Today’s world is fast-paced and constantly on the go. This has led to people handling their day-to-day tasks at different hours, and in different manners than they had in the past. Through online tools, many practices are also changing the way they handle their own day-to-day operations. One key area has been the automation of certain tasks, including:
- Scheduling of appointments
- Confirmation of appointments
- Supplying updated information about a client and his or her account
- Presenting, gathering, and organizing feedback from clients
While having that “personal connection” is beneficial – especially for people who are not tech savvy – automating tasks should not be disregarded. In fact, many people prefer an automated interaction over direct contact with someone at a business for any and all things. Automated interaction also allows people to do what they need to do on their own time.
By allowing practice staff to focus on clients who are not interacting with the automated system, the loss of precious man-hours is eliminated. Let’s look at the following example:
A practice has an automated system in place to handle aspects of the appointment process including requests, confirmations, and reminders. A client confirms an appointment through the automatic system, and then shows up for the appointment at the appropriate day and time.
In this example, the client who electronically confirmed his or her appointment is one less client the staff must try to contact. Without the automated process, it is possible that the staff would have to make multiple attempts to get in contact with the client. This in turn would use up time they could have spent doing other tasks, or working with clients who are physically present at the practice.
Even with automated systems, there will always be the need for personal interaction between the client and the practice. However, having an outlet for clients to complete some interactions at their own pace will make them happier, and it will help the practice staff save time and work more efficiently.
Reviewed by: James Larson on 11/22/19