Fall is often one of the busiest times of the year. Your patients with kids are still adjusting to their “back to school” routines. There are tons of fun activities to take part in from fall sports to pumpkin picking. Everyone is preparing for the holiday season. Scheduling a dental appointment is far from a patient’s mind, especially if they aren’t experiencing any oral problems. They have little motivation to call the office to put one on the calendar.
Many of your patients might not realize that their dental insurance benefits expire at the year’s end if they don’t use them. If they do try to make an appointment when December rolls around, your office will likely be booked until the next year.
Now is the time to send a reminder to all of your patients in need of a professional cleaning or with unfinished treatment. They need a little push now so they don’t wait too long to schedule and miss out. Many patients will be so grateful for the reminder!
The way that you word your email can help motivate your patients to take action. Phrases that suggest scarcity can be very action inducing. Include a line such as “call now while there is still time” or “our November and December appointments are booking quickly.” This also provides evidence of social proof; if a lot of other patients are making appointments, they’ll think they should too.
We’ve included sample email templates at the end of this post that you can send to your patients. Feel free to use them as-is or to modify them as you see fit.
How to Send an Email Blast in YAPI
You can send email blasts to your patients with YAPI. Follow the steps outlined below to edit an existing template or choose the “add” button to create your own.
The video below then shows you how to send an email blast to your patient list using a pre-made template. You can further filter the list into patients with outstanding treatment, patients in need of a hygiene appointment or by the date of their last visit. Those are just a few examples but you are able to create interest groups for almost anything.
Your End of Year Insurance Email Templates
These templates are not pre-set in YAPI. If you would like to use them, you can copy and paste the text below when you create your own template. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions!
Email Template 1:
Subject: Use Your Insurance Benefits Before They Expire
We hope your fall is off to a great start! As we approach the end of the year, we are writing to share a tip that can help you take full advantage of your dental insurance benefits.
Did you know that if you don’t use your dental insurance benefits this year, you lose them? It’s true – dental insurance benefits don’t roll over to the following year. If you don’t use them, you lose them!
Don’t let your dental benefits go to waste. Call us now to schedule a dental appointment for a professional dental cleaning or any dental care you may have been putting off.
Call today because our schedule is filling quickly as many patients are rushing to use their dental benefits before they expire.We’ll be happy to discuss your remaining benefits and answer any questions you may have.
We are looking forward to speaking with you soon!
Your dental team at [practice name]
Email Template 2:
Subject: Use It or Lose It
We hope you have been doing great since your last visit! We are writing to inform you that your dental insurance benefits will expire on December 31st. Dental insurance plans don’t carry over unused benefits to the following year. If you don’t use them, you lose them!
Because so many of our patients realize this last minute, November and December appointment slots fill up very quickly. If you wait to schedule, it may be impossible to secure an appointment.
If you’ve been putting off necessary dental care, the time to act is now. Don’t lose your dental insurance benefits – call us today to schedule your dental appointment.
We’ll be happy to verify your benefits, go over your treatment needs and to answer any questions you may have.
We are looking forward to speaking with you soon!
Your dental team at [practice name]
