Sesame Mobile™ from Technology Leader Sesame Communications®
Inside Dentistry provides the latest in endodontics, implantology, periodontics, and more, with in-depth articles, expert videos, and top industry insights.
November 1, 2012
Volume 8, Issue 11, November 2012
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When the company launched in 1999, Sesame Communications was a pioneer in effective online patient communications, and today, their Sesame 24-7™ Patient Connection System uses cloud technology to give users a centralized online dashboard that unites a complete solution suite of tools to paint a full picture of practice operations, marketing effectiveness, and patient satisfaction levels. Sesame has recently expanded their offerings to include mobile websites that allow clinicians to connect with patients where they are: on their mobile device.
The number of smartphone users is growing. At the end of 2010, there were 78.2 million active smartphones in the United States, up from 49.8 million in 2009.1 Now more than ever, it is imperative to optimize the dental practice’s mobile marketing efforts.
Mobile websites are becoming a fundamental part of every practice’s online presence, and prospective patients are searching for basic information, including office contact details, doctor information, and links to social networking sites. However, patients are no longer just using their laptops. Mobile searches have increased 400% since 2010,2 and a mobile-optimized website can help ensure that a practice doesn’t miss out on patients by quickly giving them the information they are looking for in an enhanced mobile-viewing experience from smartphones.
With a keen understanding of what patients seek in a mobile website, Sesame Mobile contains the most important information needed for patients to quickly and easily reach a practice while they are mobile, as well as integrated maps and click-to-call features to make contacting and finding the office trouble-free.
According to Diana Friedman, MA, MBA, CEO of Sesame Communications, clinicians should pull up their current website on their phones and ask themselves some questions about their mobile websites. “You should ask yourself: What do prospective patients see when they access the site this way? Is this what I want their impression of my practice to be? Would I book an appointment with this practice?” Friedman says. “If a user has to struggle to even find the ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Request an Appointment’ icon, the likelihood that they will book an appointment is drastically reduced.”
Nearly half of mobile web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone.3 Unlike mobile applications that restrict access to the Web, Sesame mobile sites contain the most critical information prospective patients need to quickly and easily reach a dental practice while they are on the go. Mobile sites are more beneficial than apps, and don’t require the user to download and install the app. Mobile sites are also updated automatically and seamlessly, whereas apps require the user to download the latest version.
Mobile websites also give patients and prospective patients an optimal viewing experience from virtually any mobile device. Whether they use an iPhone™, Android™, BlackBerry™, or other mobile device, Sesame Mobile displays beautifully and extends the look and feel of your practice brand. Features include intuitive functionality, swipe-enabled technology, and an emphasis on click-to-call.
