Smart Send gives you more flexibility in how patients are contacted while still keeping the control and visibility you’re used to.
🟦 Your two send modes
Hippo now offers two ways to send messages:
🧠 Smart Send - New Feature
Data-driven channel selection to maximise engagement and bookings.
Smart Send selects the best communication channel for each individual patient, rather than following a fixed order.
It does this by using patterns from:
previous patient engagement
demographic and clinical factors
how different channels perform across Hippo
timing and campaign context
Instead of sending messages in a set sequence, Hippo chooses the channel most likely to lead to a booking for each send.
You can toggle this on in Step 1 of creating a recall.
✉️ Standard Send
If Smart Send is toggled off (default), our existing Standard Send will apply to the campaign.
This is a clear, predictable messaging sequence that learns over time.
Standard Send follows a fixed order of channels:
NHS App → Email → SMS → WhatsApp
Messages are sent in sequence until the patient books or the campaign ends
If a patient books via a specific channel (e.g. SMS), that channel is prioritised for them next time
Channels are automatically skipped if:
the patient doesn’t have access
consent hasn’t been given
the practice has disabled that channel
This mode is designed to be:
simple
transparent
easy to control
🔍 What this means in practice
With Smart Send:
Different patients m
ay receive messages via different channels first
The order of messages is no longer fixed
Each send is tailored to maximise the chance of a response
🔒 Control and safety (unchanged)
Smart Send is designed to work within the same safeguards as Standard Send:
✅ Full audit trail of all messages sent
✅ All patient consent and opt-outs respected
✅ Only uses channels enabled by your practice
✅ Can be switched off at any time
You always remain in control of how patients are contacted.
⚖️ Which should I use?
Mode | Best for |
Standard Send | Practices that want a clear, predictable messaging flow |
Smart Send | Practices looking to maximise engagement and booking rates |
💡 Default behaviour
Smart Send may be enabled by default for some campaigns, as it builds on how Hippo already selects communication methods — just with more data behind the decision.
You can switch back to Standard Send at any time by toggling the Smart Send off.
🙋 Need help?
If you’d like help deciding which mode to use, or want to review your campaign setup, just reach out via Hippo Chat.
✨ TL;DR
Standard Send = fixed order, predictable
Smart Send = personalised, optimised for bookings
You can switch between them anytime