook and Twitter pages, and promotional tools that help drive traffic to Web pages to promote new products and services or provide expert advice on dental care.
