Patient communication
Do patients prefer to text or call a clinic?
By the Recepta Desk team · Reviewed 2026-06-19
Key takeaways
- About 70 percent of consumers would rather schedule appointments by text than by phone (Becker's Hospital Review).
- SMS open rates run near 98 percent, with most messages read within minutes (industry reports).
- Younger patients in particular treat a phone call as a last resort and may skip a provider that cannot text.
- A text-first front desk captures the after-hours patient a voice bot's phone tree loses.
Most prefer to text. In a Becker's Hospital Review summary, about 70 percent of consumers said they would rather schedule appointments by text than by phone. Texting also gets read: industry reports put SMS open rates near 98 percent, with most messages read within minutes, far ahead of email.
The preference is strongest with the patients clinics most want to reach. Younger patients in particular treat a phone call as a last resort and will often skip a provider that cannot text.
This is why a text-first approach fits a chiropractic front desk better than a voice bot. A patient in pain at night can text, get answers, and book without sitting through a phone tree, and the clinic captures the lead instead of losing it to voicemail.
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-06-19 by the Recepta Desk team. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll correct it.