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📱 SMS Automation

The patient follow-up sequence your dermatology practice should already be running.

After every visit, Spokk sends the right message at the right time — feedback request, review nudge, referral ask. Fully automated. Smart enough to skip steps when a patient has already acted. Set it up once and it runs for every patient, every visit, forever.

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98%
SMS open rate vs ~20% for email — text messages simply get read
source ↗
90%
of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery
source ↗
74%
of patients will leave a review if they are asked at the right time and made it easy
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40%
fewer no-shows with SMS appointment reminders vs no reminders
source ↗
The automation sequence

Four messages. One system. Every patient, every visit.

Here's exactly what the default Spokk sequence looks like for a dermatology practice — and the thinking behind each step.

01
Feedback request
2 hours after the visit
Catch them while the visit is fresh
"How was your appointment today, [Name]? Takes 30 seconds to share your feedback 👇 [link]"
Two hours is the sweet spot. The appointment is still vivid. The patient is home, relaxed, and not yet distracted by the next thing. Response rates are dramatically higher at this window than 24 or 48 hours out. The link goes to a short private form — not directly to Google. This is feedback for your dashboard first.
02
Gentle reminder
24 hours after the visit
One nudge for the patients who missed it
"Quick follow-up — your feedback genuinely helps us improve, [Name]. If you have a moment: [link] 😊"
This step only fires if the patient didn't respond to the first message. It's brief, appreciative in tone, and doesn't feel like a chase. You get one more chance to capture that feedback without being annoying. If they still don't respond, the sequence respects that and moves on.
03
Review nudge
3 days after the visit
Turn positive feedback into a public Google review
"Glad you had a great experience, [Name]! If you're open to it, a quick Google review would mean a lot to us: [AI-drafted link]"
This step only fires for patients who submitted positive feedback at or above your threshold. It arrives with an AI-drafted review pre-loaded — all they have to do is read it and tap post. This is where your review volume actually moves. Three days out keeps it timely without the same-day pressure some patients push back on.
04
Referral ask
20 days after the visit
Make it easy for happy patients to spread the word
"Know someone who'd benefit from visiting Dr. [Name]? Share your referral code and you both get a reward 🎁 [code]"
Twenty days out, cosmetic patients have had time to see early results. Botox patients are at full effect. Skincare patients are starting to see a difference. When they feel good about their results, the referral ask lands naturally — it's not a hard sell, it's a well-timed invitation.
Smart skipping logic

Every step is conditional. The review nudge only fires if the patient submitted positive feedback. The referral ask skips if they haven't engaged with feedback yet. If a patient clicks the review link, no further review reminders are sent. This means the sequence always makes sense to the patient, regardless of where they are in the journey.

The psychology of timing

Why the exact timing of each message matters in dermatology

Dermatology is different from most medical specialties when it comes to patient communication timing. The emotional arc of a patient visit follows a predictable pattern — and the smart SMS sequence is designed to ride that arc.

At 2 hours post-visit, the patient is home and still thinking about the appointment. They're not yet distracted by work or family. The experience is top-of-mind. This is the moment they're most likely to share honest, detailed feedback — because they haven't yet filtered the memory into a vague impression.

At 3 days post-visit, something interesting happens for cosmetic patients. Early Botox results are starting to show. A glow from a facial is still visible. The patient is in the window where they're thinking about their skin and starting to feel good about the treatment. That's exactly when a review ask lands with the most enthusiasm.

At 20 days post-visit, cosmetic results are typically at their peak. Botox is fully settled. Skincare patients have seen meaningful improvement. Medical patients who responded to treatment are experiencing relief. The patient is at maximum satisfaction — which is exactly when to ask them to share the love.

This isn't arbitrary timing. It's built on the actual biology and psychology of different dermatology treatments. You could ask for a review on day 1, but you'd get one-third the response rate of day 3. You could ask for a referral at checkout, but the conversion rate at day 20 is dramatically higher.

Timing rationale by treatment type
Botox / filler
Review: Day 3-5Referral: Day 14-21
Results emerging; patients starting to notice the change and feel excited
Chemical peel
Review: Day 7-10Referral: Day 21-28
Post-peel peeling resolves; fresh skin visible and patient satisfaction peaks
Laser treatment
Review: Day 5-7Referral: Day 21-30
Redness resolves; improvements becoming visible and measurable
Acne management
Review: Day 3Referral: Day 20
Immediate feedback on visit quality; referral after treatment trajectory is clear
Skin check / annual
Review: Day 2-3Referral: Day 20
Visit experience fresh; referral when patient has discussed results with family

Spokk defaults to 3 days for the review nudge and 20 days for the referral ask. You can adjust these per flow.

Conditional logic

The automation that knows when to stop

Most automated SMS systems fire messages regardless of what the patient has done. Spokk tracks every patient action and skips steps that would be redundant, irrelevant, or annoying.

Conditions that skip the review nudge (Step 3)

Patient gave negative feedback
Skipped — review would be counterproductive. Feedback goes to your internal dashboard for service recovery instead.
Patient gave no feedback
Skipped — asking for a public review from someone who ignored the private form is not a good look.
Patient already clicked a review link
Skipped — they already acted. No need to ask again.

Conditions that skip the referral ask (Step 4)

Patient never submitted feedback
Skipped — asking an unengaged patient to refer friends is low-value and wastes your referral budget.
Patient gave negative feedback
Skipped automatically — unhappy patients are not in the right frame of mind to refer others to you.
Patient opted out of SMS
Skipped — patient STOP response is respected immediately and permanently for all future messages.

What a fully automated patient journey looks like

Day 0
Patient visits for Botox treatment. Check-in logged in Spokk. Sequence begins.
Day 0 +2h
Feedback request SMS sent. Patient clicks the link and submits a 5-star rating with a comment about the injector.
Day 1
Feedback reminder skipped — patient already submitted. Good skipping.
Day 3
Review nudge sent — patient gave positive feedback. AI-drafted review included. Patient taps post. Done.
Day 3+
No further review reminders — patient clicked the link. Sequence moves to referral stage.
Day 20
Referral ask sent. Patient texts the link to two friends. One books an appointment.
Day 40
Referred friend visits. Both get automatic reward SMS. No staff effort anywhere in this chain.
SMS vs. email

Why email follow-up doesn't work for dermatology patients

Plenty of practice management platforms will offer you email follow-up campaigns. The numbers are not flattering.

Email follow-up
Open rate~20%
Time to openDays or never
Promotions filter riskFrequently caught
Response/completion rateVery low
Feels personalRarely
Works for older patientsInconsistently
SMS via Spokk
Open rate~98%
Time to openWithin 3 minutes
Promotions filter riskNot applicable
Response/completion rateSignificantly higher
Feels personalYes — it's a text
Works for older patientsYes — everyone texts

SMS statistics from OptinMonk. Email benchmarks from Mailchimp industry benchmarks.

There's also a dermatology-specific reason SMS wins. Many of your patients — especially older patients visiting for skin checks and condition management — have complicated relationships with email. Inboxes are cluttered. Promotions folders catch everything automated. Attachments from medical offices get flagged.

But everyone texts. The 70-year-old patient getting their annual skin check texts with their grandchildren. The 45-year-old getting Botox uses SMS daily. The 30-year-old with acne is on their phone constantly. SMS is the one channel that works uniformly across your entire patient demographic.

Separate flows for different patients

Your cosmetic patients and medical patients need different follow-up approaches

A Botox patient and an eczema patient have completely different relationships with their treatment, their results, and the idea of sharing their experience. One sequence doesn't fit both.

Cosmetic dermatology flow

Cosmetic patients are typically excited about their treatment. They chose you for aesthetic results. They're usually happy to share outcomes — as long as the framing is about their experience and confidence, not their specific procedure.

Feedback (2h)Focus on experience, comfort, and satisfaction with results
Review nudge (3d)When results are emerging — framed around experience and outcome quality
Rebooking prompt (10-12 wk)Optional: timed to when Botox is starting to fade
Referral (20d)Results visible; framed around sharing their experience with friends
Medical dermatology flow

Medical patients are often dealing with chronic conditions. The feedback and review asks need to be gentler — focused on care quality and access to expertise rather than aesthetic transformation. Privacy is more front-of-mind.

Feedback (2h)Focus on care quality, thoroughness, and how they were treated
Review nudge (3d)Framed carefully — sharing access to expert care, not personal condition
Annual reminder (11 mo)Optional: reminder to book next annual skin check
Referral (20d)Lower-key framing — sharing expertise with family and friends who need good skin care

How to configure separate flows in Spokk

In Spokk, you create separate automation flows for different patient types. Each flow has its own SMS templates, timing, and conditions. When a visit is logged, you assign it to the relevant flow — either manually or by configuring your check-in QR codes to route different visit types to different flows.

1
Create flow
Name it "Cosmetic" or "Medical" in the Flows section of your dashboard
2
Set steps
Configure timing, conditions, and SMS templates for each step in the flow
3
Assign at check-in
When logging a visit, select the appropriate flow or use separate QR codes per visit type
TCPA compliance

Patient SMS compliance for dermatology practices

Patient text messaging is subject to TCPA regulations. Here's what you need to know to run a compliant SMS follow-up program.

Consent: your responsibility

You need prior express consent from patients before sending them automated SMS messages. The most common approach is collecting consent during patient intake — a checkbox on your new patient paperwork authorizing text message communications from your practice. Most practices already do this. Spokk assumes you have obtained appropriate consent before adding a patient to automation.

Opt-out: handled automatically

Any patient can reply STOP to any Spokk message to opt out immediately. Spokk processes this automatically — no manual action required from your team. The patient is added to your opt-out list and receives no further messages. This is logged in your dashboard for your records.

HIPAA and content

Spokk's SMS messages are designed to be minimal with personal information — they use first names and generic language rather than referencing specific medical conditions or treatments. The feedback link goes to a secure private web form rather than conveying health information over SMS. This design significantly reduces HIPAA exposure in your patient communications.

What Spokk handles automatically
STOP opt-out processingSpokk handles
Opt-out list managementSpokk handles
Duplicate message preventionSpokk handles
Message delivery trackingSpokk handles
Quiet hours complianceSpokk handles
Initial patient consent collectionYour responsibility
HIPAA BAA (if required)Your responsibility
State-specific SMS regulationsYour responsibility

This is not legal advice. Consult with a healthcare compliance attorney to confirm your specific SMS communication requirements.

Related topics
← Back to Spokk for Dermatology ClinicsGoogle reviews for dermatology →Patient feedback collection →Patient loyalty programs →Patient referral programs →Staff performance tracking →

Frequently asked questions

Everything about SMS automation for your dermatology practice.

What does the Spokk SMS automation sequence look like for a dermatology practice?▾
The default sequence: Step 1 — Feedback request SMS 2 hours after the visit. Step 2 — Gentle reminder 24 hours later if no response. Step 3 — Google review nudge 3 days after the visit, sent only to patients who submitted positive feedback. Step 4 — Referral ask 20 days after the visit. Each step skips automatically based on the patient's prior actions.
Why is SMS better than email for post-visit follow-up in dermatology?▾
SMS gets ~98% open rates vs ~20% for email, and 90% of texts are read within 3 minutes. Post-visit emails often land in promotions folders or get buried. A text message feels personal and arrives at the moment of peak engagement — right after the visit. For dermatology specifically, where patients are already managing busy lives and often waited weeks for their appointment, a quick SMS at the right moment gets results that email never matches.
Can I customize the SMS messages for my dermatology practice?▾
Yes. All SMS templates in Spokk are fully customizable — you can edit the message text, timing, and which patient actions trigger each step. You can also create separate automation sequences for different visit types: one flow for annual skin check patients, another for cosmetic treatment patients, another for ongoing condition management.
How does the automation handle cosmetic patients versus medical patients differently?▾
You can configure separate forms and automation sequences for different patient segments. Cosmetic patients might get a flow focused on aesthetic outcome, rebooking prompts at treatment-appropriate intervals (e.g., 10-12 weeks for Botox), and referral asks oriented around aesthetic results. Medical patients get a flow focused on treatment satisfaction, follow-up care, and annual check-in reminders. You decide the segmentation.
Does the automation skip steps if a patient has already taken action?▾
Yes. The smart skipping logic is core to Spokk. The review nudge (Day 3) only fires if the patient submitted positive feedback. The referral ask skips if they haven't submitted feedback yet. If a patient clicks the review link, no further review reminders are sent. This means no awkward mis-timed messages and a much better patient experience.
Will the SMS automation feel spammy to patients?▾
Not if you use it as designed. The sequence is four messages spread over 20 days, each with a clear purpose and relevant timing. The feedback request arrives when the visit is fresh. The review nudge arrives after the patient has already engaged positively. The referral ask arrives at a natural moment to say thanks and offer something of value. Patients who respond positively to the earlier steps typically welcome the later ones.
What if a patient opts out of SMS?▾
Patients can reply STOP to any Spokk SMS to opt out, which is fully compliant with TCPA regulations. Once opted out, that patient receives no further automated messages from your practice via Spokk. Opt-outs are tracked in your dashboard so you always have visibility.
Does the automation work for multiple locations?▾
Yes. Each location can have its own automation sequences, SMS templates, and staff rosters. You can manage all locations from one Spokk dashboard or give individual location managers access to their own view.
How does Spokk handle TCPA compliance for patient SMS?▾
Spokk includes opt-out (STOP) handling and compliance messaging built into every automation sequence. It is your responsibility to ensure you have appropriate consent from patients to receive SMS communications from your practice, consistent with your patient communication policies and applicable regulations. Most practices obtain this consent during patient intake.
How much does the SMS automation cost?▾
SMS automation is included in all Spokk plans starting at $59/month (billed annually). Plans are priced by patient volume — how many unique patients you send messages to per month. All features including feedback collection, AI review generation, loyalty tracking, and referral management are included in every plan.
Can I pause the automation for specific patients or during specific periods?▾
Yes. You can manually exclude specific patients from automation — useful if a patient has requested no contact, had a sensitive medical situation, or if you want to manage a relationship personally. You can also pause the entire automation during holidays or clinic closures and resume it when you reopen.
How do I trigger the automation for each patient visit?▾
Spokk integrates with your check-in flow via QR code or manual entry. When a patient checks in or when you log their visit in Spokk, the automation sequence starts automatically. No manual triggering per message is needed — you just need to record that the visit happened and Spokk handles everything else from there.

Starter

For solo operators & small teams

$49/month

Billed $588/year

250 customers / month

Unlimited SMS included

  • 250 customers / month
  • 1 manager + 1 staff member
  • Unlimited locations
  • Dedicated toll-free SMS number (US & Canada)
  • Full automation sequence
  • AI review response drafts
  • Loyalty & referral programs
  • Feedback forms & QR codes
  • HubSpot integration & API access
  • Buy additional customer top-ups

Growth

For growing businesses & teams

$82/month

Billed $984/year

500 customers / month

Unlimited SMS included

  • 500 customers / month
  • 2 managers + 2 staff members
  • Unlimited locations
  • Dedicated toll-free SMS number (US & Canada)
  • Full automation sequence
  • AI review response drafts
  • Loyalty & referral programs
  • Feedback forms & QR codes
  • HubSpot integration & API access
  • Buy additional customer top-ups

Pro

For high-volume businesses

$166/month

Billed $1992/year

1,500 customers / month

Unlimited SMS included

  • 1,500 customers / month
  • 3 managers + 5 staff members
  • Unlimited locations
  • Dedicated toll-free SMS number (US & Canada)
  • Full automation sequence
  • AI review response drafts
  • Loyalty & referral programs
  • Feedback forms & QR codes
  • HubSpot integration & API access
  • Buy additional customer top-ups

All plans include a 14-day free trial. No charge until your trial ends. Questions?