Many decades ago, the only way you could get a hold of someone was by phone or by mail. Even still, you were more likely to get their answering machine, leaving your message after the beep. People don’t communicate that way anymore. Everyone is connected to the entire world everywhere they go via the smartphone in their pocket or bag.
We’re busy. We’re active. We all have things to do. No matter what we’re up to, we always find a minute or two to open up an app and scroll. Meet people where they already are by sending them a text. Even if they can’t get to you right now, they will when they’re waiting in line, eating lunch, or at home on the couch after a long day.
People Just Prefer Texting
Smartphones should theoretically make people easier to reach. In the case of phone calls however, it makes them slightly harder to get ahold of. People expect to have access to information at their own convenience. You probably feel the same way. When you want to know something, you Google it. If someone has a wealth of information to relay to you, you’d rather receive it in an email so you can refer to the details at your leisure. 
You probably have your personal phone on you during business hours, and may have your ringer muted. You try not to answer it while you’re driving. You don’t want to speak on the phone in situations where it may be rude, like checking out at the grocery store or while you’re ordering lunch. You ignore or dismiss those calls, hoping they’ll leave a voicemail or send a text if it is important, and promptly forget about it. What do you do if your phone rings and it’s a number you don’t recognize? With so many extended warranties, you’ve won, or your account has been compromised, spam calls, you probably forward strange numbers without a second thought. It usually isn’t something useful, and if you aren’t expecting an important phone call, you probably don’t even entertain the notion of answering it.
That’s the same thing your customers or patients are doing. They prefer receiving information via text because it’s easier. The text itself serves as a reminder of important details that they can refer to when they need to. They don’t need to write anything down. Their smartphone can automatically add times and dates to their integrated calendar app. It’s much simpler.
Using texts to relay information from your business to your employees, customers, clients, or patients is a no-brainer. Two-way texting from a dedicated business line is easy, smart, and simple to start.
Allow Texting from a Personal, Included Toll-Free Number
If you already have patients or clients that prefer to be texted, you may be requesting your employees text them from their own devices. You are also probably using a one-way texting system that provides information, but cannot receive responses. Neither of these scenarios are ideal.
Most people don’t realize they’ve been contacted by a one-way system. They’ll attempt to respond and believe that someone on the other end has received or acknowledged their messages and depending on the system, it may not even reply back to let them know it’s automated. They could be attempting to schedule an appointment or clarify information, only for their message to be lost in the void.
In the other scenario, employees may receive text messages from customers or clients on their personal phones during off hours. They may accidentally call or text them when intending to reach someone else. Their life and their free time may be interrupted by work related issues. They begin to lose a work/life balance. If staff stop responding to calls or texts outside of business hours, they may forget about them when back at work. The potential for communication errors or breakdown is high.
Text Through Your Business, For Your Business
The ideal objective is always to keep the work messages at work without sacrificing the flow of communication. If you can text back and forth through your business desktop, you’ll never have to worry about communication breakdowns. All texts go to a central location and can be handled appropriately. Questions can be answered, and appointments can be made quickly and easily over text serving multiple clients or patients at the same time.
Automation can be used to send appointment reminders before you see your clients or patients and can be used after appointments, to request reviews for excellent service. These reviews may draw in more customers or clients, helping to build your business or practice simply by asking.
The ease of facilitating communication is not the only benefit of two-way texting. This method of communication makes it simple to send private links for patient documents, request intake or consent forms, send pre-appointment paperwork, and accept responses. Two-way business texting can help you perform your entire intake process pre-emptively and simply.
How Does it Work?
Inphonite allows you to enable two-way texting from your business desktop. We don’t replace your phone service – we perfectly complement it. Our user-friendly interface allows you to utilize two-way texting for appointment scheduling and confirmations, group messaging, emergency alerts, and general patient comments or questions.
Inphonite doesn’t replace your office staff. It supports them. Everything they do on a daily basis will be much easier through the help of automation and text messages. They will be able to effectively assist more patients or customers via text than they will via phone – especially when people aren’t eager to answer their phones during business hours.
Inphonite is the solution your office needs to improve staff communication and patient experience. When the conversation is constantly flowing, there are countless opportunities to build relationships, grow business, and enhance your services for everyone.
