If lapsed patients are a concern for your veterinary practice, it’s time for a reactivation campaign. Bringing back cats and dogs you haven’t seen in 14 to 18 months can mean big wins for your revenue and, even better, healthier pets. American Veterinary Medical Association data shows that overdue veterinary visits have increased over the past few years. Other sources indicate that up to 20% of the average practice’s client base might consist of inactive patients.
Inflationary concerns, veterinary staffing shortages, the frenetic pace of life, and perceived and actual barriers can prevent pets from getting preventive care. How can you reactivate those patients if your standard reminders go unanswered?
Messaging Matters
Before I discuss how to contact infrequent clients, let’s talk about your messaging. Rather than adopting the stock language and bare-bones information of most built-in reminders, make sure your communication across all platforms:
- Is clear: Specify what a pet is due for. Abbreviations like DHLPP and 4DX mean nothing to an owner. However, learning that an animal is overdue for a kennel cough vaccination is more worrisome for a client. Bonus points if your reminder has room for hyperlinks to information about preventable diseases and conditions.
- Avoids blaming or shaming: A practice sometimes tells owners IN ALL CAPS how scared they should be that their pets’ vaccinations are overdue or that patients aren’t getting medication because of the clients’ lax behavior. We’ll never truly know why a pet wasn’t seen on time. It’s none of our business. The important thing to convey is that we’re here for them and their pet when they need us. We have a pet’s best interest at heart and want to keep it free from disease and intervene quickly when a condition is more treatable or more affordable to manage.
- Is proactive: Cost concerns and vaccine hesitancy are two reasons pet owners don’t make veterinary appointments. By communicating payment options, cost estimates and data on the value of preventive care and early detection, we assuage fears and encourage owners to come in. In cases of vaccine hesitancy, share data about up-to-date protocols, titer testing and strategies to minimize vaccine reactions.
- Is actionable: Digital communications should link to online appointment forms or real-time booking platforms. Include your practice’s phone number and email address so clients with questions can reach out.
Cadences and Methods
If your veterinary practice is seeing more lapsed or overdue patients, reassess how often you remind their owners. If you email a standard reminder one month in advance and then one week out, try replacing it with another format, such as a text message or phone call. Similarly, a single overdue notice sent when a pet owner is dealing with a busy or stressful situation might not be enough. Instead, issuing a reminder about an overdue service at 30, 60 and 90 days out might find the client in a better position to book the appointment.
Many practice management software programs and third-party platforms have the cadence functionality built in, so be sure to utilize your computer system to its full potential.
An Easy First Step
When pulling together a lapsed-patient report, an easy first step is to check a client’s communication preferences. If the pet owner indicated a desire for phone contact and your practice sends only email reminders, it’s time to make a call.
If your practice doesn’t ask for communication preferences, add a line to your client registration and annual update forms.
A Multimodal Strategy
Applying a communication or marketing strategy to every client successfully and consistently is challenging. Try new tools if patient reactivation is problematic, but don’t ignore the tried-and-true methods.
Here are the six standard options.
1. Email
Don’t rely on routine computer-generated emails. Instead, personalize your messages to address a pet’s specific needs and remind clients of the benefits of regular veterinary care, leaning heavily into preventive medicine and early detection. Include a direct booking link. If your standard reminder schedule is just one email before a pet is overdue, consider sending additional emails one and three months after the due date.
In addition, try this:
- Ask clients to reply if their pets now visit another veterinary practice. That way, you can stop the emails and update the patient records.
- Monitor for bounced and undeliverable emails. In those cases, switch to a phone call, text or postcard.
2. Phone
A friendly phone call can make a big difference in a client relationship. Ensure the team member making the call can communicate the importance of reactivation without shaming the owner or using scare tactics. If you leave a message, include appointment booking instructions and remind the client that your practice is ready whenever the pet needs you.
3. Text
Short and direct text messages are a quick way to remind clients to schedule appointments, especially if you link to your online booking system. A national survey found that more than 50% of pet owners would prefer to receive appointment reminders by text. A recent study indicated that 86% of young pet owners would like a text reminder even if they received a phone call.
4. App Notification
If your practice rolled out a mobile app, use push notifications to remind clients about their pets’ care. Highlight any community health concerns and provide easy access to booking an appointment.
5. Social Media
Engage with your audience on Facebook and Instagram by sharing success stories and tips about preventive health care. Use call-to-action statements and include booking links. Seasonal health concerns and reminders about monthly parasite preventives can inspire clients to make appointments.
6. Postcards
Print marketing isn’t dead. Some data suggests that direct mail is more likely to drive consumer behavior than digital media. You can tap into emotions if your postcard service personalizes the material using the pet’s photo or an image of a similar breed.
When All Has Failed
Re-engaging with lapsed clients might be as simple as asking for their feedback. By sending a quick one- to three-question survey — check out free online tools like Jotform and Google Forms — your practice can gain valuable insight into why someone hasn’t returned. This approach shows that you care about a client’s opinion and provides actionable data to address any concerns or enhance your services.
Reactivation campaigns might not always be successful, but a continuous and engaging marketing strategy can reinforce your practice’s care recommendations and generate a stream of clients.
MEASURING SUCCESS
Be sure to track your client-reactivation efforts. I suggest monitoring key metrics such as response rates to emails and text messages, booking rates after phone calls, and conversion rates from social media ads. The data will help you refine your approach.