WhatsApp, SMS and email: how clinics and labs can reach patients faster

Patients do not want to call the lab three times to ask if a report is ready. A short message at the right moment saves them a trip and saves your staff a phone call. Each channel has a different strength.

WhatsApp

Most patients already use it. It is the best channel for sending a report as a file or a link, a receipt, or a reminder of tomorrow's appointment. Use your business number so patients recognise you, and keep each message short and clear.

SMS through your own SIM

SMS works on every phone and needs no data connection, which makes it the most reliable way to say "your report is ready". Sending through a SIM card you already own avoids a per-message gateway fee, which adds up quickly at volume.

Email

Email suits formal documents: full reports, invoices and statements for corporate clients. Send from your own mailbox with your business name so that the message is trusted.

Good habits that keep patients comfortable

• Message only about their own visit: report ready, payment receipt, appointment reminder.
• Do not put sensitive results in the text of the message. Send a link or an attachment and keep the message itself neutral.
• Send at sensible hours. A reminder at midnight does more harm than good.
• Let patients tell you if they prefer another channel, and respect it.

Why one place for all three matters

When WhatsApp, SMS and email are configured once for the business and every app can use them, staff do not have to copy a report from one tool into another. In the Optix suite these tools are shared by every product, so a lab, a pharmacy and a hospital owned by the same business use the same sender settings.

See how they fit into the suite in shared tools.