A toenail on WhatsApp at ten at night
A message arrives on the clinic's Facebook page: a photo of a big toe, red and swollen at the side, with the question is this ingrowing, can you sort it, how much? Another comes by WhatsApp to the podiatrist's own mobile, a heel photo with a paragraph of history. An email asks about a verruca, with three attachments.
Each one is a potential patient. Each one also puts a photo of someone's foot on a personal phone or a social media inbox, and invites the podiatrist to give an opinion by message, which most would rather not do.
Why photo enquiries are a problem
- They arrive on many channels, including personal phones, with no single place to see them.
- Photos of patients' bodies end up stored on personal devices and social media accounts.
- People expect a diagnosis or advice by message.
- Replying takes time, and without an appointment the podiatrist may give an incomplete answer.
- Enquiries that are not answered quickly go to another clinic.
The root cause is that people use the channels they use every day, while the clinic has no route designed for this kind of enquiry.
What it costs to handle them ad hoc
Evening time spent answering messages. Photos stored in places your data protection policy would not choose. The risk of a message being taken as advice. Lost enquiries on channels nobody checked. And the uneasy feeling that the clinic's records are spread across phones.
| Enquiry arrives via | Today | With one enquiry route |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook or Instagram message | Answered from the app, photo stays there | Automatic reply with a link to the enquiry form |
| WhatsApp to a personal phone | Photo on a personal device | Business number with the same reply |
| Email with attachments | Sits in the inbox | Moved to the enquiry queue |
| Enquiry form | Often not offered | Collects photo, details and consent securely |
How we build the enquiry route
- A short enquiry form on your website collects the person's details, what is bothering them in plain choices, optional photos, and their consent for the clinic to hold the images.
- Messages on Facebook, Instagram and a WhatsApp Business number receive an automatic reply that thanks them and links to the form, explaining that the clinic does not give advice by message.
- Photos uploaded through the form are stored securely with the enquiry, not on anyone's phone, and are attached to the patient record if they book.
- Based on the choices made, the person is shown the appointment types that usually fit and can book straight away.
- Enquiries that need a person go to a queue where reception or a podiatrist can reply with booking information, using templates your podiatrists have written.
- Enquiries that do not book are deleted after the period your policy sets.
The form and replies never give clinical advice. Your podiatrists write every template, and anything that looks urgent in your clinical team's terms is flagged for a person to respond to in line with your policy.
What you end up with
One place for enquiries, whatever channel they start on. Photos held securely, with consent, and linked to the patient if they book. People guided to the right appointment. No more advice by message late at night. And personal phones that no longer hold patients' foot photos.
Does your inbox look like this?
- People send photos of their feet on social media or WhatsApp.
- Foot photos are stored on personal phones.
- You feel pressure to give an opinion by message.
- Enquiries on some channels are missed.
- You have no clear policy on holding enquiry photos.