Buzz
Automated alerts can help reduce reliance on traditional to-do lists and paper schedules.
Image courtesy stock.xchngHave you ever forgotten about a doctor's appointment, only to find the reminder card days or even weeks later? If so, you're not alone. The Medical Group Management Association reports that 15 to 22 percent of patients in the U.S. miss their medical appointments.
Maybe you've been working at your desk, unaware that you're missing an important staff meeting. Suddenly, your boss is standing in front of you, questioning how it slipped your mind. Thanks to advancements in technology, you'll never have to miss an important event again.
Automated reminders provide a straightforward solution for managing the chaos of busy lives. These scheduled electronic notifications are sent via email, SMS (text message), phone, or fax. They help us remember to attend tomorrow's dentist appointment, catch the red-eye flight on Wednesday, or show up at mom's surprise birthday party on Saturday with a gift in hand.
When patients receive an automated phone reminder from the doctor's office a day before their appointment, the average "no-show" rate drops to just 5 percent, according to the automated reminder company PhoneTree. This reduction saves doctors valuable time and money, while also sparing you the trouble of rescheduling another appointment.
Many people are already using some form of automated reminder system, such as an email calendar. All online calendar platforms offer the ability to set up automated pop-up notifications or email reminders for upcoming events. Some calendar services, like Google Calendar, even provide an option to send an SMS reminder directly to a mobile phone.
In this article, we'll explore automated reminders, discussing their features, explaining how they function, and reviewing practical applications for this technology.
Features and Setup of Automated Reminders
Reminders can be delivered directly to your computer...
Image courtesy of DreamstimeUsers have two ways to set up automated reminders: they can either subscribe to a third-party hosting service or purchase the necessary hardware to manage the reminder system themselves.
With subscription-based automated reminder services, users upload their contacts and groups from existing email and calendar platforms, such as Microsoft Outlook. A web interface handles the messages, which are sent via external servers and phone lines. The possibilities for messages are endless: reminders, expiration notices, pay dates, renewals, and upgrades. Recipients choose how they prefer to receive their notifications—via email, phone, SMS, or fax. However, the system can even adapt further. For example, if a recipient is unavailable by phone, the system will attempt to contact them via email or text message. Recipients then confirm and acknowledge the messages they receive.
...or your mobile phone.
Image courtesy of DreamstimeIf you decide to install the hardware yourself, many companies that provide this service offer support from installation through to maintenance, ensuring proper use of the product. Setting up an automated reminder system is straightforward and usually involves using existing calendar management software, just like subscription-based services. The main difference is that once the system is set up, the responsibility to manage the calls falls on you and your team. The system will gather all the customers who need appointment reminders and add them to a queue. Staff can then access the queue and start making the necessary calls.
The medical field often relies on automated reminders. Missed appointments result in lost revenue and prevent other patients from using the available time slots. Some medical offices even charge a missed appointment fee, which can be as high as the cost of the service itself.
Now let's explore more practical uses of automated reminders.
AT&T Labs developed a text-to-speech software called Natural Voices. To function, the program follows two steps. First, a set of grammatical rules and dictionaries breaks down the text for reading. In the second stage, the software produces audio to correspond with those rules.
In AT&T's Natural Voices, the voice used is a real human voice, not a synthesized one. A voice actor records each individual phoneme, which is the smallest unit of sound in speech. The software then combines those phonemes into syllables, and then into words.
This type of program is mostly used in help desks and voice response systems. During off-hours or on weekends, Text-to-Speech becomes useful, allowing customers to access essential information without requiring staff to be available around the clock.
Give the Natural Voices demo a try yourself.
Uses for Automated Reminders
Don't forget again
Image courtesy of DreamstimeAny industry that involves appointments, scheduled events, or significant customer interaction can benefit immensely from the convenience of automated reminders. Below are some of the key uses of this beneficial technology.
- Health Services: Pharmacies, medical laboratories, veterinarians, dentists, and doctors utilize reminders for prescription refills, test results, and appointment schedules.
- Financial Services: Investment advisors, banks, and accounting departments send reminders about renewals, account maturities, overdue payments, and balance due alerts.
- Travel and Hospitality: Airlines and hotels notify customers about flight schedules, delays, gate changes, itinerary updates, or cancellations.
- Manufacturing and Retail: Retailers inform customers about pickup times, warranty renewals, and policy updates.
- Service Industries: Service providers send reminders about regular maintenance tasks, such as pest control, HVAC servicing, or gutter cleaning. Auto maintenance shops remind customers when it’s time for an oil change, while lawn care services send reminders about seasonal lawn upkeep.
- Special Events: Ticket vendors send reminders about upcoming events like concerts, sports games, or theater performances. These messages may also include information about parking or local dining options.
As people become increasingly connected through Web-enabled PDAs, smartphones, and high-speed Wi-Fi, the reach and frequency of automated reminders will only continue to grow and evolve.
You don’t need to be connected to a business to reap the benefits of this technology. As mentioned before, simply using an appointment reminder on your web calendar means you’re already taking advantage of it. Whether it’s for a significant meeting, a casual happy hour with friends, or even remembering to send an email, automated reminders are there to help you stay on top of your tasks.
