Everything you need to get the word out

For the majority of practices the number one way patients first contact the surgery will be over the phone. With most patients phoning the practice for an appointment it will inevitably lead to phone queues.

Rather than the standard holding music, why not promote eConsults? It is available immediately so patients won’t have to wait in the queue. We would suggest having your lead GP read the message as they will be the most recognisable person from the practice for patients.

“Thank you for calling the practice. If you are ringing to book an appointment or speak to a GP, you may wish to try our online consultation service eConsult. You can access eConsult on our practice website. You tell us what the practice can help you with, fill out an online form, and we’ll get back to you by [the end of the next working day or your own deadline] with the next steps.”

Text message campaigns can be an incredibly effective way of promoting eConsult on a specific topic to a specific demographic. You can use your own lists to focus on high-use or groups you want to target.

For example:

You may want to suggest all patients who might want to book a contraception review to use eConsult instead.

NB: When sending text messages to patients, please follow your standard processes in regards to patient permission, GDPR and PECR

Depending on the type of workflow you have we have put together different example text messages you could use. You can download these below: