background image
30
A solution to this trending situation in
Australia started with the arrival 12 months
ago of 1stAvailable.com.au ­ a dedicated
healthcare portal that has rapidly become
Australia's premiere healthcare appointment
booking site.
There are three ways new and existing
patients can book their appointments
through 1stAvailable.com.au: via the
1stAvailable.com.au website; through your
practice website where the 1stAvailable.com.
au `Book Now' button is displayed; and via
1stAvailable.com.au mobile apps for Apple
and Android platforms. This makes booking
your services more accessible to patients,
who are already online looking for
health information.
As in the other industries discussed, the
tendency towards mass consumer adoption
of online services means that, over a short
amount of time, 1stAvailable.com.au will
continue to shift the way Australians book
healthcare appointments. This will be for the
benefit of both patients and practitioners ­
and, more importantly, patient health and
the healthcare industry overall.
WELL PLACED
We know it is important to allow both
existing and new patients to easily access
your services through online appointments.
Once patients have found you online,
they will want to continue to book their
appointments this way, so it's crucial to avoid
putting up roadblocks that either change
the convenience factor or process they are
now familiar with, or make it hard for new
patients to easily book with you online.
It's now accepted that businesses
adopting the shift to online early will reap
the greatest rewards and, sadly, there are
numerous examples of major and minor
businesses that have failed to adapt quickly
enough. The consideration here is where you
and your practice are currently placed
in this regard.
Implementing an online booking system
isn't something you should rush into,
however. For a system to work successfully it
must be fully integrated into your business,
and your front-desk staff and practice
managers must become the champions
of this change. Once the system is up and
running, you can be assured that your staff
and patients will love you for it!
Note: If you want to know more about
1stAvailable, you can register your practice at
1stAvailable.com.au for free, which will allow
you to evaluate the service. Registering will
also trigger a response from a 1stAvailable
team member, who will contact you to assist
with any questions you may have. Once you
are ready to start taking bookings, you will
be required to pay a subscription fee before
utilising the system.
APPOINTMENT
SCHEDULING