Run a Powerful Flu‑Season WhatsApp Broadcast to Fill Clinic Appointments

Below is a step‑by‑step walk‑through of creating a flu‑season broadcast in Ferbz. The example uses a fictional practice, Southern Cross Family Clinic in Melbourne, which wants to fill 30 minutes of appointment slots each weekday in July.

1. Prepare the patient list

1. Open the Patients tab from the left‑hand navigation.
2. Click “Import CSV” if you need to add recent walk‑ins or new contacts that are not yet in the system.
3. Use the filter bar to build the segment:
   • Last Visit → “more than 60 days ago”
   • Postcode → “3000‑3120” (central Melbourne)
   • Consent → “WhatsApp opted‑in = Yes”
4. Click “Save as List” and name it “Flu‑Season Target – Melbourne Central”. The list now appears under Saved Filters for reuse.

2. Draft the broadcast message

1. Navigate to the Broadcasts tab.

2. Press “Create New Broadcast”.

3. In the Message editor, type the copy:

   👋 Hi {{first_name}}, flu season is here. Protect yourself and your family with a free flu vaccine at Southern Cross Family Clinic. Tap the link to book a 15‑minute slot: https://booking.southerncrossclinic.com/flu
   

   • The double‑curly braces insert patient‑specific fields from the CRM (first name, etc.).
   • The URL points to the clinic’s booking page, which can be a simple Calendly‑style form or Ferbz’s built‑in appointment link.

4. Use the template toolbar to add a “Book Now” button if you prefer a CTA button rather than a plain link.

5. Click “Preview” to see how the message looks on a mobile screen.

3. Choose the recipient list

1. In the Recipients section, select “Saved List” and pick “Flu‑Season Target – Melbourne Central”.
2. Ferbz instantly shows the credit cost (e.g., 1 credit per patient, total 1,842 credits). The cost is deducted from the prepaid wallet only after you hit Send.

4. Schedule or send immediately

1. For a timed push, click “Schedule” and pick Monday, 3 July, 09:00 AEST – the optimal time to catch patients before they start their workday.
2. If you need an urgent reminder (e.g., a sudden outbreak), choose “Send Now”.

5. Monitor delivery and engagement

1. Once the broadcast is dispatched, the Broadcasts screen updates with three columns: Sent, Delivered, Read.
2. Click the broadcast name to open the detail view; you can export the list of patients who opened the message.
3. Any patient who clicks the booking link and completes a Visit will automatically trigger the Automation flow “Flu‑Vaccine Follow‑Up” (if you have one set up). This flow can send a confirmation reminder and a post‑visit thank‑you message, all tracked on the Reminders board.

6. Follow‑up with an Automation journey (optional)

1. Go to the Automation tab.

2. Click “Create New Journey” and describe the goal in plain English:

   “Send a reminder to anyone who booked a flu vaccine but has not attended within 7 days.”

3. Ferbz’s AI drafts a three‑step flow:

   • Trigger: “Visit completed = Flu‑Vaccine booking”
   • Wait: 3 days
   • Message: “Your flu vaccine appointment is in 2 days – please confirm.”
   • Branch: If no reply, wait another 2 days, then send a final “We’re holding your slot – please let us know if you need to reschedule.”

4. Edit the messages, place them on the visual canvas, and activate.

Now, any patient who responded to the broadcast and booked will be automatically nudged, reducing no‑shows and ensuring the clinic’s July schedule stays full.

Full Worked Example – Numbers

• Saved list size: 1,842 patients
• Credits used: 1,842 (broadcast) + 0 (no immediate follow‑up)
• Bookings generated: 127 appointments (7 % conversion)
• Revenue impact: Assuming an average visit value of $115 (including GST where applicable), the broadcast generated approximately $14,605 in gross revenue for July.
• Automation credits: 127 reminders (average 1.2 messages each) = 152 credits, automatically deducted after each booking is confirmed.

The clinic’s prepaid wallet balance dropped from 5,000 credits to 3,021 credits, reflecting the exact spend without any surprise fees.

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Time saved – Before Ferbz, the front‑desk team at Southern Cross Family Clinic spent roughly 45 minutes each morning manually dialing 30‑40 patients to remind them of flu‑season availability. With a single broadcast, the same outreach is completed in under two minutes, freeing staff to focus on in‑clinic care and patient intake.

Revenue recovered – In the month prior to using broadcasts, the clinic averaged a 12 % no‑show rate for routine appointments, equating to about 48 missed slots per month (≈$5,520 in lost revenue). After the July flu‑season broadcast, the no‑show rate for the newly created flu‑vaccine slots fell to 4 % (≈5 missed slots, ≈$575 lost). The net gain from the broadcast‑driven appointments was roughly $14,030, a 254 % increase over the baseline.

Fewer manual steps – The workflow eliminates three distinct tasks: (1) exporting patient data to a spreadsheet, (2) importing that list into a third‑party SMS or email platform, and (3) manually logging each booking confirmation. All steps occur inside Ferbz, with the Reminders board automatically reflecting the status of each message, so there is no “silent failure” risk.

Compliance and professionalism – Because every message is sent through the official WhatsApp Business API, the clinic complies with Australian privacy standards and ATO guidance on electronic communications. The messages carry the clinic’s verified business name, not a personal phone number, which builds trust with patients.

Scalable for future seasons – The saved filter, message template, and credit‑based billing model can be reused for other seasonal campaigns (e.g., COVID‑booster reminders, allergy clinic openings). The clinic can simply adjust the filter dates and copy, schedule a new broadcast, and let Ferbz handle the delivery and credit accounting.

Overall, the WhatsApp Broadcast module turns a labor‑intensive, error‑prone outreach process into a predictable, measurable, and cost‑controlled campaign that directly addresses the pain points of forgotten appointments and manual confirmation calls.

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Ready to fill your clinic’s schedule this flu season with a single, compliant WhatsApp broadcast? Sign in to your Ferbz dashboard, top up your credit wallet, and launch your first campaign in minutes. If you need help building the perfect message or configuring a follow‑up automation, our support team is on hand at support@ferbz.com.

Start the trial now: https://dashboard.ferbz.com/