Technology has certainly made it easier for dental practices to communicate with patients in a variety of ways. From instant text messaging to old fashioned snail-mail and everything in between, practices get to choose the methods for getting messages to their patients…ideally, in ways that are also convenient for the dental team.
Having plenty of options is great because it makes it easier to reach the majority of your patient base. However, no two patients are exactly alike and each prefers–and responds to–different types of communication.
So what is the best channel to communicate with your patients? Trick question: the answer is all of them .
Demographics Drive Communication Preferences
When we think about communication channels, segmenting messages by generations makes a lot of sense. Research tells us what each particular demographic prefers and you can put that information to good use at your dental practice.
Each generation has their own preferences. Millennials, having grown up with technology, prefer texting over answering a phone call, which feels foreign to them. That said, a study from the United States Postal Service showed Millennials are far more likely than other generations to read and engage with direct mail. Most Baby Boomers have cell phones but prefer a call over a text. Generation X, on the other hand, comfortably responds to text or email.
Communicate More Effectively
Although it can feel hard to keep up with various generational preferences–not to mention any personal preferences that don’t match the rest of the age group–our dental software makes it easy to communicate with patients in the ways they prefer. Having the flexibility to use multiple channels of communication increases your practices’ ability to reach more patients more often.
With unlimited usage of text messaging, emails, and automated voice calls, you will never be charged for the number of messages you send–which means better communication without the overhead*.
It’s important to consider which forms of communication patients tend to prefer in each demographic. Arm yourself with a powerful suite of communication tools by downloading our free Patient Demographic Marketing Kit today. Start delivering the right message in the ways your patients prefer.