Manual recall calls are the single biggest time drain in most dental practices — and one of the most reliably automatable workflows. Here's how to set up a recall system that fills chairs without the phone tag.
What recall automation involves
Modern recall automation is a sequence of communications triggered by the patient's last visit date and recare interval — not a single reminder blast. A hygiene patient due for a 6-month cleaning receives: an SMS at the 5-month mark ("Your cleaning is due — book now"), a follow-up if no booking in two weeks, and a final reminder at the 6-month mark. Dentrix, Curve Dental, and Open Dental all have recall modules. Weave and Jane App extend them with two-way SMS that lets patients book directly from the message.
Configuring recall intervals by patient type
Not all patients have the same recare interval. Periodontal maintenance patients may need 3-month recalls. Low-risk adult hygiene patients get 6 months. Children typically get 6 months. Setting the correct interval per patient — not a blanket schedule — is the most important configuration step and the one most practices skip.
SMS vs email vs phone
Two-way SMS achieves the highest booking response rate — typically 3–4x higher than email for patients under 55. Email works better for patients who prefer less intrusion. Phone calls remain necessary for unresponsive patients and for high-value restorative cases. Most practices use all three in a waterfall: SMS first, email follow-up if no response, phone call for patients who haven't responded after two touchpoints.
Measuring fill rate
Track two numbers: percentage of due patients who booked within four weeks, and unfilled chair time as a percentage of available hours. Your target should be filling 85%+ of available hygiene time from recall alone. Weave and Jane both report these metrics natively.
A free Patient Flow Audit maps your current recall setup and identifies your biggest fill rate improvement opportunities. Book your free Patient Flow Audit →