Texting rules and patient opt-outs
This page explains the rules NixDent follows every time it sends a text, so you know why a text did or didn’t go out.
Who can do this: Everyone on your team can read this page. Texting patients is for Owners, Office Managers and Front Desk.
The short version
Section titled “The short version”- Every text comes from your office’s own texting number.
- A patient can stop all texts from your office by replying STOP. Only the patient can turn them back on, by replying START.
- A STOP applies to one office. A patient who texts STOP to one of your offices can still be texted by your other offices.
- Do not contact and Opt out of automation on the patient card are separate switches that you control. See Communication preferences and do not contact.
What STOP, START and HELP do
Section titled “What STOP, START and HELP do”NixDent reads a patient’s reply only when the whole message is one of these words (capital letters and a full stop don’t matter):
| The patient texts | What NixDent does |
|---|---|
| STOP, STOP ALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, REVOKE, OPT OUT | Records an opt-out for that patient’s number at that office. No more texts go to that number from that office |
| START, UNSTOP, SUBSCRIBE | Turns texting back on for that number at that office |
| HELP, INFO | Nothing is recorded in NixDent |
A longer message such as “please cancel my Tuesday appointment” is treated as a normal message, not an opt-out.
What happens when you try to text someone who replied STOP
Section titled “What happens when you try to text someone who replied STOP”If the patient replied STOP, the text is not sent and you see:
This patient has opted out of text messages from this office (they replied STOP). They can opt back in by texting START.
The same check covers form links, payment links, secure-message links, membership links, review requests and automatic messages. If you send a form by SMS and the patient has opted out, the form is still created and you’re told the text part didn’t go. Send it by email instead, or give the link to the patient another way.
What each switch stops
Section titled “What each switch stops”| Setting on the patient | Automatic messages and reminders | Broadcasts | Texts you send from Messages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient replied STOP | Stopped | Stopped | Stopped |
| Opted out of SMS | Stopped | Stopped | You can still send |
| Opt out of automation | Stopped | Stopped | You can still send |
| Do not contact (blacklist) | Stopped | Stopped | You can still send |
When automatic messages are held back
Section titled “When automatic messages are held back”- Quiet hours: reminders, confirmation requests, recall nudges, review requests and payment messages wait until your quiet hours end (8:00 AM to 8:00 PM by default). See Automatic patient messages.
- Weekly limit: recall, reactivation and payment messages are capped per patient per week.
- Broadcasts don’t have quiet hours. A text broadcast goes out as soon as you launch it, or at the time you scheduled. Pick a time of day that suits your patients.
The Recent Activity list on the Automations page shows why a message was skipped. See Automatic patient messages.
Getting consent in the first place
Section titled “Getting consent in the first place”Patients agree to receive texts when they fill in your registration paperwork or the Text Message (SMS) Consent form, or on your office’s text opt-in page. See Text message consent and your opt-in page.
Common problems
Section titled “Common problems”A patient says they never got a text. Open the patient card and check the Prefs tab and the Comms tab. Look for Replied STOP, Blacklisted or Automation off. Then check that the phone number on file is a mobile number.
A patient says they still get texts after replying STOP. The STOP is recorded per office. If they replied to one office’s number, a different office in your group can still text them. Ask the patient which number they replied to.
A patient wants texts again. Ask them to text START to the same number, or to sign the Text Message (SMS) Consent form. Either one turns texting back on.