You can remind past patients by hand from a spreadsheet, with whatever reminder tools your booking system already has, or with a dedicated service. The right choice depends on how many patients you have, how much staff time you can spare, and how much you want the wording checked. None of the three is wrong.
I make one of these options, so weigh this accordingly. I will not compare Conduit with named competitors or quote anyone else's prices, and I will not say what your booking system does or does not offer, because I would be guessing. I will give you the questions to ask each option.
What does doing it by hand involve?
You export a patient list, filter it for people overdue for a review, write a message, send it from your own phone or email, and repeat on a schedule. It costs staff time and nothing else. For a small list, it is a perfectly good way to start.
The weak points are consistency and records. Reminders get done when the front desk is quiet and skipped when it is not, and it is hard to tell afterwards who was messaged and what came of it. Look at how to find lapsed patients from an export to do the first step well.
What about your booking system's own tools?
Check what yours does. Systems such as Timely, Zenoti, Fresha, Kitomba and Cliniko each have their own reminder and messaging features, and I do not know the current detail of any of them well enough to describe it here. Ask your vendor, or look at your own settings.
- Can it message people based on the date of their last visit, by treatment?
- Can you edit the wording, and does anyone check that wording against the Ahpra and TGA rules?
- Does every message include a way to opt out?
- Does it show which messaged patients came back, compared with those who were not messaged?
If all four answers are yes, you may not need anything else. If some are no, you know which gap you are buying a fix for.
What does a dedicated service add?
A dedicated service does the scheduling, the wording check and the reporting so staff do not have to. In Conduit's case, you set how long after each treatment a review is due, every template is checked against Ahpra and TGA rules and approved by your clinic, patients hear once, and a monthly report compares messaged patients with patients we did not message.
It works alongside your booking system, from an export of your data. A direct Timely connection is in progress but not live, so today the export is how it runs. Patient return reminders are the Start plan: A$297 a month, plus a one-off setup of A$990, with no minimum term.
How do the three compare on the things that matter?
- Cost: by hand costs staff time. Your booking system's tools may be included in what you already pay, which you should check. A service has a monthly fee and a setup fee.
- Consistency: by hand depends on people. The other two can run on a schedule.
- Wording control: by hand, you write and check everything. A service may check it for you. Your system's tools depend on the system.
- Evidence: by hand you can keep a spreadsheet. A good service should show a comparison group, not only a count of returns.
- Risk: a wording slip can happen in all three. The question is who catches it.
I have deliberately not scored these. The ranking depends on your list size and your staff, and a table of ticks would make it look more objective than it is.
When does a service make sense?
When the list is large enough that doing it by hand does not happen reliably, when you want every message checked and approved in a structured way, and when you want to know what the effort returned. If your list is small and your front desk has time, a service is optional.
Run the numbers before you decide. The formula and a worked example with made-up round numbers are in what lapsed patients are worth. If the result is below what the service costs, do it by hand.
What questions should you ask any provider?
- 1Who sends the message, and in whose name?
- 2Who approves the wording, and how is it checked against the Ahpra and TGA rules?
- 3Is there a STOP option in every message?
- 4What does it compare returns against?
- 5Where is patient data held, who can see it, and how do I get it deleted?
- 6What is the term, and what does it cost to leave?
Our answers are on the pricing page and the security page: your clinic's name, your approval, STOP in every message, no minimum term, and deletion on request. Check any provider, including us, against the same list.
What is a sensible way to start?
Start by hand with a small group, and write down what you did so a colleague could repeat it. Send one compliant message, read what comes back, and count the bookings. That teaches you more than any forecast, and costs an afternoon. If it works and becomes a chore, then look at a service.
If you want to see how ours would look on your list, book a 20-minute demo. If a spreadsheet is enough for your clinic, I am happy with that outcome.