Dental Intelligence utilizes TouchPoints™, an automated reminder system to ensure patients are notified about their appointments. However, there may be times when reminders or notifications behave differently than expected. This article covers common issues related to patient reminders and notifications, explains how to troubleshoot them, and outlines best practices for managing TouchPoints™.
Common Issues and Their Solutions
1. Patients Did Not Receive Reminders or Confirmations
If patients report not receiving reminders or confirmation requests, consider the following:
Check TouchPoint™ Appointment Reminder Configuration: The system might be set to send one reminder 7 days before the appointment and a confirmation request 2 days before. Verify these settings as set in each TouchPoint™.
View Communication Details: Ensure that the "Show all communication" option is enabled in Patient Chat to view the complete history of sent reminders.
2. Reminders Missing for Unconfirmed Patients
When reminder schedules are created or modified after an interval (e.g., 3 days before the appointment) has already passed, the automated system skips that reminder. These patients will instead receive only the short-term SMS reminders (e.g., 2 hours before the appointment).
3. Early Morning Appointment Reminders Suppressed
Dental Intelligence applies global quiet hours, which suppress automated reminders during specific times:
Non-appointment days: No reminders are sent between 8:00 PM and 9:00 AM.
Appointment day: Reminders are blocked between 8:00 PM the previous night and 8:00 AM.
For instance, a patient with a 9:00 AM appointment will receive their 2-hour reminder the evening before. This quiet-hour policy explains why early-morning reminders, such as 1-hour notifications, are not sent.
4. Lack of Advance Reminder Texts
If your TouchPoints™/reminder schedule includes only a single reminder set to send shortly before the appointment (e.g., 2 hours prior), earlier notifications will not be sent. You can adjust the schedule to add reminders at other intervals, such as 7 days and 1 day before the appointment.
5. Reminder Changes Locked During System Updates
During regular Dental Intelligence system updates, you might be unable to edit or turn off appointment reminders during the update process. During this time, reminder settings are temporarily locked. You will need to wait until the update is complete to regain access to the settings.
Best Practices for Reminder Scheduling
To optimize patient communication through reminders, consider these best practices:
Customize Your TouchPoints™ Timeline: Ensure that you have reminders set up for multiple intervals (e.g., 7 days, 1 day, and 2 hours before the appointment) to cover varied notification needs.
Review Quiet Hours: Understand and factor in the global quiet hours when setting reminder schedules, especially for early-morning appointments.
Enable Full Communication Visibility: Always check the "Show all communication" setting in Patient Chat to view the complete history of reminders sent to patients.
Test Configuration Changes: Periodically review and test your notification settings to confirm they align with your practice’s communication strategy.