Out of Office? Keep Them in the Know

There is nothing more frustrating than looking up a business online and checking their hours, then reaching out to schedule an appointment or showing up at their office only to discover that they are closed. Patients (and potential patients) check your business hours online more than you’d think, that’s why it’s so important to always keep them up to date.

When you’re making updates to your office hours, make sure they are consistent across all your online networks. Here’s a quick checklist to ensure nothing flies under the radar:

• Google + listing
• Website
• Social media: Facebook, Instagram

For your website, we would recommend updating your hours only if the office will be closed for more than just a long weekend. If, for example, you’re closed for Memorial Day, as many offices are, you can simply announce that on your Facebook page and make a quick edit to your hours on there. However, if you’re closed for two weeks for the holidays, you’ll want to make that change on your website hours as well.

Consider putting someone in the office in charge of monitoring and updating your hours. You could even add calendar reminders the day before the holidays on which you’ll be closed to make sure the proper updates are made, whatever works best for your office. Just remember that in only a few seconds you could avoid frustrating situations for your current and potential patients, and that is always worth it.

—Michelle Hammond, Social Media Specialist, Sesame Communications