Veterinarians spend a lot of time dealing with demands — client demands, staff demands and patient care demands. Many days, there are too many balls in the air, and sometimes, things get dropped and opportunities get missed. Of the most serious missed opportunities is the one where we, as veterinarians, are not there for our clients when they need us. It could be because of staffing shortages or inefficient workflows or because we don’t understand or think we can meet our clients’ expectations.
Multiple industry groups report that patient visits continues to decline. According to the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, wellness visits and product-only visits make up about 50% of visits to first-opinion veterinary practices. Those visit numbers have been consistently down for the past two years, while non-wellness visit numbers remain flat.
We’ve also learned that the client bonding rate is dropping, which means clients are not returning with their pets for recommended follow-ups. Revenue has been slightly up over the same time frame, which is generally attributed to fee increases. And even while revenue might be up, profitability is down at many practices.
The bottom line is this: The loyalty of our clients is at risk, and we might be missing opportunities about which we don’t even know.
A Different Approach
The continued decline in veterinary visits creates a host of opportunities for veterinary practices. It is incumbent upon us to not miss these. Now is the time to focus on your relationship with clients. Are you building sustainable loyalty, or is your relationship with clients more transactional? Some practices may face challenges in hiring staff to meet current demands, and other practices are reluctant to hire additional people in an uncertain economy.
However, clients and patients still need help — morning, noon and night. It is the caring, personal touch that promotes loyalty and builds trust. It is not the voicemail system or the after-hours answering machine that lists the number of the nearest emergency hospital that will bond clients to you, alleviate their anxiety, or provide timely and accurate information. It is a real human, available in real time.
Veterinarians no longer are the sole gatekeepers of health care information. Not only do we compete with colleagues and ancillary service providers, such as pet store employees and groomers, but we’re also competing with the vast amount of information available on the internet, 24/7/365. Some industry estimates say that one-third of phone calls to veterinary clinics go unanswered and that a potential new client will wait less than 10 minutes for a return call before moving on. Does (or can) your staff return calls in under 10 minutes?
Technology vs. Human Connections
Many people recommend embracing technology to solve some of these problems and improve practice efficiencies. As a solid proponent of telehealth and artificial intelligence in veterinary practice, I fully embrace these recommendations. Online appointment booking, e-commerce for prescription and food refills, virtual scribes to generate SOAP notes, client portals to obtain medical records, and an engaging and informative website are all ways to lessen demands on your current staff while meeting client needs at a time and place that works for them. If the best time for a client to request a refill is at 2 a.m., technology allows that to happen without interrupting your day or night.
However, what if 2 a.m. is when an owner is losing his mind because his new puppy has not slept through the night for three nights in a row, and he has an important meeting coming up? The internet might have some great recommendations, but the internet is not going to calm him down, bond him to your practice and build loyalty. And for your own well-being, as well as that of your staff, no one at your practice wants to answer that call at 2 a.m., either.
One solution is to consider collaborating with an online advice and triage service that will serve as an extension of your practice. Some third-party platforms operate independently of you and, in many cases, will not even notify you if they’ve had contact with your clients or made recommendations to them. However, other services will work with you and follow your protocols so that everything appears seamless to the client. These services will send you a report after every client contact that can be incorporated into your practice management system and allow you and your team to follow up at a time that works for all. They can help you during busy times of the day by handling overflow calls before they are sent to voicemail, help schedule appointments, and provide triage services — both while you’re open and after hours.
The media continues to emphasize how anxious people are, and our clients are no exception. There is also the constant messaging that attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and that people want immediate service. As pets have become important members of the family, clients do want to know whether a problem is urgent. They want to limit expenses when possible, while being willing to spend money when necessary.
When a third-party platform collaborates with a practice, the people helping your clients can identify themselves as someone affiliated with your practice, and they will follow your protocols for handling everything from administrative matters to emergencies. Client funds are not diverted to someone who might try to retain them for additional services and products. Clients are more likely to be loyal to you when they know you have their backs, even at 2 a.m.
Your staff is happier because calls they might not have been able to answer have been taken care of. They don’t have a long list of callbacks to make at the end of the day or have to listen to an irate client who wanted to be seen four hours ago because their cat started vomiting and who now claims that you don’t care. Or worse, the client is never coming back because she found someone else who could meet her needs, and by the way, “The cat is fine, no thanks to you.”
Technology is a great way to help your practice become more efficient, handle routine tasks and support your clients’ needs for simple requests. Technology can also help prevent your staff from becoming burnt out or feeling overworked and underappreciated. However, it’s the human connection that seals the deal, builds client loyalty, keeps staff happy and improves profitability.
Take time to review demand for services at your practice and determine how to best respond to shifts in a changing economy. A people-first technology service can augment the work of your staff, alleviate bottlenecks and provide customized information, including general advice and triage help, based on your protocols, to clients. This, in turn, improves client retention and loyalty and helps clients build trust so they are more inclined to follow your recommendations.
Don’t let another missed opportunity go by.