Booking only when the phone is answered
A patient decides they need an eye test on a Sunday evening. The chain practice in the shopping centre lets them book online in two minutes. Your practice website has a phone number and a contact form. They choose the chain, not because they prefer it, but because it was open.
Meanwhile, reception is on the phone for a large part of the day, booking tests that are exactly the same as the last ten.
Why independents hold back on online booking
- The diary has many appointment types, and patients may pick the wrong one.
- NHS eligibility affects the appointment and the questions to ask.
- Some optometrists do contact lens fits or specialist appointments and others do not.
- Practice systems' own online booking may be limited, or not connect well to the website.
- There is a worry about empty slots being filled by the wrong kind of appointment.
These are real concerns, and they are why a generic booking widget often disappoints. The answer is not to put the whole diary online, but to put the right part of it online.
What phone-only booking costs
| Phone only | Online booking for the right appointments |
|---|---|
| Booking only during opening hours | Booking any time |
| Reception on the phone for routine tests | Reception free for patients in the practice |
| Patients lost to a practice that was open | Patients book with you when they decide |
| Details taken by hand | Details entered by the patient, checked by staff |
How we build online booking
- We agree with you which appointment types can be booked online, for example routine adult and child sight tests and contact lens aftercare, and which stay phone only.
- A short series of questions on the booking page helps the patient pick the right type: when their last test was, whether they wear contact lenses, whether they believe they are eligible for an NHS test. The answers are information for staff, not a decision.
- Available slots are read live from your practice diary through its API, or through its own booking module where that works better.
- The booking is written into the diary with the patient's answers attached, and the patient gets a confirmation and reminders.
- New patients enter their details online, and staff check them before the appointment.
- Anything outside the simple cases, such as a patient describing an urgent problem, is routed to a call-back with your approved wording on where to get urgent help.
- Reports show online bookings by type and time of day.
If your practice system already offers online booking that meets your needs, we will help you set it up and put it on your website properly rather than build our own.
What changes
Patients book routine tests when it suits them, including evenings and weekends. Reception spends less time on routine calls and more time with patients in front of them. The diary is filled with the appointment types you chose, set up the way you want. And your practice is as easy to book as the chain down the road, which is often all the patient needed.
We usually start small. A handful of appointment types, a limited number of slots per day, and a few weeks of reviewing what patients book and what questions they answer. Once the practice is comfortable, more types or more slots can be opened. Nothing about the first version is permanent.
Could this be your practice?
- Patients can only book by phone.
- Your website has a contact form but no booking.
- You worry online booking would fill the diary with the wrong appointments.
- Reception spends much of the day on routine booking calls.
- Your practice system's booking module is not connected to your website.