In September of this year (2018) Hurricane Florence bore down on the Carolinas. Evacuation orders were placed for the majority of the state, displacing residents, closing businesses, and causing massive chaos.
Florence hit the Carolina coastline as a category 3 hurricane, bringing along with it 120mph winds, torrential rain, and fierce storm surges. Electricity, internet, and other utilities went down, and would be out of commission for weeks as crews dealt with the horrific destruction that followed.
As flooded streets and downed power lines caused business to shutdown, it was nearly impossible to maintain contact with customers. Arboretum Dental was no exception to the chaos, shutting its doors to patients as evacuation orders were placed. Without the basic necessities to run a business and weeks out from getting power and internet back online, Arboretum turned to Weave to help run their business and contact patients.
In a recent interview with Monica, an office manager at Arboretum Dental, she said “We had the Weave mobile app, we got phone calls and texts from patients, and could set our emergency voicemail. We could close the office and not worry about patients calling in. Weave saved us.” In dire circumstances Monica and the rest her team were able to maintain communication with their patients using Weave’s mobile app, and a cellular network. Forwarding phone calls to the Doctor, replying to text messages, and planning future appointments.
Weave saved us.
Without access to office computers, or practice management software, Weave was able to provide all the needed tools to effectively run their business remotely until power and internet were restored.
Not too far from Arboretum Dental sits an optometry office who did not have Weave. They lost power like everyone else, but struggled to keep in contact with patients, fulfill prescriptions, and manage day to day operations. Monica preached Weave, “I sold them on Weave after our experience.” The convenience and practicality of Weave makes it worth it.
Weave Mobile is unique because its designed as an extension of the office. The app coupled with Weave’s phone system allows for Patient management and communication allowing users to view schedules, text patients for rescheduling, or appointment followups. Utilizing the latest technology, Weave Mobile uses your office phone number, keeping your personal contact information private.
The Data
After Hurricane Florence, mobile sessions on Weave Mobile doubled in North and South Carolina, proving that other small businesses on Weave found how invaluable it is. A way for users to still manage their businesses, while being physically away. Monica, is now a huge Weave advocate, voicing her testimony to other small businesses in her area and witnessing the power of Weave in her extreme circumstances.
In November of 2017, Weave Mobile averaged about 800 daily active users, a popular metric that tracks mobile application success. In November 2018 Weave Mobile averaged over 4000 daily active-users over 300% growth in a year!
The Weave Mobile product development team works tirelessly to support and improve our mobile app. We consistently reach out to users of the app to gather feedback to build a user focused product roadmap.
Below are five tips and tricks we have found users to find the most useful.
Five Weave Mobile MVFs (Most Valuable Features)
- Call Forwarding
Weave Mobile allows a user to enable call forwarding to any phone number. This is useful in the event of power loss, or unexpected closures.
2. Voicemail
Just like the example of Hurricane Florence above, unexpected closures do happen. Weave Mobile has you covered with Voicemail Override. Voicemail Override provides a simple way to record a voicemail greeting when on the go.
3. Patient Followups
Many doctors we have spoken to love Weave Mobile to follow up with patients after a procedure when they are away from the office. Using the business texting number a doctor can text a patient to check in on them and follow up with necessary communication. This can be done both via text or a phone call from Weave mobile.
4. Schedule
Weave Mobile syncs with practice management software and reflects the schedule in Weave. It displays gaps in the schedule, patient name, procedure, and practitioner. These can all be filtered and customized, providing a custom experience for the user.
5. Team Chat
One of our newest Weave features Team Chat, is available on the mobile app. Team Chat is designed purposely for internal team communication and collaboration. Maintain communication with your team via Team Chat, be notified of patient arrivals with push notifications to smart devices, and share important information instantly.
In Finale
Weave provides the tools necessary to effectively create a wonderful patient experience, designed with simplicity in mind, Weave Mobile is no exception. We have countless of examples where Weave Mobile has provided an invaluable service to help businesses continue to operate even in challenging circumstances all from the convenience of your smart phone.
