Free SMS Texting with Google Voice in OD

[Hersheydmd]

Here is a simple, FREE solution for sending individual texts to patients with only three quick clicks.
[UPDATED INSTRUCTIONS 4/7/13 FOR NEW "GOOGLE CONTACTS"]
1) Set up a free Google account (gmail, etc.)

2) Run a Query to create a list of all your patients.
SELECT patient.LName AS 'Last Name', patient.FName AS 'First Name',
patient.HmPhone AS 'Home Phone', patient.WkPhone AS 'Business Phone',
patient.WirelessPhone AS 'Mobile Phone', patient.Email AS 'E-mail Address'
FROM patient WHERE PatStatus = '0'

3) Export your list to a .txt file.

4) In Google Contacts import your .txt file.

5) Set up a new Program Link, called "Google Contacts" and add a button ("SMS") to All Modules.
Path of File to Open = 'https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName]' (without the quotes)

Clicking the button opens your web browser and takes you to your patient's contact info in Google Contacts Search.
Click on their name to open their full contact info.
Right click the SMS icon next to their mobile number and send a text.

The beauty is they can reply to you and you get to keep a record of your two-way conversations.

[Manny Ramirez]

Interesting, how does Gmail know what user and name and password to use for your account ?

[Hersheydmd]

Interesting, how does Gmail know what user and name and password to use for your account ?

You will need to log in to your google account at the beginning of the day.
I put a shortcut to https://www.google.com/voice#contacts in my startup folder. When I turn on the computer it opens and asks for my username & password.

[drtech]

very nice...we have been using the quick text message access right from gmail for a few text messages here and there...but I like how you setup this link and exported the contacts. I will try it!

[Hersheydmd]

very nice...we have been using the quick text message access right from gmail for a few text messages here and there...but I like how you setup this link and exported the contacts. I will try it!

David, did you set it up? How is it working?
My staff is very happy that they don't have to go outside of OD to send a text now. It's working great for us.

[drtech]

Yes, I set it up...I don't know how it is working in real life yet...have to talk with my front desk.

Only problem I had was notifying my staff when they recieve a reply unless they leave the window open. How do you handle that if the window is closed or so all your front desk computers will be alerted and not just one station? I set up google talk with email notification and had it forward our text messages to the email and it seems to work pretty nicely...any other ways to do it?

[helliwell]

Sounds like a great idea, but how do you set up the "button in each module"??

[Hersheydmd]

Yes, I set it up...I don't know how it is working in real life yet...have to talk with my front desk.

Only problem I had was notifying my staff when they recieve a reply unless they leave the window open. How do you handle that if the window is closed or so all your front desk computers will be alerted and not just one station? I set up google talk with email notification and had it forward our text messages to the email and it seems to work pretty nicely...any other ways to do it?

David,
It's very easy.
1) Create a shortcut in the Startup Folder of each workstation where you want your staff to be able to use Google Voice.
The shortcut would be: https://www.google.com/voice#sms
When someone logs in to the computer Google Voice will open at the "Texts" page.
[note: if you want it to open at the "Contacts" page, substitute 'contacts' for 'sms'.]
It might ask you for your Google user name and password, if you are not already logged in to the acct. BTW, you can be logged in on multiple workstations at the same time.
Your frontdesk staff won't have to remember to open Google Voice each day, since it is in the Startup folder. Just tell them not to close it.
2) In addition, Google Talk will place an icon in the notification area of your taskbar. Any time a text message comes in to Google Voice a small message window will pop-up in the lower right hand corner of your screen, so your staff will likely see the incoming messages as they arrive, unless they are away from their desk. I have it on multiple computers, including mine, so someone usually catches the message and lets the receptionist know if she is not at her desk.

Sounds like a great idea, but how do you set up the "button in each module"??

In the Program Link window, "Add a button to these toolbars", the last choice is "AllModules"

[drtech]

yes, that seems like it would work...if they don't close it :p

[Hersheydmd]

yes, that seems like it would work...if they don't close it :p

I am not sure that closing the browser window would be a problem. It shouldn't log you off of Google. I find I only have to log back in to my Google acct when I log off and log back on to the computer.

Another cool program is GVNotifier by Dave Amenta ( http://www.daveamenta.com/products/gvnotifier/ )
It is a small Google Voice desktop app. http://lifehacker.com/5580358/gvnotifie ... ntegration.

[klinlv]

How do set this up so that it shows the office phone number on the recipient phone instead of my Google Voice number which is different than the GV number

[Hersheydmd]

How do set this up so that it shows the office phone number on the recipient phone instead of my Google Voice number which is different than the GV number

As far as I know you can't make it show your office number on the caller ID.
Personally, I do not give out my landline number anymore. I give everyone my Google# and put it on my stationary and in my emails. I tell everyone it is my new office number and they should change it in their contacts lists.
There is so much you can do with it.
You can set up all your contacts into Groups. You can then set the options for each group, i.e. which phones ring and when; what message the caller hears; You can block a group or an individual number or send it directly to voice mail. When I get a call from a telemarketerl I save the caller ID # in my contact list under "telemarketer". They can call all they want, the next time the call will be blocked.
When I lost my iPhone in hurricane Sandy I borrowed another phone and just changed the number in Google that my calls went to.
You can also use your computer speakers & mic to answer or make calls.
You can see a record of every incoming, outgoing, and missed call. Voice messages are converted to text, so you can either listen or read it. You can also set it to forward messages to your email or your cell phone.
I never have to call an answering machine to listen to the messages. Pt calls are routed to my office phone and my cell phone. If I'm not in the office I have the OPTION of answering or letting it go to voice mail. If I see a pt called I might just text or email them back rather than calling them back. Sales reps and companies are routed just to the office landline phone, but I'll still see their voice mail message converted to text.
It's really amazing. And it is all free, even the phone number they give you.

[Hersheydmd]

Path of File to Open = 'https://www.google.com/voice#contacts/[LName] [FName]' (without the quotes)

This shortcut no longer works. Google eliminated the Google Voice Contacts Page and instead wants everyone to use the new Google Contacts page. Modify the above shortcut in your Program Link to:
https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName]

[drtech]

thanks

[nick]

what is a good way to add new patients to this monthly

[Hersheydmd]

what is a good way to add new patients to this monthly

Just keep a record of who was the last patient that you imported.
Then add "and patnum > that pt's num.
e.g.
SELECT
patient.LName AS 'Last Name', patient.FName AS 'First Name',
patient.HmPhone AS 'Home Phone', patient.WkPhone AS 'Business Phone',
patient.WirelessPhone AS 'Mobile Phone', patient.Email AS 'E-mail Address'
FROM patient WHERE PatStatus = '0' and patnum > 1956 (use last patnum imported previous month)

Export your new list to a .txt file.
In Google Contacts import your .txt file.

[rhaber123]

When I enter this in the path option, https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName] . i get the following results:

Search results for:[FName] [LName]
No contacts matched your search.

The first name and last name of the patient is not inserted in the search option.

What am I doing wrong?
is that option still working?

[Hersheydmd]

When I enter this in the path option,
https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName] . i get the following results:

Search results for:[FName] [LName]
No contacts matched your search.

The first name and last name of the patient is not inserted in the search option.

What am I doing wrong?
is that option still working?

It is working for me. Make sure that you are searching for a name that is in your Google Contacts. Is the spelling the same as it is entered in Open Dental. Maybe you have an extra space in one or the other.

Here are a few tests you can try:

1. Are you logged in to Google?
2. If you type https://www.google.com/contacts/#contacts in the address bar of your browser does it bring up your entire "My Contacts" list?
3. Try typing the line into the address bar of your web browser with just a first or last name (no brackets). See if it brings up a list of patients with that name. It should.
   --Example: I typed in https://www.google.com/contacts/#contacts/search/Hersh and it returned a list of my entire family.
4. When you open your Google Contacts page and type a name in the Search box at the top of the page, does that work?

[rhaber123]

Thank you for your reply. I am logged in, and the search work if I manually type the First name and the last name. Everything work if i manually enter it.
1-My question is: by entering this " https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName] "
shouldn't the first name and last name in OD be automatically filled in the google voice search option, and only a single patient should be displayed in the result?
2-or do we have to fill the first name and the last name manually by ourself?

In my case, the first name and the last name of the patient are not getting filled automatically in the search, and i am getting the error message above

[Hersheydmd]

Thank you for your reply. I am logged in, and the search work if I manually type the First name and the last name. Everything work if i manually enter it.
1-My question is: by entering this " https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName] "
shouldn't the first name and last name in OD be automatically filled in the google voice search option, and only a single patient should be displayed in the result?
2-or do we have to fill the first name and the last name manually by ourself?

In my case, the first name and the last name of the patient are not getting filled automatically in the search, and i am getting the error message above

YES, the first name and last name SHOULD be automatically filled in the Google voice search option, and only a single patient should be displayed in the result.
Not sure why it isn't working for you. Here are my screenshots. Hope it helps:



Clicking the SMS TEXT Button opens the following window:



Clicking the name in the search window brings up the contact window where you can send the message (or place a call).



What browser are you using? I use Firefox, but I don't see why that should make a difference.

[rhaber123]

figured it. thank you

[eschoud2]

We have been doing this successfully, but as of this morning 01/08/2014 when we highlight the patient's phone number in Google Contacts, the little icon to send a text message no longer appears. This is for every contact in our list and happens on Firefox and IE. Anyone else experiencing this? Just wondering if it is something on Google's side or ours.

Thanks,
Eric

[Hersheydmd]

We have been doing this successfully, but as of this morning 01/08/2014 when we highlight the patient's phone number in Google Contacts, the little icon to send a text message no longer appears. This is for every contact in our list and happens on Firefox and IE. Anyone else experiencing this? Just wondering if it is something on Google's side or ours.

Thanks,
Eric

I noticed it too. But today it seems to be working again. Must have been a bug on Google's side. Glad they fixed it.

[dkennel]

I have tried to implement this. no problems with exporting the patient list and importing it into google contacts. No problem sending text messages. I can however not figure out how to receive text messages.
It seems I have to start google voice and open it in a separate window...I don't see where the notifications for incoming texts show up.

[Hersheydmd]

I have tried to implement this. no problems with exporting the patient list and importing it into google contacts. No problem sending text messages. I can however not figure out how to receive text messages.
It seems I have to start google voice and open it in a separate window...I don't see where the notifications for incoming texts show up.

You have to set your Google Voice & your Gmail settings correctly for it to work.
You have to set your Google Voice to forward text messages to your Gmail.
You also have to turn on Gmail desktop notifications in your Gmail settings.

[docholiday]

Hey All,
Anyone found that they have hit their sms limit? Just started using googlevoice sms today and already have a message saying we reached our SMS limit...

Any ideas? better alternatives?

[Drilldoc90]

Anyone know why the phone numbers of the patients go into the " ADD NOTES" box instead of the box for phone number?

Does it have anything to do with this step? I not quite sure if I have to manually change LName to Last Name, ect.

2) Run a Query to create a list of all your patients.
SELECT patient.LName AS 'Last Name', patient.FName AS 'First Name',
patient.HmPhone AS 'Home Phone', patient.WkPhone AS 'Business Phone',
patient.WirelessPhone AS 'Mobile Phone', patient.Email AS 'E-mail Address'
FROM patient WHERE PatStatus = '0'

Thanks

[Hersheydmd]

Anyone know why the phone numbers of the patients go into the " ADD NOTES" box instead of the box for phone number?

Does it have anything to do with this step? I not quite sure if I have to manually change LName to Last Name, ect.

2) Run a Query to create a list of all your patients.
SELECT patient.LName AS 'Last Name', patient.FName AS 'First Name',
patient.HmPhone AS 'Home Phone', patient.WkPhone AS 'Business Phone',
patient.WirelessPhone AS 'Mobile Phone', patient.Email AS 'E-mail Address'
FROM patient WHERE PatStatus = '0'

Thanks

Just tried it. Ran a Query and imported it into Google Contacts. Worked as it should.

[RBiggs]

I have been trying to implement SMS texting with Google Voice as well described in this thread. However, I have been unable to get OD to substitute the current patients lastname and firstname for the [LName] and [FName] fields in the query sent to Google Voice. The query sent to Google Voice ends up being: https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[FName]. A query manually entered for patient Tom Smith, https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... /Smith+Tom works correctly. I have carefully followed the suggestions in this thread and tried the suggested tests. Any suggestions why OD might not be populating the [LName] and [FName] fields?

Thank you.

[mopensoft]

Another choice for GV which could be easier to set up.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5857

[Hersheydmd]

I have been trying to implement SMS texting with Google Voice as well described in this thread. However, I have been unable to get OD to substitute the current patients lastname and firstname for the [LName] and [FName] fields in the query sent to Google Voice. The query sent to Google Voice ends up being: https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[FName]. A query manually entered for patient Tom Smith, https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... /Smith+Tom works correctly. I have carefully followed the suggestions in this thread and tried the suggested tests. Any suggestions why OD might not be populating the [LName] and [FName] fields?

Thank you.

Check the "Path of File to Open" in your Program Link. It should read exactly as follows:

• https://www.google.com/contacts/#contac ... me]+[LName]

That is all you need in the Program Link. It should work. Maybe you have a typo in the field, like a "space" that doesn't belong. Try copying the line above and paste it into your Program Link.

[rhaber123]

I had this type of problem 2 years ago,when I was using an older version of OD , got resolved when I updated to a newer version of OD
What version of OD are you using? is it an old version?

CHECK THIS in your version of Open Dental : "PROGRAM LINK"
For custom bridges, NOT for regular bridges, you can also include [LName], [FName],
[LName Letter], [PatNum], [ ChartNumber] [wirelesPhone] [HmPhone]
etc............

if you have an older version of OD, [LName], [FName], options are not available.
So it will not work