HOW SMS MARKETING CAN BE UTILIZED IN HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY?

Healthcare industry plays an important part in a society, therefore interacting with patients is essential for the success of any medical practice. SMS technology in the healthcare industry provides many possibilities when it comes to reaching out to patients. This is an effective tool that generate immediate benefits and allows to build long term relationships with patients.

It is time consuming to communicate with every patient regarding appointments, clinic operation hours, news alerts and etc. SMS Messaging can save both your time and money by getting the message directly to your patients in real time. SMS can be used in many different ways as below:

• SMS alerts for appointment reminders
SMS messaging is the easiest and most efficient way to communicate with your patients by sending personal appointment reminders.
This eliminates no-shows and ensures that the patients are aware of the time, date and location of their appointment. The appointment reminders can be scheduled in advance

• SMS survey
You could send out a short survey to patients on the standards of healthcare received. 2-way SMS messaging allows you to gather feedbacks from patients on healthcare services quickly and easily. This would be a great way to improve your services.

• Improve internal communications
SMS alerts have the ability to keep your internal communication more organised in a systematic manner. SMS messaging can be used to notify healthcare staff on timetable changes, staff meetings, employee birthdays, urgent notifications, and more.

• Opening and Closing Hours
Opening and closing hours are somewhat different than the normal 9-5 working day during special occasions. Thus, you can send a bulk sms to all patients informing them about new opening and closing hours. This is an excellent way to develop a loyal and trusted relationship with your patients.

• Announcements
SMS messaging can be used to make announcements regarding the programmes like flu vaccine during flu season, hepatitis alerts, job alerts etc. If you are having a special offer or promotion, it is important to make sure that all of your patients are aware of this.Send a bulk message to your patients informing them of your special offer/ promotion. This will keep your patients informed at all times ensuring they’re not missing out anything important.

• Weekly Health Tips
Sending weekly health tips to your patients is a great way to build a strong relationship and ensures your customers keep your clinic in the mind on a regular basis.

It is important to remain data compliant and ask for the permission from the patient to be contacted via SMS by personally asking the patient during an appointment to sign up for SMS Marketing alerts, offer a sign up for SMS alerts on the clinics webpage or have leaflets lying around the waiting area for all patients to take notice of.

• Advertise
SMS is also a great way to inform customers about upcoming sales and promotions. You can use past information, geographical tracking and other tools to offer great deals which can also enhance your sales.