Hello,
In this article, you will learn how to create templates for all 3 types of recall emails and also how to set Triggers for recall SMS and email.
DNA recall email or SMS - DID NOT ARRIVE. This will be triggered when a patient does not arrive for their scheduled appointment.
Cancellation recall email or SMS- This will be triggered when a patient contacts the practice to cancel their appointment for one reason or another. The point of this SMS or email is to remind them to make another appointment if they haven't already.
Reactivation recall email or SMS - This will be triggered at an appropriate time to remind the patient to come back for another appointment if they haven't already made a booking.
Create templates for all 3 types of recall emails
Step 1:
From your Dashboard, click on 'Send Email' and head to the 'Transactional' header. On this page, you will see a list of all of your created transactional emails. For this task, we will create a new email template by selecting the green 'Create an email' button.
Step 2:
On this page, you will need to fill out all of the relevant information for the email.
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You can use the same email for multiple triggers if the information included in the email is applicable across all triggers. Otherwise, you can create a separate email for every trigger depending on your needs.
Name the email something relevant to the content.
In this example, I will use '1-month reactivation - Chiro' and it will be used to follow up with a patient 1 month after their Chiro appointment if they have not already booked another appointment.
Write a subject line that will let the patient know why you are contacting them. Here you can use personalisation which will customise the information to the patient.
To learn how to create personalisation 👉🏻 CLICK HERE
Who is it from? Here you can let the patient know who is contacting them. You can set this up to show your business name or use personalisation to insert the name of their treating practitioner. You need to also set the email and domain to show where it is sending from. There is a dropdown option for you to select from.
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People are much more likely to open up an email from a person (the practitioner) rather than a business so keep this in mind.
Add recipients to a list... Here you will need to select 'Don't add to a list' as this is a setting that isn't relevant here.
Content. Now it is time to 'Build your email'.
Step 3:
Here you will see templates to choose from. There may be one that suits your needs perfectly already or you can choose a design from the many available depending on what you prefer. Here I will select the 'DNA Recall' template and use this to create my recall email.
Step 4:
Looking at the open template you can see all the ways you can customise it to your needs. You can add your logo, and edit the heading as well as the content.
In this example case, I would add all the relevant information for a Chiro reactivation email with easy access to information about booking their 1 month follow up appointment.
Once you have entered all of the information you need, you can preview it by selecting the green 'Preview' button.
Step 5:
Review all of your information and make sure you are happy with how it would look if the patient were to look at it on a desktop (left layout) or if they were to view it on their mobile (right layout). Once you are happy select 'I'm done, return to snapshot'.
Step 6:
Now your email is added to the 'Content' and you can select 'Finish' to save.
Set Triggers for recall emails
To set up the triggers for the 3 types of recall emails you will need to select 'Triggers' on the left-hand side of the Dashboard. Here we will add a trigger for each recall we need by selecting the plus sign in the top right corner.
DNA recall email
Step 1:
Name this email trigger 'DNA recall' and select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the email is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be when the patient does not arrive and the receptionist marks their appointment DNA. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? No. This email will not be sent for marketing purposes as it is only sent to those who do not arrive at their booked appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should this email be sent? Here you can decide when the email is sent. We have selected 5 minutes after the appointment is marked DNA. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this email. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can filter it to different appointment types, but in this case, we will send this every time any patient doesn't arrive so nothing needs to be selected here. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met'. In this case, it will be any time a patient does not arrive at their appointment and the receptionist marks the patient as DNA in the appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 6:
Which template should it send? Use the drop-down menu to select the email template you have already set up. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
Cancellation recall email
Step 1:
Name this email trigger 'Cancellation recall' and select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the email is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be when the patient cancels their appointment and the receptionist marks their appointment as cancelled. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? No. This email will not be sent for marketing purposes as it is only sent to those who cancel their appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should this email be sent? Here you can decide when the email is sent. We have selected 3 days after the appointment is marked cancelled. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this email. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can add filters to decide who does and does not need this email sent to them. In this case, we will exclude anyone whose reasons for cancellation are 'feeling better' as they probably don't need to be reminded to rebook. To do this select 'Feeling Better' from the 'Cancellation Reason' drop-down menu and then click 'include' until it changes to red and says 'exclude'. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met'. In this case, it will be any time a patient cancels their appointment and the receptionist marks the patient as cancelled in the appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 6:
Which template should it send? Use the drop-down menu to select the email template you have already set up. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
Reactivation recall email
Step 1:
Name this email trigger 'Reactivation - 14 days'. For this trigger, we will set it up to send 14 days after the last appointment, therefore, we will name it accordingly. Select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the email is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be 14 days after their last appointment. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? In the case of a reactivation email, this may be seen as a marketing email. A marketing email will only be sent to those who have opted in to SMS marketing on their Cliniko profile.
💡TIP💡
When deciding whether a reactivation is a marketing email or a non-marketing email refer to the local laws governing your modality. In Australia, this would be the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should this email be sent? Here you can decide when the email is sent. We have selected 14 days after the appointment. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this email. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can add filters to decide who does and does not need this email sent to them. In this case, we will include ONLY physiotherapy patients. If you decide to not select any of these options everyone will receive this email 14 days after their appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met.' Select 'next'
Step 6:
Which template should it send? Use the drop-down menu to select the email template you have already set up. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
Recall SMS
To set up a recall SMS you will go to 'Send SMS' on the left-hand side of the Dashboard and then click the plus button in the top right.
DNA recall SMS
Step 1:
Name this message 'DNA recall' and select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the SMS is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be when the patient does not arrive and the receptionist marks their appointment as DNA. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? No. This email will not be sent for marketing purposes as it is only sent to those who do not arrive at their booked appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should we send this SMS? Here you can decide when the SMS is sent. We have selected 5 minutes after the appointment is marked DNA. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this SMS. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can filter it to different appointment types, but in this case, we will send this every time an appointment is DNA. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met'. In this case, it will be any time a patient does not arrive at their appointment and the receptionist marks the patient as DNA in the appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 6:
What should the SMS say? Here is where you put all the text you want to be sent to the patient. You can use all the personalised variables to have the SMS addressed to the patient with the correct information. These variables will auto-fill depending on your requests. Use the drop-down menu to insert the correct variable. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
Cancelled recall SMS
Step 1:
Name this message 'Cancelled recall' and select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the SMS is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be when the patient cancels their appointment. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? No. This email will not be sent for marketing purposes as it is only sent to those who cancelled their appointment. Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should we send this SMS? Here you can decide when the SMS is sent. We have selected 3 days after the appointment is cancelled. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this SMS. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can filter who receives this SMS. Here we will exclude 'Feeling Better' as the patient probably won't need to rebook if they are feeling better. To select 'exclude', press 'include' until it changes to 'exclude' and the font turns red. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met'. In this case, it will be any time a patient cancels and did not notify that they are 'Feeling Better'. Select 'next'
Step 6:
What should the SMS say? Here is where you put all the text you want to be sent to the patient. You can use all the personalised variables to have the SMS addressed to the patient with the correct information. These variables will auto-fill depending on your requests. Use the drop-down menu to insert the correct variable. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
Reactivation Recall SMS
Step 1:
Name this message. In this SMS we will set it up so that it is set to send 14 days after the appointment, therefore, we will name it 'Reactivation - 14 days'. Select 'Automated reoccurring' as this will ensure that the SMS is sent when the conditions are met. In this case, the conditions will be 14 days after the appointment. Select 'next' at the bottom right.
Step 2:
Is this a marketing message? In the case of a reactivation SMS, this may be seen as a marketing SMS. A marketing SMS will only be sent to those who have opted in to SMS marketing on their Cliniko profile.
💡TIP💡
When deciding whether a reactivation is a marketing SMS or a non-marketing SMS refer to the local laws governing your modality. In Australia, this would be the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Select 'next'.
Step 3:
When should we send this SMS? Here you can decide when the SMS is sent. We have selected 14 days after the appointment. We need to select 'Is this a recall?'. We also have the option of sending only if they haven't made another booking or another type of booking. If they have made another booking, they will not receive this SMS. Select 'next'.
Step 4:
Who should receive it? On this page, you can filter who receives this SMS. In this example we will only set it to send to those attending physiotherapy. Select 'next'.
Step 5:
How often should they receive it? We will select 'Every time the conditions are met'. Select 'next'.
Step 6:
What should the SMS say? Here is where you put all the text you want to be sent to the patient. You can use all the personalised variables to have the SMS addressed to the patient with the correct information. These variables will auto-fill depending on your requests. Use the drop-down menu to insert the correct variable. Select 'next'.
Step 7:
Summary. Look over your summary and make sure that everything is correct and then you can select 'finish'.
If you are still in need of help, please let us know!
Thanks,
Abbey.