Why Postcards are Critical

Not all patients are tech savvy

A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that 49-percent of Americans have "relatively few technology assets" (i.e., cell phones and Internet access), and only about 5-percent of those people have high-speed Internet access.

What does that mean for you?
These non-tech savvy patients are not likely to provide e-mail addresses or cell phone numbers for you to use for reminders. Even if they do, they still might not receive the message in a timely manner.

In other words, nearly half of all patients in a typical dental practice will not benefit from a patient communication system that relies solely on e-mail and cell phones. By not integrating postcards into your communication efforts, your staff will still have to call a large percentage of your patients, and your broken appointment rate will continue to be higher than it should be.

Message through the mail with Lighthouse PLZ
Unlike other electronic patient communication services that focus exclusively on e-mail and text messaging, Lighthouse PLZ offers postcards. Postcards are integrated into all campaigns - appointment reminders, recall reminders, birthday greetings, etc. You can opt out of sending postcards, but for every postcard you send, your broken appointment rate drops, your recall compliance goes up, and the amount of time spent making phone calls decreases, so everyone can focus on more productive tasks.

When are postcards sent?
All important communications - appointment and recall reminders - are first sent by e-mail. If the e-mail results in a confirmed or scheduled appointment, no postcard is necessary. If the e-mail is unsuccessful for any reason, Lighthouse PLZ follows up with a postcard - automatically - unlike some other systems that require you to make a decision to send each and every postcard.