All Collections
Dental Intelligence Engagement
Patient Messaging
Engagement: How to Send and Schedule Messages
Engagement: How to Send and Schedule Messages

Learn how to send and schedule direct messages, voicemail drops, and emails

Emily Allred avatar
Written by Emily Allred
Updated over a week ago

With Engagement, you can conveniently schedule direct messages, voicemail drops, and emails to reach patients at a time that works best for you and your practice. This means you're no longer limited to sending messages during office hours only. You can schedule them to be delivered in the morning before you open, in the evening for follow-ups, or even on weekends.

In this article, you'll learn about:


Direct Messages

Direct messages, also known as text messages, are a great way to communicate with patients quickly. With Engagement, you can send individual or bulk direct messages.

Watch the short video below to learn more about using Direct Messages:

How to Create, Send, & Schedule Direct Messages

  1. To send a message to a single patient, select the Three Dot Menu

    1. Alternatively, you can create a list of patients and use Bulk Action to send messages in bulk.

  2. Click Send a Direct Message

  3. Manually type the message or select Load a Quick Message to choose a pre-fabricated Direct Messaging Template

  4. Choose the appropriate Delivery Channel

  5. Select Schedule for Future, then click Send

For bulk messages, check the box to acknowledge that The Bulk Direct Message feature is limited to 250 messages per hour and is intended to contact patients who are expecting communication in relation to their treatment. For marketing communication, please use Email Campaigns.


Voicemail Drops

Voicemail drops are a fast and simple way to send personalized messages to your patients via voicemail. They're great for follow-up checks, welcoming new patients, announcing office closures, sending appointment reminders, and much more. With Voicemail Drops in Engagement, you can forget about spending hours on the phone and ultimately save time.

Watch the short video below to learn more about using Voicemail Drops:

How to Upload, Send, & Schedule Voicemail Drops

  1. Before you get started, record your voicemail message. You can record these using the Voice Memo app (Apple) or Voice Recorder app (Android) on your mobile device or computer. Need an example? Click here to reference our sample Voicemail Drop Scripts

  2. After your voicemail message is recorded, login to Engagement. Go to Settings by clicking the gear icon in the upper right hand corner

  3. Select Practice Setup tab and then click Voicemail Drops from the left side menu

  4. Import your pre-recorded message into the Voicemail Drop section by selecting Choose File

  5. Name your recording in the Sound Name field

  6. Select Add New Sound button to save audio to your Voicemail Drop library

  7. To listen, download or even delete an existing Voicemail Drop recording, click on the name of the audio

  8. Now that the audio has been added, you can send your message in bulk or to individual patients. Go to the Patients tab in your left side menu

  9. Filter your Patients List by choosing a filter from your Filters Library or use the search bar to select individual patients. Click on the box next to each to select the patients you would like to send a voicemail drop to

  10. Click Bulk Actions and then select Send a Voicemail from the dropdown list

  11. Choose your previously imported message from the list of Existing File options shown, or upload a new file by clicking on the Choose file button

  12. Choose when the Voicemail will be sent by selecting Send Now or Send at Specific Time. If sending at a specific time, enter the Date and Time, then click Send


Email Campaigns

Engagement offers formatted Emails Templates that make it easy to keep your patients informed via email. You can quickly send polished emails to individuals or groups of patients, helping you stay connected and provide updates with ease.

Note: Only users with Admin permissions have access to this feature.

Watch the short video below to learn more about creating and sending emails:

How to Create, Send, & Schedule Email Campaigns

  1. Access the Email Campaigns tab from your left side menu

  2. Click the blue Create campaign button in the upper right corner

  3. Within the Create campaign window, select target campaign recipients by office(s) and filters available within your Patient Filters Library. Note: Patient filters within Analytics and the Patient Finder are not currently available options within email campaigns.

    1. If your applied filters do not capture any patients within the campaign, the following error message will show:

  4. Add your email campaign details. Include a Subject line and Message. Insert an existing template and include placeholders by choosing them from the dropdown menus available.

  5. Next, choose to attach any relevant files to send to all patients captured within the filter selected. Select to send your email campaign now or at a future time. You may also enter a test email address to see how your email campaign appears when delivered.

  6. When you're finished, click the blue Send button in the bottom right corner to send your email campaign.

Emails sent from within Engagement will be sent from a generic no-reply address that includes your practice name.

Note: Email campaigns are limited to 1,000 emails sent per campaign per practice. For example: If 3 practice locations are selected, each practice has the ability to reach up to 1,000 patients (for a combined total of 3,000 emails sent). Any amount above the 1,000 limit will not be included in the email campaign.


Track and Cancel Scheduled Messages

  1. Select the Communication tab from the left side menu of Engagement

  2. Select Scheduled from the dropdown list

  3. Filter by Type to see scheduled messages for Voicemails and Direct Messages

  4. Click on the number in the Target section to see a list of all patients included in the message

    1. Note: When sending a bulk message, Engagement will ignore certain targeted patients from receiving messages if they fall into any of these categories:

      • Patient is inactive

      • Patient is from another clinic

      • Patient does not have an email/phone number

      • Patient is opted out of messaging

      • Patient has the same email as another patient

      • Engagement will only send one message per family group. This is usually the guarantor that will receive the campaign message.

  5. Click Cancel to prevent the message from going out at the scheduled time

Click here to learn more about tracking communication in Engagement.

Did this answer your question?