May 21, 1999
Client
A busy dental clinic serving hundreds of patients monthly, struggling with inefficiencies in its manual appointment scheduling system. Their primary goal was to enhance the patient experience, reduce no-shows, and minimise administrative workload.
Challenge
The clinic faced several operational hurdles:
Missed Bookings: Many patients found it difficult to book or reschedule appointments during office hours, leading to lost opportunities.
High No-Show Rates: An 18% no-show rate was causing significant revenue loss and operational inefficiencies.
Staff Overload: Administrative staff spent over 20 hours weekly managing appointments, reducing their ability to focus on patient care and other priorities.
Patient Dissatisfaction: Patients often expressed frustration with the time and effort required to manage their appointments.
Approach
We assessed the clinic’s existing scheduling process and identified automation opportunities to reduce bottlenecks and enhance patient experience. The proposed solution was an AI-powered chatbot designed to handle appointment scheduling and management efficiently.
Our approach included:
Custom Chatbot Design: Developing a user-friendly chatbot capable of booking, rescheduling, and cancelling appointments.
Automated Notifications: Integrating SMS and email reminders to reduce no-shows.
System Integration: Ensuring the chatbot synced in real-time with the clinic’s calendar and existing software.
Patient-Centric Features: Adding 24/7 availability to allow patients to manage appointments at their convenience.
Solution
The AI-powered chatbot delivered the following functionalities:
24/7 Appointment Management: Patients could book, reschedule, or cancel appointments anytime, anywhere.
Automated Reminders: SMS and email notifications were sent 24-48 hours before appointments, improving attendance.
Real-Time Updates: Instant syncing with the clinic’s scheduling system ensured accurate availability for all users.
User-Friendly Interface: A simple and intuitive design made it easy for patients to navigate and use.
Impact
Improved Booking Efficiency
Before: Staff manually handled an average of 50 daily appointment-related calls.
After: The chatbot managed 70% of appointment bookings, reducing administrative workload significantly.
Reduced No-Show Rates
Before: No-show rates were at 18%.
After: Automated reminders lowered the no-show rate to 7%, recovering substantial lost revenue.
Increased Patient Satisfaction
Before: Patients frequently complained about the inconvenience of manual booking systems.
After: Patient satisfaction scores improved by 25%, with many praising the convenience of the 24/7 chatbot.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Before: Staff spent 20+ hours weekly managing appointments.
After: Administrative time spent on scheduling dropped by 60%, freeing staff to focus on patient care.
