The problem
Patients forget when their next sight test is due and drift to a competitor or the supermarket. If 60 patients a month reach their recall date, 5 of them never rebook, and an average visit is worth £60 to you (an assumption: test plus any glasses), that's £300 a month walking out.
What the AI does
Blink lists patient recall, which lets you target specific recalls to find who is due, and a separate SMS add-on for text reminders. The optometrist sets each patient's recall interval as part of the clinical record, as now. You use Blink's recall list to see who is due and text them with a link or number to book, if Blink confirms recall lists can be texted. You write the wording and check who is sent it.
A worked example
A two-chair independent optician in Lincoln has 60 patients a month reaching their recall date. The practice manager sends a recall text to each, and about 5 extra rebook.
Before
60 patients due a month, 5 lapse and never return: about £300 a month lost
After
Due patients get a text, and those 5 book instead: about £300 a month kept
What it's worth
About £300 a month if 5 extra patients return at £60 each (assumptions, not a promise). Cost is Blink at £95 plus the £5 SMS add-on, excluding VAT; the cost of each text is extra and Blink's page doesn't state it. If you already use Blink the new cost is the £5 add-on and messages.
How to set it up
- Check Blink's features page for current prices (£95 a month, SMS add-on £5, plus VAT and the cost of each message), and confirm with Blink that recall lists can be sent as texts.
- Ask Blink what each text costs, since its page doesn't state it, and set a monthly budget.
- Write a short recall text with your practice name and how to book, and have the practice manager approve it.
- Send to each month's due patients, and check the list for anyone who shouldn't be texted, such as recently deceased patients.
- After three months, compare how many due patients rebooked with the months before.
What goes wrong
- Patients must have given a mobile number for contact. Check your privacy notice covers recall texts, and respect anyone who has opted out.
- A text that names the test or the practice reveals health information to anyone who sees the phone. Keep wording minimal.
- Blink's page doesn't say where data is hosted, only that it is a GDPR compliant cloud system. Ask for the hosting details and a data processing agreement.
- The £60 per visit and 5 patients are illustrations. Your own recall figures decide whether it pays.