How many times a day does your front desk hear the same question: “Are my glasses ready yet?” Every call is an interruption, pulling your staff away from patients in front of them and adding more to-dos to your already full plate.
The Patient Order Tracker, exclusively included with SpecCheck Pro, lets you share simplified order updates with patients only when you choose. Patients won’t see lab production statuses, and you always control when they're notified that their order is ready for pickup. See here an example of what the portal looks like.
Now, with text messaging support, you can send real-time updates directly to your patients’ phones! No calls required. To upgrade at any time, click Start Pro Trial (or Upgrade to Pro if your trial has been used) in the left sidebar, or go to Settings → Plans & Billing.
Give Patients the Updates They Want, and Your Staff the Time They Need
Click to see an example tracking page.
With the Patient Order Tracker, your patients get a simple online portal to check the status of their glasses anytime, with no calls required. It helps them feel informed and confident in your care, and leads to:
Fewer Disruptions: Reduce “Just checking in” calls with proactive, friendly updates, so your team can stay focused on patient care.
Modern, Professional Service: Meet rising patient expectations with real-time tracking that mirrors what they’re used to from Amazon or Uber Eats.
You Stay in Control: The final “Ready for Pickup” message only goes out when you say so. No surprises, no patients showing up unexpectedly.
It’s a smarter way to communicate with your patients, and it’s available exclusively on SpecCheck Pro.
The Best Part? It's Incredibly Simple.
The Patient Order Tracker uses just a patient’s email or phone number, and works with all your orders, including insurance orders and those placed outside of SpecCheck. Check out our "How To" Article to learn how to get started.
Stop letting the phone dictate your day and start delivering a world-class experience that builds loyalty and frees your team up to focus on what you do best – patient care. To upgrade at any time, click Start Pro Trial (or Upgrade to Pro if your trial has been used) in the left sidebar, or go to Settings → Plans & Billing.
Text Messaging (New!)
Texting has been one of our most requested features, and it’s now here. 🎉
With SMS notifications enabled, patients receive updates directly to their phone as their order progresses. This helps keep them informed while dramatically reducing inbound calls to your practice.
Pricing
Included with Pro: 100 free texts
Additional Messages: $15 per 500 texts (reach out to [email protected] to add more messages!)
This flexible model allows you to scale communication as needed while keeping costs low.
How To Use the Tracker
All you need is your patient's email address or phone number (text messages are supported!).
For Orders Submitted on SpecCheck
In the Overview section of a new order, add the Patient Email Address and/or Patient Phone Number. (These fields are optional and only used for the Patient Order Tracker.)
After the order is submitted, open the Order Details page and click Send Notification in the Patient Order Tracker card to send your patient a link to their tracking page. (Or turn on auto-send, below.)
For Orders Submitted Outside of SpecCheck (or Adding Contact Info Later)
Open the Order Details page for the order.
In the Patient Order Tracker card, add or update the patient's email or phone number.
Click Send Notification to send the welcome email or text with the tracking link.
The Patient Order Tracker Card
On every Order Details page, the Patient Order Tracker card shows the patient's email, phone number, and the Last Notification Sent. Use the icons in the upper-right corner of the card to:
View Notification History – See every email and text sent to the patient about this order, with timestamps.
Add/edit order message – Add a message specific to this order for your patient.
Open the tracking portal – See the patient's tracking page for this order.
Tracker Customization Settings
Go to Settings → Patient Order Tracker to customize the tracker.
Preview Portal
Click Open to see exactly what your patients see.
Portal Message
Add a short message that appears in the tracking portal, like a welcome note or pickup instructions. To add a clickable link, use this format: [link text](https://www.example.com).
Auto Send "In Progress" Notification
Turn this on to automatically send the "In Progress" email or text when an order is created, as long as the patient's contact information is included at order entry. You'll still control when "Ready for Pickup" is sent.
Add Your Website & Phone Number
Go to Settings → Business Details to add your Office Phone Number and Office Website URL. These display on the tracking page so patients can reach you.
Marking an Order as "Ready for Pickup"
SpecCheck updates the tracker automatically until the order is ready. Once the order is marked Shipped:
Open the Order Details page.
Click Send Notification.
Confirm you want to send the email or text.
The patient's portal updates to Ready for Pickup and they receive a notification that it's time to come in!
Handling Orders That Don't Pass Final Inspection
If an order doesn't pass final inspection at your practice, use the Redo button on the Order Details page (available once the order is marked Shipped). Redos submitted this way stay linked to the original, so your patient keeps using the same tracking page without being told about the restart. They'll briefly see Exception Occurred, then In Progress again once the lab starts sending updates for the redo (usually within 15–30 minutes of the lab receiving it).
After a redo, the tracker is managed from the most recent order. On the original order you'll see a message that the order was redone, with a Go to Latest Redo Order button.
Understanding Patient-Facing Statuses
Getting Started: The order was submitted, before production updates arrive from the lab.
In Progress: The order is being worked on at the lab.
Exception Occurred: Shown briefly if a redo is submitted after final inspection.
Almost Ready: The lab shipped the order back to your practice.
Ready for Pickup: Only triggered by you.
Canceled: The order has been canceled.
Have questions? We're here to help! Reach out to our team at [email protected].