Prescreening to minimize no- show
Try not to cram too much into each appointment. One method to view how you can effectively schedule clients is to create your ideal day or week and see how existing appointments can parallel this ideal.
In order to keep all prescheduled time booked, the person in charge of appointments should maintain a list of clients who can come to the office on short notice.
Cancellations and No-Shows Cancellations and broken appointments result in lower productivity and lost revenue. Broken appointments and cancellations may be typically symptoms of other underlying office problems. You need to elevate clients’ understanding, appreciation and perceived value about the importance of each office visit.
Some owners may charge for a failed appointment, but other mainly use the tactic as an “attention getter.” I think that charging for missed appointments will affect clients negatively.
Some office offices have a “broken appointment policy” that new clients sign during their initial office visit. For example, some office offices consider these scenarios broken appointments: 1) less than 24 hours notice before canceling or rescheduling; and 2) being ten or more minutes late for an appointment. Again, prior notice and agreements by clients will help make such policies enforceable. All broken appointments should be noted (client’s personality) .
The following are some effective ways to reduce no-shows and cancellations and rescheduling approaches that can minimize lost revenue.
- Try not to book clients weeks in advance. The length of time a client must wait for an appointment can affect compliance. Detecting the client’s dissatisfaction with a future appointment and client education on the need to notify the office if a cancellation is necessary are important.
- Convey a “time-is-valuable” attitude to clients. Verbal and nonverbal communication that shows respect for the client’s time engenders the concept that your time is important too. When client appointments are delayed, make a special effort to immediately and courteously inform the client. Offer to reschedule, if necessary.
- Carefully train your receptionist and furnish written guidelines for making appointments. The receptionist should be able to plan maximum utilization of time, space, skill and personnel, with consideration of client’s time.
- Establish a policy of calling no-show clients at the time the client should be at the office. Your receptionist should call and inquire about the problem and attempt to salvage part of the treatment visit, if possible.
- Confirm appointments 24 hours in advance. This office reduces no-shows. Don’t say, “I’m calling to remind you of your appointment.” Rather “We’re looking forward to seeing you.” Get client’s mobile phone!!
- Use a “fill cancellation file” to reduce the impact of cancellations. This rescheduling approach notes clients who would prefer an appointment sooner than the one currently scheduled and those who can come to the office within an hour. Use these clients to fill cancellation gaps.
Scheduling
If possible, base your scheduling on the use of two or more tasks and stagger client arrival times for maximum efficiency. This way, you can speak to a client in one your office while your staff seats another client and collect information. The daily list of appointments provided for the staff should indicate schedules for each in the office dashboard.
Before the client’s next visit, prepare a list of to-dos and provide another another method to collect the information from the client.