Effective communication with new patients is a top priority for a lot of clinics - and for good reason! Make the onboarding process smoother, more aligned to your unique brand and ensure intake forms are completed.
Setting expectations, providing appointment preparation guidance, and ensuring they feel valued and cared for throughout their healthcare journey all contribute to a good client experience.
What you'll need
Transactional emails are automated emails which send in reaction to Cliniko appointment activity.
Email triggers allow you to specify the who, what and when of your transactional email, giving you a granular level of control when it comes to targeting patients inside your Cliniko account.
When to contact new patients
There are a few key moments you may want to consider when thinking about contacting new clients. The below are just a starting point, and we have included some recommended Trigger settings and email subject lines.
Confirm their very first appointment | Replace the generic Cliniko booking confirmation email with a spruced up, on-brand and unmissable appointment confirmation sent with Peptalkr.
Trigger to use:
Timing: 5 minutes
Template to use: 
Subject line recommendation: Appointment confirmed for [appointmentstart]
|
Welcome them to your business | Optionally send a second email at about the same time as the confirmation - but this email is a Welcome! It contains all the important information about their first visit. If you have issues with patients completing the intake form - this secondary email is an excellent option!
Trigger to use:
Timing: 5 minutes
Template to use: 
Subject line recommendation: Welcome to [business]! Please read...
|
Remind them about their first appointment | Replace the generic Cliniko reminder email with Peptalkr reminder for new patients that demystifies the process, reducing anxiety and building trust. You can also remind them to fill in the intake form at this stage.
Trigger to use:
1 day before
Template to use:
Subject line recommendation: Reminder: Your appointment at [business] is tomorrow!
|
Ask for feedback after their first appointment | Learning about the experience of new patients is a vital part of improving your service, helping patients to feel heard and enhancing your reputation.
Trigger to use:
1 day after (or 1 hour after)
Template to use: 
Subject line recommendation: Rate your experience at [business] |
Check in with them after their first appointment if they don't book a 2nd appointment | Recall: If they never booked in a second appointment, you could reach out at the appropriate time after their first appointment. Be friendly, gently remind them how to book and express that you're looking forward to seeing them again.
Trigger to use:
7 days after (or any timing that makes sense to your clientele)
Template to use: 
Subject line recommendation: How are you doing, [patientfirstname]?
Note - your recall strategy can be different for new patients vs repeat patients. But if you prefer to use one recall strategy across both, check out our blueprint for patient recalls. |
How to create the email automation
Selected something from the above table and ready to start? Great!
Step One: Create a Transactional email
You'll go the email manager tab, then the Transactional tab to complete this step.
Follow the steps in this tutorial to create your first Reactivation transactional email.
Step Two: Connect an Email Trigger
You'll go the email triggers tab to complete this step.
Follow the steps in this tutorial to create and connect a trigger to the Transactional email you created in step one.
How to create an SMS instead
If you're looking to do an SMS for any of your new patient communications - it's super easy. Just head to the Send SMS tab.
You can then follow the step-by-step instructions here.
Including an intake form in the Confirmation, Reminder or Welcome email
All you need to do is link a button to your Peptalkr intake form, which you can find the link for on the Forms tab of your account.
You can also use a variable to insert the link dynamically.
How we identify the patient filling in the form
Peptalkr forms make life super easy by knowing which patient is filling in the form without them having to identify themselves. Head here to learn more about how to ensure you have auto-identification set up correctly.
Video: How to use filters to target New patients
When you are creating your email or SMS trigger, the filters step allows you to target the right patients. If you're not sure what to do, watch this video as it covers the two main ways we can identify who is a 'new' patient.
⚡️ The bottom line: Select your 'initial' appointment types using the appointment type filter. Or, alternatively - set the appointment count filter to 'Exactly 1' - this ensures the feedback request is sent after the attendance of their very first appointment.
Remember, the key to a successful new patient onboarding process is to provide relevant, helpful information that is clear, concise (where possible) and provides clear directive on what to do next.