Keep it Short and Sweet
The shorter the time period between the lead date and the scheduled appointment, the higher your attendance rate will be. In most cases, you should strive to have no more than 10 days between the lead date and appointment.
Experience has proven that there is a direct correlation between longer lead times and higher cancellation rates. As a result, if you are looking to decrease cancellations and increase attendance, your practice should make every effort to keep the time between lead and appointment to less than 10 days.
There is also a direct correlation between shorter lead times and higher purchase rates. The sooner a patient gets in the door, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Monitor Over Time
The challenge is to monitor this relationship between lead and appointment on a fluid basis. As your business matures, the number of days between lead time and the appointment will naturally increase as a result of a variety of factors, including more returning patients and referrals.
The best way to stay on top of your lead date and the amount of time patients are waiting for an appointment is to check in quarterly and annually. Take stock of any places in the schedule where you could make accommodations to better serve new patients. This will assist you as you continue driving conversions, reducing the potential of a cancellation or no-show. With this in mind, you will be better able to serve both new and existing patients as you grow your practice.
