Open Dental Forum

Question for anyone using text messaging by the phone number & carrier (ie...2221111111@vtext.com). It sends the same email via text that it does via email...except that the email text is more than the allowable field on a text screen.
My email message says "we would like to confirm your dental appointment on 07/27/2011 at @ 2:00 pm. To confirm this message hit reply , then send. To change or reschedule this appointment, please contact our office at etc.
Then it has our name address, HIppa disclaimer....tons more stuff.

Obviously this doesn't work on a text message..way too long.

So

If I put the email address then a comma, space and the text email address, every time I send a recall email it sends an both an email and a text message. How do you get around that?
Do you just use one generic message and if so, what message do you use that will fit within the 160 character screen of a text message that directs them how to respond?
Do you have patients respond via text, or do you direct them to respond via phone ?

Sigh...this should be so easy, but honest to pete, it has me bamboozled!!

Thanks in advance for any advice!
.

I think all those problems are caused by the fact that we are essentially hacking the ability to use text messaging. Once text messaging is an actual part of OD the problems will be resolved. i.e.: we will be able to have preset recall and confirmation text message which are different from the email ones. I am not sure about how people would be able to respond to a text messages? I think I read somewhere on this forum that it goes back to the email address used to send the original text. but I definitely could be wrong about that.

I shortened my standard e-mail message to be as concise as possible and still relay the message I want conveyed.
An identical message goes to both the e-mail address and the cell phone.

Subject:
Appt Reminder
Text:
Dear [NameF],
Please confirm your dental appt. [date] at [time]. REPLY by email or send a text or VM to xxx-xxx-xxxx. Thank you.
zzzzzz

You don't need anymore than that.