Recall is the least glamorous growth channel and usually the largest. The people in a recall list have already chosen you, already paid once, and cost nothing to reach, which makes the economics unlike any acquisition channel.
In dentistry it is the six-month hygiene visit. In aesthetics it is the treatment interval before results fade. In both cases the practice already knows roughly when the next visit should happen, which means the work is scheduling rather than persuading.
The reason it decays is capacity. Recall requires somebody to notice a date has passed and do something about it, and that person is usually also doing five other jobs, so the list quietly ages until a year has gone by.
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Frequently asked
What is the difference between recall and reactivation?
Recall is contacting someone before or around the time their next visit is due. Reactivation is going after someone who has already lapsed. Recall is cheaper and works better, and a practice doing it well needs less reactivation.
How far ahead should recall messages go out?
Far enough that a diary can still be arranged and close enough that it does not get forgotten. A short sequence works better than a single message, because the first one arrives at a bad moment for a meaningful share of people.
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