Do you have gaps in your appointment book and a large database you forgot to contact after their initial recall?
We define lapsed patients as anyone who has not returned to your practice since their last appointment 3 – 6 years ago.
Why re-engage lapsed patients?
If your ideal patient is still in your database it is much cheaper to target your lapsed patient database than to implement advertising to attract brand new patients. It is important to remember, just because a patient hasn’t returned to your practice in, let’s say, 5 years it doesn’t mean they won’t ever return. There may be a myriad of reasons why people have not returned. When you activate a lapsed patient campaign, patients will reply and engage with you once again. This can benefit you in a number of ways;
- Motivate them to return to your practice for an appointment
- Update their details for future communications
- Assist in cleaning up your database (for example if they respond and notify you they have now moved interstate, you can remove them from your contact list)
How? Eyes@Narangba Case Study – SMS Lapsed Campaign
An SMS campaign is one effective way of contacting lapsed patients to spark re-engagement. In this case study, Ross Bakker shares a quick and easy way to engage with your lapsed patient database using SMS.
Problem: Eyes@Narangba wanted to fill more appointment time slots.
Objective: The practice needed to increase the number of appointments whether it be from new patients or existing.
Strategy: The team realised that re-engaging former patients was a much more cost effective strategy than advertising for new patients.
Implementation: The team decided to send one SMS blast to attract lapsed patients back to the practice. They used ProMarket’s Lapsed Patient SMS and sent the following communication to 1,050 patients.
“We haven’t seen you for a while please call Eyes@Narangba, <Phone Number> to update your details and/or book an appointment”
Results: Eyes@Narangba had a response rate of just under 10% within 6 months. Out of 1,050 SMSs sent out, 107 patients returned to the practice and either had a consultation and/or made a purchase. With an average spend of $205 per patient, this promotion brought in just under $22,000, and only cost the practice $104.
To implement your lapsed patient SMS campaign head to ProMarket or contact the ProVision marketing team, marketing@provision.com.au or 03 8544 3900.
