If you’re a doctor not on Zocdoc, you may not know what you’re missing. By that we mean, you don’t know how many more patients would book appointments with you — if only they could with Zocdoc. And what you don’t know is hurting your practice. Ask your existing patients if they’re familiar with Zocdoc, and they might say “no.” But this would make sense, since patients who are familiar with Zocdoc wouldn’t be in your waiting room — they would have booked an appointment online with another doctor.

What’s important is that there are millions of doctor appointments booked on Zocdoc every year, which means there are potential patients out there who aren’t finding you online — and going elsewhere.

If you’re skeptical of why patients use Zocdoc, here are the top reasons:

1. Consumers demand the convenience of online booking, and patients are no different

Traditionally, booking a doctor’s appointment involved calling a doctor’s office and speaking to a scheduler/receptionist to arrange for a date and time. As simple as this may seem, there are many scenarios whereby a phone call doesn’t result in a booking. To name a few:

• Receptionist is unable to answer the phone
• Patient calls during off-hours
• Patient is unable to locate insurance information
• Patient doesn’t have their calendar in front of them

Any of these examples could result in a game of phone tag with voicemail left back and forth. For privacy’s sake, patients may avoid answering calls from doctors’ offices during the workday, stretching out the process even more. And the longer the patient goes without an appointment, the likelier they give up and find another doctor.

The convenience of online booking is well-established, providing users with 24-7 access to business information and available timeslots. Whether booking a restaurant reservation, flight, or a massage (to name a few), customers predominantly go online. In a January 2017 survey, 88% of respondents said they preferred booking hotels online to calling. Increasingly, people use their smartphones and tablets to book; in response, many businesses create websites with reservation tools optimized for mobile. Not having easy-to-use online booking costs businesses missed opportunities for customers and revenue.

Zocdoc provides patients the convenience of quick and easy appointment booking, sparing them the hassle of calling a medical office and ensuring doctors fill their schedules.

2. Finding in-network doctors is confusing

According to a 2017 survey, 77% of insured Americans would like an easier way to ensure their doctor is in-network when booking appointments. Additionally, nearly 1 in 5 have experienced issues with their insurance card, such as misplacing or losing track of it, not having it readily available, or finding it confusing and difficult to understand. With Zocdoc’s Insurance Checker, patients can book knowing that their visits are covered—and office administrators can avoid uncomfortable conversations with out-of-network patients arriving for their appointments.

3. Patients can filter profiles to find the doctor right for them

Finding a doctor who who takes the right insurance isn’t the only desired criteria a patient may have. Just as people now filter when finding a dinner spot that offers specific features, like outdoor seating or accepts reservations, patients expect to see certain characteristics they care about when searching for a doctor. With Zocdoc’s profiles, patients can filter doctor listings by specialty and location, as well as which insurance they accept, languages spoken, and doctor’s gender.