How to Fill Your White Space, Fast

Dentally’s short notice filler turns your empty slots into revenue by helping you identify gaps and fill them in just a few clicks. With the right setup and routines, it’s a powerful time-saver, reducing the admin burden on your team.   

Here's how to get the most out of your short notice filler - download the cheat sheet to keep these tips front-of-mind!  

1. Check the filler every day

Open the filler first thing in the morning, and again later in the afternoon, in case any last-minute slots have come up that need filling! Calendars can change quickly, so this will ensure you don’t miss any opportunities for extra revenue. 

2. Ask every patient if they’d like to be seen sooner 

Ask every patient during booking, and add them to the list in a couple of clicks - this will keep your short notice list full, giving you lots of options to fill each slot. This shouldn't be a one-off action when your calendar is looking empty - make it part of your routine! 

💡 Top tip: As a rule, aim to consistently have at least 10 booked appointments per practitioner in your list, to give you the best chance of filling slots. This will provide more matches for every empty slot, giving you the best possible chance of filling it. 

3. Build awareness among your patients

Remind patients to ask about short notice - with signs in your practice, emails/SMS and even on your website! Building awareness makes it easier for your team to remember, as well as reassuring patients that any SMS they get about availability is valid and not spam. 

💡 Top tip: Set expectations - confirm they’ll only be contacted if a suitable slot becomes available, and that they must reply with “BOOK” if they want the slot. If they reply too late, or don’t reply, they’ll stay on the list.   

4. Be mindful of recall due dates 

Only add recall appointments to the short notice list if the due date is within 30 days from today – this ensures it'll stay consistent with the patient's recall interval.  

💡 Top tip: It’s also important to consider patients' insurance or capitation plans. Bringing appointments forward too early could affect their eligibility for funding or allowance, resulting in additional admin and unhappy patients.  

5. Avoid disrupting combined appointments

If a patient has multiple appointments in the same day, or is part of a family booking, bringing one appointment forward would separate them and could lead to disruption - avoid adding these types of appointments to the short notice filler. Stick to individual treatment appointments, recalls and emergencies!  

💡 Top tip: When using the filler for emergency appointments, mark them as high priority – they'll be bumped to the top of the list when you’re contacting patients to fill a slot.  

6. Migrate your manual short notice list to Dentally 

If you’ve previously managed short notice interest via a spreadsheet or paper list, as a one-off we recommend transferring your list to the filler. Go through each patient one-by-one and add their appointment to your short notice filler.  You'll only need to do this once, and then you can start using your short notice filler straight away! 

7. Record valid phone numbers 

A valid mobile number is essential for receiving SMS messages about availability – if they don’t have one, they won't be eligible for short notice.  

💡 Top tip: Confirm patients’ mobile numbers every time you update their record or take a new booking. 

8. Make your short notice settings work for you 

Adjust your settings to define what types of appointments will be eligible for short notice - ensuring only appointments within certain zone groups/within your chosen date range can be brought forward. This will reduce the chance of human error and the need to reschedule.  

9. Keep schedules accurate

It's important that your team's calendars accurately reflect their time off, to ensure that the filler only shows real slots. Accurate calendars make automation more reliable, reducing the need for human intervention.  

💡 Top tip: Make use of Dentally's scheduling features to reflect breaks, meetings, time off and opening hours, so you can be confident you won't accidentally contact patients about a slot that isn't free. 

10. Monitor your short notice performance 

Use the ‘Appointments’ report to identify how many appointments have been moved using the short notice filler.  

Remember, after SMS messages have been sent, receptionists might not know whether that slot eventually got filled – share how many slots they've helped to fill without endless calls and manual processes!  

💡 Top tip: If your short notice conversion isn't where you want it to be, download our cheat sheet to help you and your team remember best practice. Check in regularly with your team to help it become part of the routine! 

New to the short notice filler? Check out our blog for more on how it will save you time, drive revenue, reduce workload and become an essential part of your practice!