Why VetCheck makes good business sense

Providing veterinary practices with an easy-to-use client education platform to enhance their quality of care, save time, improve compliance and outcomes, build stronger client relationships and drive growth.

VetCheck is helping nearly 2000 practices to grow their practices through better-informed clients.

Background

As veterinarians and support team members, our training focuses heavily on the technical approach to pet health care. In the real world, one of the most important roles in the clinical process is communicating with clients to achieve the best outcomes. However, client communication is one of the greatest challenges in practice with communication breakdowns leading to many problems seen in the practice, including lost business and burnout.

• 80% of pet owners do not follow through with recommendations due to confusion
• Pet owners only take in 40% of what the veterinarian says
• Inadequate communication is the #1 cause for complaints against vets at the vet board
• 34% of pet owners only going to the vet when the pet is sick

VetCheck can help you avoid these unforeseen losses and reduce risks by implementing a solution that automatically produces timely, comprehensive client communications that support your veterinary recommendations.

VetCheck makes life easier for veterinary teams when it comes to client communication, giving vet teams more time, more control and less paperwork.

• 99% pet owner open rate
• Increase the uptake of services and products by up to 30% with supporting education
• Save up to 10 hours a week in history taking with the pre-consultation tools
• Save 10 minutes per consultation with supporting client communications
• Decrease client call-backs and emails during and after hours
• Meet the requirements of the Vet Board client communication guidelines

VetCheck is for forward-thinking individuals and teams who are committed to focusing on the client to drive value and high quality care.

There is a lot of research that shows that practices that focus on communication and customer service are more profitable. And this makes sense as pet owners cannot easily compare practices based on medical expertise and technical skill, but can compare based on customer service and perceived value. Our VetCheck client communication resources support teams so they can better deliver their clinical expertise, build stronger client relationships and reach their full potential with maximum efficiency.

Educating clients on their pet’s healthcare needs and the value of your services is essential to customer satisfaction, increased compliance, and appointment and service conversions. Without good client communication, you are simply losing client trust and business.

The REAL cost of client confusion

Poor education can result in one appointment lost per day	Average visit to the vet @ $270 x 261* days	$70,000 of business lost each year
90% of unhappy customers tell around 10 people of their experience	Loss of 11 pet lifetime values (LV@ $2000)	$22,000 of business lost per unhappy client
Veterinarians can spend an extra 1 hour a day on callbacks and emails	Cost based on 4 consultatios per hour @ $270 x 4 x 261 days	$280,000 of unbillable business a year

*261 working days in a year

VetCheck

VetCheck not only offers up to date client education tools to enhance you and your teams quality of care, it also has a number of other business benefits that will be covered here. With VetCheck you can save both time and money, while increasing client satisfaction.

1. Reduces paperwork

Practices can spend an extra 3 minutes per client at check in and hours of filing or scanning in paperwork. This is not an effective use of time when it comes to a time poor veterinary team.

Your clients are mobile. Your communications should be too. Reducing paperwork can increase client engagement and decrease confusion. Sharing brochures, leaflets or paper handouts is like offering a client an out-dated magazine and expecting them to read it. Mobile is the leading platform for consuming content and your clients are more likely to engage with personalised, customised information that is relevant to them.

And simply reducing paper and printing costs associated with forms, handouts and appointment cards alone makes business sense.

2. Exceptional customer service

Veterinary nurses play an important role in providing exceptional customer service. They are the client-facing team members that can make a huge difference in the customer’s experience. Exceptional customer service and client education can lead to more product sales and appointment and service bookings.

In order for your team to offer this exceptional service, they need the tools for seamless patient care transition between veterinarians, nurses, reception and client to prevent miscommunication and ensure the pet gets the appropriate care. Vet nurses, from the veterinarian’s practice management records, can easily create digital discharge instructions and treatment plans such as Sample 1, Sample 2. They can be easily followed at the time of discharge and shared digitally to the client where they can review over and over again. Veterinary teams should be trained to discuss the veterinarian’s practice record, discuss medication directions and treatment plans. Inconsistent communication can lead to confusion, lost trust and lost business.

Why waste money on marketing and client acquisition strategies, if your team cannot educate these potential clients on the value of your services at the first interaction with your practice, which is usually over the phone?

3. Staff retention

Educational support can increase staff retention and better-trained staff can lead to more bookings. Giving your team the tools such as digital pet care and nurse clinic resources, will give them the confidence to respond to client questions. A knowledgeable team will instil trust and encourage your clients to think of you when it comes to their pet health questions.

Happier clients leads to healthier pets and in return results in job satisfaction.

4. Better care

Pet healthcare should extend past the consultation. Personalised, digital treatment plans, discharge instructions or pet reports at each client interaction will only improve client knowledge of the problem and care options to drive informed compliance to your recommendations. Long-term management of chronic diseases can be done with convenient online health assessments. Improved care beyond the consultation can improve client retention and grow your practice.

5. Improves compliance

Improved compliance and patient care increase revenue. 80% of customers do not go through with recommendations due to confusion – this is lost income. Simply educating the clients on the importance of long-term preventatives or wellness programs is smart business. Education should be consistent and at every client interaction – over the phone, in the consultation, at discharge, via your social media, your blog or newsletters.

Avoid surprises and potential complaints by educating your clients verbally and in writing. A detailed explanation of the condition, tests, services and costs speaks volumes. When shared digitally, it can ensure that all primary carers are informed and on board with your recommendations. Cancellation of services due to the lack of understanding can lose the practice money.

Give your clients the best chance at doing what they need to for their pet.

6. Adds value

Personalised veterinary discharge instructions show that you care. Visual aids such as cat anatomy and dog anatomy, veterinary videos Visual aids, handouts and written instructions go a long way to adding value and in the uptake of veterinary services. People think and hear in pictures [2], so the use of visual aids in the practice will help re-affirm your recommendations.

7. Increases awareness of the practices services

Targeted educational patient awareness campaigns such as parasite prevention programs, annual health checks, regular lump checks, vaccinations, puppy schools, weight loss programs, arthritis management programs can easily be marketed with free online health assessments with “call to actions” to contact the practice or make a booking. These can be easily shared as email reminders, on social media or in newsletters.

VetCheck is key in the customer lifecycle

AWARENESS Initial discovery of your service	VETCHECK Website pet library Social media Blog articles
KNOWLEDGE Seeks more knowlege from clinic or competitors	VETCHECK Share practice information or general health information
SELECTION Decides on the service and makes the appointment	VETCHECK Share online forms, pre-consult health assessments, what to expect Digital appointment cards
RETENTION A positive experience will encourage loyalty	VETCHECK Pre visit welcome packs In consult visual aids Post consult visit summaries Discharge instructions Treatment plans
ADVOCACY An exceptional experience will bring their peers	Customer satisfaction surveys Chronic care health assessments 24/7 access to pet reports Continuous milestone alerts

[1] Todd. 2008

[2] Benchmarks 2015: A Study of Well-Managed Practices. Columbus, OH: WTA Veterinary Consultants & Advanstar Publishing; 2016:43