SMS Benchmarks for Healthcare and Social Assistance

Healthcare and social assistance teams rely on clear timely messaging to support patients and clients across complex journeys. Understanding SMS benchmarks helps reveal how audiences respond to reminders updates and critical information.

In this guide, we explore the core SMS performance metrics shaping communication in this sector. The following stats come from analyzing 2,110,844 engaged contacts.

Average Response Rate

The average response rate in healthcare and social assistance is 53.09%, reflecting how frequently patients, families, and caregivers reply to SMS messages from providers.

This figure often signals how well organizations communicate about appointments, prescriptions, and support services.

Response rate is the percentage of delivered messages that receive a reply, calculated by dividing total responses by texts successfully sent. In this sector, it indicates whether communication feels clear, timely, and considerate of patient needs.

When response rates are carefully monitored, teams can adjust workflows and make sure people stay informed, reducing confusion and supporting more coordinated care.

Average Opt-Out Rate

The average opt-out rate for healthcare and social assistance is 0.28 percent, a figure that reflects the sensitivity of communication in this patient focused environment.

The opt-out rate represents the portion of patients or clients who reply STOP or otherwise unsubscribe from your text messages, compared with all successfully delivered messages.

To calculate it, you divide total opt-outs by total delivered texts, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

In healthcare and social assistance, this metric is crucial because it signals whether appointment reminders, care updates, and support messages feel respectful, relevant, and aligned with privacy expectations.

Average Click-Through Rate

The average click-through rate in healthcare and social assistance is 10–18% and reveals how frequently patients and clients engage with links in SMS outreach.

CTR represents the portion of delivered text messages that result in at least one tap on a trackable link.

To calculate it, divide the number of recorded URL clicks by the number of messages successfully delivered, then multiply the result by 100.

In healthcare and social assistance, CTR shows whether recipients consider reminders, care updates, intake forms, and resource links useful, helping organizations make sure communication feels timely, relevant, and supportive.

Average Conversion Rate

The average conversion rate for healthcare and social assistance is 20–30 percent plus, reflecting how many people follow through after reading an SMS about appointments, services, or support options.

Conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of completed actions such as confirmed visits, filled intake forms, or accepted care plans by the total number of text messages successfully delivered.

This metric matters in healthcare and social assistance because it shows how clearly information is received, how reliably patients and clients respond, and how well messaging supports access to care, continuity of services, and overall wellbeing.

Average Delivery Rate

The average delivery rate for healthcare and social assistance is 98–99%, showing that critical SMS updates almost always arrive on patients phones, caregivers devices, and staff handsets exactly when they are needed.

This reliability supports appointment reminders, pre visit instructions, medication prompts, lab result notifications, and internal coordination between clinical and administrative teams.

Delivery rate is calculated by dividing all successfully delivered messages by the total number of texts sent, excluding those that cannot arrive because of issues like invalid numbers or hard carrier level failures.

In healthcare and social assistance, a strong delivery rate matters because missed messages can disrupt care plans, delay support services, and undermine patient safety and trust.

Average Open Rate

The average open rate is 98%, which means people almost always read text messages in the healthcare and social assistance sector.

Open rate describes the percentage of delivered messages that people actually open and view.

It is calculated by taking the number of opened messages, dividing by the total delivered messages, then multiplying the result by 100.

In healthcare and social assistance this metric matters because appointment reminders, test result notifications, follow up care details, and support updates must be seen quickly.

Strong open rates make sure patients and clients receive timely information, supporting safer care and smoother coordination.

Average Time to Read

The average time to read an SMS in healthcare and social assistance is 3 minutes.

Time to read describes how long it takes patients or clients to open and view a text once it is delivered to their device.

It is calculated by tracking the time stamp of delivery and the moment a message is first opened across a large volume of texts, then averaging those intervals.

This metric matters in healthcare and social assistance because quick reading supports appointment coordination, pre visit instructions, medication reminders, caregiver updates, transport timing, and urgent care notifications, helping staff respond in step with client needs.

Average Response Time

The average response time for healthcare and social assistance is 90 seconds, indicating how quickly patients or clients usually answer after getting a text message.

Response time is the period between when a message reaches the recipient and when the first reply is sent.

It is calculated by taking this time gap in each conversation and averaging it across all text interactions.

In healthcare and social assistance, response time matters because prompt replies support quick follow up on care plans, clarify appointment details, and help staff react faster to patient needs.

Shorter response times suggest that people are engaged with messaging, which helps teams coordinate support and make sure no important communication is missed.

Average Bounce Rate

The average bounce rate for healthcare and social assistance is 1–2%, which means only a very small portion of SMS messages never get through to patients or clients.

This low figure suggests that patient contact details are usually accurate and that networks are reliably delivering critical updates.

Bounce rate is calculated by taking the number of undelivered SMS messages, dividing it by the total sent, then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.

In healthcare and social assistance, this metric matters because dependable delivery supports appointment reminders, care follow ups, medication prompts, and urgent notifications.

Average Messages per Conversation

Healthcare and social assistance conversations average 8.3 messages each.

This indicates high engagement.

Average messages per conversation describes how many total messages clients and staff exchange within a single text thread.

It is calculated by taking all messages sent in a period and dividing by the number of individual conversations.

In healthcare and social assistance, a higher average often reflects detailed discussions about symptoms, scheduling, follow ups, and care instructions.

Monitoring this metric helps teams spot friction, adjust workflows, and make sure patients and clients feel supported at every step.

Overview of Healthcare and Social Assistance

The healthcare and social assistance sector relies on precise, timely communication between providers, clients, staff, and support networks.

Patients and service users expect rapid updates, clear instructions, and accessible channels that fit into busy and often stressful daily routines.

Traditional communication methods can be slow, difficult to track, or easily missed, creating risk for misunderstandings and operational bottlenecks.

SMS provides a direct, highly visible channel with near universal reach and very high engagement rates, helping organizations respond quickly and consistently.

By delivering information in real time and reducing delays, SMS supports smoother workflows, better coordination of care, and a more responsive experience for individuals relying on healthcare and social assistance services.

SMS Use Cases in Healthcare and Social Assistance

SMS helps healthcare and social assistance providers deliver timely, secure communications that reduce missed appointments and improve care coordination.

Automated appointment reminders with pre-visit instructions and two-way confirmations reduce no-shows and let patients confirm or reschedule quickly.

Medication reminders and follow-up check-ins prompt adherence, collect patient-reported side effects, and make sure care teams are alerted to noncompliance.

Post-discharge messages deliver tailored recovery steps, links to educational resources, and a rapid escalation pathway for complications.

Targeted outreach texts schedule home visits, confirm eligibility for community benefits, and coordinate transportation or interpreter services to improve access.

FAQs About SMS Benchmarks for Healthcare and Social Assistance

How can healthcare and social assistance providers use SMS to improve appointment management?

SMS can be used to send timely appointment reminders, confirmations, and follow-up messages to patients and clients. This helps reduce missed visits and makes scheduling changes quicker and more convenient for everyone.

What role does SMS play in supporting patient and client care coordination?

Care teams can use SMS to share visit preparation instructions, medication reminders, and check-in messages after treatments. This creates a simple communication channel that supports ongoing care without requiring phone calls or app logins.

How can healthcare and social assistance organizations keep SMS communications compliant and secure?

Providers should obtain clear consent before sending texts and limit messages to appropriate, privacy-conscious content. They can avoid sensitive details in the body of the message and direct patients to secure portals for personal information.

What are effective ways to personalize SMS messages in healthcare and social assistance?

Organizations can address people by name, reference their specific service or program, and time messages around upcoming visits or care milestones. This type of personalization makes SMS feel more relevant and supportive to each individual.