Automation Is Reshaping the Patient Experience — And Online Booking Is the Easiest Place to Start

One of the strongest themes in Henry Schein One's 2026 Trends Outlook is the rising expectation for automation and AI to simplify everyday tasks. Patients are used to doing almost everything in seconds … ordering groceries, checking in for flights, refilling prescriptions, scheduling personal services, all without needing to call anyone or wait for a human to respond.

And dentistry is now fully in that same current.

What the Outlook doesn't mention directly, but what sits right at the intersection of automation, access, and patient expectations, is online booking. It's one of the simplest ways for a practice to meet the moment we're in. And I say that not just as a dental software trainer, but as someone who recently lived through a very real example of what happens when that first step in the patient journey isn't automated.

A personal reminder of how quickly friction builds
When my longtime naturopathic doctor retired, I had to start looking for a new provider. I did what every modern patient does: got a couple of referrals from friends, looked up a few more practices online, checked their websites, read a few reviews.

Nothing unusual.

Until I actually tried to schedule.

Not a single practice I was interested in had online booking. Not one.

So, I filled out the "appointment request" form, expecting a quick response. Instead, days went by. The emails I received all said the same thing: "Please call our office to schedule."

But here's the truth: if I don't recognize a phone number, I'm not answering. And calling during the day was tough, I was working, traveling, juggling normal life. Every time I emailed asking if we could handle it digitally, the answer came back: "You'll need to call."

After nearly a week of answering machines, missed calls, and email loops, I finally got an appointment. Weeks out.

It wasn't anyone's fault. It was simply the reality of a system that wasn't designed for how people live today.

And that's exactly the kind of friction the Trends Outlook is pointing to. Patients want things to be easy. Not luxurious. Not fancy. Just easy.

Where online booking fits into the automation trend
The Trends Outlook emphasizes how automation is changing expectations, and online booking is one of the clearest examples of that shift. It's a small piece of technology that quietly removes a huge barrier between "I need to do this" and "I actually got it done."

When patients can book in real time:

They don't get stuck in phone tag
They don’t lose motivation between the moment they search and the moment they act
They feel like the practice is accessible and responsive

And here's something worth paying attention to: more than 60% of online healthcare appointments are booked after hours. Not because patients are avoiding your team, but because that's when their day finally opens up.

When a practice offers online booking, it isn't giving up control of the schedule. It's just allowing patients to take action when they're actually free to.

You still build the templates.

You still set the rules.

You still determine what's bookable and what's not.

The automation simply removes the barrier of requiring the patient to reach you at a time that also works for the office.

The AI Layer that's quietly shifting patient choice
Another theme in the Trends Outlook is how AI is beginning to shape patient behavior. Even though it doesn't name online booking directly, the overlap is impossible to ignore.

Today's AI assistants and search tools tend to favor practices that are easy to engage with. And "easy to engage with" often means one thing: you can schedule with them instantly.

When someone asks their phone to "find a dentist near me," the digital assistant leans toward practices that demonstrate digital readiness. Online booking is one of the strongest signals that a practice is modern, accessible, and aligned with patient preferences.

In other words, offering online booking doesn't just help the patient who visits your website, it also helps you get found in the first place.

The first step shapes the entire journey
In my work helping practices map out the complete patient journey, the biggest insight is that the front end determines the tone for everything that comes after. When the first interaction is smooth and predictable, the rest of the visit tends to follow that same pattern.

Online booking naturally sets you up for:

Cleaner patient information
Better preparation before the visit
A more relaxed check-in experience
Fewer surprises for the clinical team
Smoother financial discussions

It's remarkable how one small piece of automation can have such a ripple effect.

And after my own experience trying to schedule a simple appointment, that ripple effect feels more obvious than ever. I remember thinking, "This shouldn't be this hard." And that's what patients feel, even if they never say the words out loud.

Where practices can start without overhauling anything
The best part about online booking is that it doesn't require a major system overhaul or a complicated implementation plan. It's one of the quickest wins available when you look at automation through the lens of real patient behavior.

If a practice simply:

Enables a couple of appointment types
Ensures the online scheduler is mobile-friendly
Pairs the booking with digital forms

…that alone can dramatically improve accessibility and patient follow-through.

The Trends Outlook talks about automation as the future of dental operations. Online booking is where you can act on that future today.

Automation is the trend. Online booking is the opportunity.
The 2026 Trends Outlook highlights where patient expectations and the industry are heading. People want quick, intuitive, low-friction experiences. They want interactions that match the pace of their everyday lives.

Online booking is one of the clearest, most actionable ways to align with that trend. It's simple. It's practical. It's already in the tools most practices use. And it immediately removes the kind of barriers that make the difference between gaining a new patient and losing one.

My own experience drove that point home. The practices I tried to schedule with didn't lose me because of clinical quality, they lost me because the process was too hard.

And patients feel that.

You feel that.

The Trends Outlook captures that.

The future of the patient journey starts with the first click, and that first click should be the easiest part of the entire experience.