Every month, millions of people search for healthcare providers on Zocdoc. That means every day, with their clicks, patients are telling us what they want from their dental providers. The good news is that patients who are looking for new providers on Zocdoc want to find providers they can keep seeing in the long run. In fact, 80+% of Zocdoc patients rebook with the same provider when rebooking in the same specialty.
The most valuable patients are those who return again and again. We analyzed Zocdoc’s rebooking data from 2022 and 2023, with rebookings defined as initial new patient visits who later booked again with the same provider in the same specialty. Here’s what a loyal dental patient looks like:
Which dental patients are most loyal?
60% of dental patients who rebook with the same provider are female; 40% are male.
Younger dental patients are the most loyal rebookers. More than half (58%) are millennials (ages 27-42) and a quarter are Gen Z (ages 18-27).
Dental patients who book with federal insurance (Medicaid) have a 9% higher rebooking rate compared to the specialty average.
Why are dental patients loyal?
Prioritizing the patient experience from the first visit is key to unlocking loyalty. Across the board, patients rebook with the same providers for the same initial visit reasons as well as to establish routine care. This underscores that they want to find providers they can keep seeing.
For instance, when booking an initial appointment with a dentist for a dental consultation:
- 49% of patients rebooked again for a dental consultation
- 21% of patients rebooked for a dental cleaning
When are dental patients loyal?
Dental patients want to brush up on their oral health in the New Year. In fact, January sees 12% higher rebooking rates compared to the average month.
What do loyal dental patients want?
Dental patients want flexibility when it comes to booking appointments via both mobile and desktop. Fifty-six percent of dental rebookers initially booked via mobile and 44% of rebookers initially booked via desktop.
Patients are discerning and every person coming in for an initial dental visit has the potential to become a loyal, long-term patient. A user-friendly mobile booking experience and January availability are just a few of the factors that matter most to dental patients. Download our whitepaper on patient loyalty for more insights into how you can turn new patients into regular rebookers.