In our busy modern lives one factor that many agree plays a huge part in their purchasing preferences is convenience. People like things to be as simple as possible – that’s human nature – especially if they have a stressful job or a hectic family and social life.
The opportunity to relax in the evenings and weekends and forget the pressures of work is vital for us all, so when we’re faced with mundane tasks like making appointments or buying household essentials it needs to be easy.
There is a reason why the supermarkets have such a draw for the masses. Being able to purchase everything required in one trip holds that all important convenience factor. There are not many people who can truly say they enjoy the experience of trawling the food aisles but having all the items required for the entire week, under one roof, makes life easy. The days of popping to the butcher, then the fishmonger and the greengrocer are, sadly, dying out, because we crave the simplicity of parking the car just once and finding all of the items we need in one go.
Easy internet
However, even supermarkets have started to lose popularity in favour of online shopping. Spending an hour or two filling a trolley on a Saturday morning is less attractive than creating a virtual basket, choosing a delivery slot and paying for it all from the comfort of the sofa. This can be particularly appealing to those with families who spend their weekends taxiing the children from one hobby or birthday party to the next and struggle to find a moment to head to the shops. It is estimated that shopping for food and groceries online is set to increase by 126 per cent over the next five years, showing that people just won’t tolerate, or cannot fit in, the mundane day to day tasks, especially when an easier option is available.
Internet shopping is now such big business that it has having an impact on the high street and causing many of the smaller independent shops to shut their doors. According to research, there were 953 closures in the first half of 2012, which reflects a national rate of about 16 shops each day. The shops that are staying open are for things people simply can’t get online, such as discount stores and restaurants. The great news for dental practices is that they also fall into this category. So the internet will not have an impact on your business in a negative way; instead you can harness its power to make it work for you and boost your profits.
Having an online presence is crucial, as many patients like to get a feel for a dental practice and find out a bit about the team before they attend for an appointment. This also gives you a great portal to outline what treatments you offer and couple it with an informative blog that can help answer any questions that patients may have before they attend. The opportunity for patients to view an appointment diary to check if there is a space that suits their busy schedule and book online can provide you with an extra edge to attract them to your practice.
However, it is not as simple as just setting up an extra widget on your website, you need to make sure you have a system in place that works properly otherwise it defeats the object of offering it. Sites such as Zesty give you the tools to be able to provide this by enabling you to upload your available appointments and allowing patients to then book in their own time. Joining a live booking site will mean patients can make appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and what could be more convenient than that?
Allow your patients to choose appointment times for their next dental check up at a moment that suits them. This could be during a rare quiet moment when the kids are in bed, from their smartphone while they’re in the hairdressers, or on a quick lunch break from work. Understanding the busy lifestyles of your patients and providing
a means to make organising their appointments easier will set you apart and help your business succeed.
References available on request.