{"id":23618,"date":"2023-04-24T00:00:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T00:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=23618"},"modified":"2024-01-30T12:21:50","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T17:21:50","slug":"digital-tools-the-key-to-engaging-todays-pet-owners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/digital-tools-the-key-to-engaging-todays-pet-owners\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Tools: The Key to Engaging Today’s Pet Owners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trying to keep up with the challenges facing the veterinarian world can be difficult, as practices face staff shortages, the drive to add new treatments and new approaches to care, while also working to grow their businesses and continuously respond to clients\u2019 evolving needs.<\/p>\n

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This sponsored article is brought to you by MWI Animal Health<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On top of all that, today\u2019s veterinary practices need to ensure the new generation of millennial customers are getting exceptional care for the animals they love, in a way that meets not only their technological needs, but also their expectations of the care experience and relationships with the practice.<\/p>\n

So why does this demographic and its changing demands matter? Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers as the largest living adult generation in the U.S., according to population estimates<\/a>\u00a0from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to Ypulse (a research company that specializes in millennials and Gen Z), some 76 percent of millennials<\/a> own pets, and are three times more likely to be pet parents than they are to be parents of children.<\/p>\n

It’s not just about the number of owners. Millennials consider taking good care of their pets a priority and are willing to commit time and significant financial resources to ensure their companion animals are healthy.<\/p>\n

Although millennials have a reputation for loving flashy tech, that may not be the best fit for every clinic. Rather than focusing on \u201ctech for tech’s sake,\u201d veterinary practices should use technology to improve outcomes for their patients, provide more benefits to practice teams, and to deliver specific benefits such as extended reach, removing barriers, automated processes, supporting decisions, and accelerating action and feedback.<\/p>\n

A new approach for a new generation<\/h3>\n

Veterinary medicine is a service profession, which means the practice offers proactive customer communication that both educates and reminds people about the practitioner-recommended care their pets need.<\/p>\n

Millennial clients look for a consumer experience that offers ease and instant gratification. The standard routine of calling a clinic, being placed on hold and then trying to sync schedules based on availability no longer fits. Other historical norms, such as maintaining paper medical records, can bog down the efficiency of staff and negatively impact the pet owner\u2019s experience. But there are multiple proactive communication touchpoints that \u2013 if digitized, can revolutionize your business.<\/p>\n

Millennials want pet health care to resemble\u00a0the\u00a0high-touch\u00a0experience\u00a0of\u00a0human health care.\u00a0Simple\u00a0measures,\u00a0such\u00a0as sending out appointment reminders to customers via text,\u00a0are well received,\u00a0as indicated by\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>recent survey<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0millennial pet owners,\u00a0which showed that the majority of respondents wanted\u00a0to receive\u00a0such notifications.\u00a0However,\u00a0practices\u00a0need to strike the\u00a0right\u00a0balance\u00a0in terms of communicating with\u00a0customers, prioritizing\u00a0the\u00a0quality\u00a0of their outreach\u00a0versus\u00a0the\u00a0quantity.\u00a0This generation of pet parents are savvy, and can recognize a generic, blanket email by the subject line.\u00a0If your practice\u2019s\u00a0communications\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0tailored\u00a0targeted enough,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0likely\u00a0to be\u00a0left\u00a0ignored and unread, leaving\u00a0customers with a\u00a0subpar impression.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than requiring veterinary team members to remember everything about every patient and who needs what treatment, preventative, or wellness visit next, your practice can automate routine connections, which will help keep your clients happy and your patients healthy.<\/p>\n

Having the right tools<\/h3>\n

In our role of partnering with veterinary practices to give them the tools they need, AllyDVM provides the most sophisticated suite of software services in the veterinary industry to support maximizing patient outcomes, client satisfaction, client retention and practice growth.<\/p>\n

These include:<\/p>\n