Your ABA clinic’s referral relationships live or die in the follow-up. Not in the first meeting. Not in the brochure. In the messages you send (or don’t send) in the weeks and months after.
Most ABA clinics either follow up with generic “just checking in” messages that get ignored, or they don’t follow up at all. Both options leave referrals on the table. This guide includes specific scripts for every follow-up scenario, plus the phrases you should never use.
What to Say After You Receive a Referral
Every referral deserves an acknowledgment. The provider took time to recommend your clinic to a family. If you don’t close the loop, they have no idea whether the family connected with you or fell through the cracks.
Send within 48 hours of receiving the referral:
“Hi [name], thank you for referring the [family name] to us. We reached out to them yesterday and their initial intake is scheduled for [date]. We’ll send you an update once they’re settled in. Thanks again for thinking of us.”
This message confirms three things: you received the referral, the family is being taken care of, and you plan to stay in communication. It takes 60 seconds to send and it separates your clinic from every other ABA provider who takes referrals and goes silent.
What to Say When a Family Starts Making Progress
Once a referred family has been in treatment for 30-60 days, send a brief update. You need the family’s written consent first. Then keep it short and factual.
“Hi [name], quick update on the [family name] you referred in [month]. They’ve been in treatment for about six weeks. Their daughter is working on functional communication and is now consistently using two-word requests during sessions, up from single words at intake. The family is attending all scheduled sessions and making good progress in parent training. Thanks for connecting them with us.”
This isn’t a clinical report. It’s a relationship touchpoint that answers the provider’s unspoken question: “Did my referral lead to something good?” When the answer is yes, the provider feels good about referring the next family. For more on presenting progress well, see our guide on talking about ABA outcomes without overselling.
What to Say When an Office Has Gone Quiet
When a referral source that used to be active goes silent, the temptation is to ask what happened. Resist that. Lead with value instead.
“Hi [name], it’s been a few months since we connected. Wanted to share a quick update: we recently started accepting [insurance plan] and have openings at our [location] clinic. If families in your office ask about ABA options, we’re available and happy to help. Also, I put together an updated guide on ABA wait times and insurance coverage for [your area] that your front desk might find useful. Want me to send it over?”
No accusation. No guilt. Useful information and an easy yes/no question. For a deeper approach to re-engaging dormant providers, see our full guide on reconnecting with pediatricians.
What to Say After a Visit or Lunch-and-Learn
“Hi [name], thanks for having us in today. I hope the information on [topic] was useful for your team. I attached the handout we went through in case anyone wants a reference copy. If your office has questions about ABA come up, we’re always a phone call away.”
Same-day follow-up after in-person visits keeps the momentum going. Attach any materials you shared, reference the specific topic (not a generic “our presentation”), and close with availability.
What NOT to Say (And Why)
“We have openings and would love to receive referrals from your office.”
This centers the conversation on what you need. It’s transparent in the wrong way: the provider now knows you’re reaching out because your caseload is low, not because you care about the relationship. Replace it with: share useful information, and let the referrals come from the trust you’ve built.
“Just checking in!”
We wrote a whole post about why this doesn’t work. The short version: it offers nothing, costs the provider time to read, and signals that you have nothing meaningful to say.
“We noticed referrals from your office have slowed down.”
This puts the provider on the defensive even if you say it gently. They didn’t sign a referral contract with you. If you want to understand what changed, try: “We value the relationship with your office and want to make sure we’re still being a helpful resource. Is there anything we could do better on our end?”
Anything that sounds like it was sent to 50 other offices.
Template emails get deleted. Always include the contact’s name, the practice name, and at least one detail specific to that relationship. If your message could apply to any office on your list without changing a word, it’s too generic.
Follow-Up Timing Cheat Sheet
| Trigger | When | What to Send |
|---|---|---|
| New referral received | Within 48 hours | Acknowledgment + intake status |
| Family starts treatment | 30-60 days in | Brief progress update (with consent) |
| Quarterly check-in | Every 90 days | Useful info, a new resource, or a shared-family update |
| After in-person visit | Same day | Thank you + materials attachment |
| Referrals go quiet | After 90 days of silence | Value-first re-engagement, no pressure |
Track Every Follow-Up
Log every message you send in your provider tracking system. Include the date, what you sent, and whether you got a response. Without this log, follow-ups happen when someone remembers, which means they don’t happen consistently. And consistency is what turns a follow-up into a relationship.
Want a referral follow-up system designed for ABA clinics? Explore how we help providers build referral pipelines.