How can a virtual assistant automate consult booking and photo upload instructions

For practices that do a high volume of Invisalign or orthodontic consultations, managing the influx of inquiries can be daunting. Prospective patients (often busy adults or parents of teens) may visit your website or social media after hours, interested in a consultation. If they can’t instantly book or at least request an appointment, they might move on to another provider.

In fact, about 40% of patients try to book appointments after normal business hours, and if your clinic doesn’t offer 24/7 online booking, those patients are likely to disappear, “no second chance”. This is especially true for something like an Invisalign consult, which is often a considered, consumer-driven decision; patients browsing in the evening want to act on their interest right then.

Additionally, Invisalign consults often require preliminary information. Historically, offices would ask patients to email in some photos of their teeth or fill out a questionnaire before the visit.

Coordinating that manually (explaining how to take photos, following up if they forget to send them) becomes another source of delay and overhead. If done inefficiently, you end up with consult slots where the doctor doesn’t have the info (or photos) needed, or the patient no-shows because the scheduling wasn’t immediate.

In short, any friction, whether in booking or providing pre-consult info, can reduce your conversion of interested leads to actual consultations.

An Automated Consult Funnel

A virtual assistant for automation can set up a seamless funnel that takes a prospective Invisalign patient from online inquiry to scheduled consult, complete with uploaded photos, without burdening your staff. Here’s what that looks like:

Instant online booking or lead capture

The VA integrates an online booking tool (Calendly, Zocdoc, or your practice management system’s portal) directly into your website or social media ads.

So when a potential patient clicks “Schedule a Free Invisalign Consultation,” they can immediately see available slots (perhaps a 15-minute Zoom consult or an in-office visit) and book it even if it’s midnight.

This captures that 40% after-hours demand and prevents prospects from slipping away. If you prefer to vet leads first, the VA can instead use a web form that collects their info and desired appointment times, which then triggers the VA to follow up first thing in the morning. Either way, the process is swift and user-friendly.

Automated confirmation and info request

Once the consult is scheduled, the system automatically sends a confirmation email that also includes instructions for next steps. For an Invisalign consult, photo upload instructions are key.

The VA drafts a clear guide (often with example images) showing the patient how to take a few photos of their teeth/bite using their smartphone. For example: “Please take 5 photos (front smile, left side, right side, upper teeth, lower teeth) – see examples here – and upload them securely at this link.”

The email contains a secure upload link (perhaps a HIPAA-compliant form or a direct upload to your patient portal) where the patient can easily drag-and-drop their photos.

This way, the orthodontist can review the images before or during the consultation. The instructions are clear and step-by-step, something a Wishup virtual assistant is adept at creating, so patients find it simple to comply.

Integration with patient records

The automation ensures that when those photos come in, they are tagged with the patient’s info and available to the doctor.

For instance, the upload form can feed into a folder organized by patient name or a secure Google Drive/OneDrive that the clinic uses. A note might automatically be added to the schedule: “Photos received – see folder.”

This is similar to how VAs might route lab results or documents straight into a patient’s chart. In this case, the “document” is a set of images of the patient’s teeth.

The VA will double-check that the photos are properly labeled and accessible during the consult, so the orthodontist isn’t scrambling to find an email attachment.

Reminders and follow-up

Leading up to the consultation, the VA sets up reminder texts/emails (as discussed earlier for no-shows) so the patient remembers to actually attend.

These reminders can also reiterate: “If you haven’t uploaded your photos yet, please do so before your appointment.” By doing this, you ensure that by the day of the consult, the majority of patients have provided their pictures.

If someone hasn’t, the VA knows to reach out and offer help (“Do you need any assistance taking the photos? We can do it at the office if necessary.”). This hands-on approach significantly increases compliance.

Smoother Starts, More Conversions

With this automated, VA-managed funnel, the Invisalign consultation process becomes frictionless for both the patient and your team.

From the practice’s perspective, you’ve essentially stood up a 24/7 concierge: patients can self-book anytime (capturing those who would otherwise be “gone, no second chance”), and they receive immediate, detailed next steps that a human would otherwise have to send.

The result is more consultations on the books; perhaps your consult volume jumps by 20% or more simply because you’re now capturing after-hours web traffic and eliminating phone tag.

Moreover, those consults are higher quality: the doctor has the patient’s photos and info beforehand, making the consult itself more productive and tailored.

Patients show up impressed that the office is so high-tech and proactive. A good first impression that boosts conversion to treatment.

On average, patients who go through a well-organized virtual consult process are more likely to start Invisalign because they experience less hassle and feel taken care of from the get-go.

There’s also an internal benefit: your front desk spends zero time scheduling these consults or sending photo instructions; it’s all handled by the VA’s workflows. They can instead focus on in-office patients and other tasks.

In essence, the VA has created a scalable system to handle what used to be a manual, unpredictable process.

By automating Invisalign consult bookings and photo uploads, you remove barriers for interested patients and give your practice a competitive edge in responsiveness.

It’s like having a personal assistant for every potential patient, guiding them from inquiry to consult without a hitch.

Advantages of Wishup Automation Expert Virtual Assistant

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Pricing

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