Tag Archives: animal health

Veterinarian Examining a Dog During Treatment

Building Better Bonds: How to Become More Relevant to Veterinary Clients and Drive Growth

24 April 2023 Rajat Sharma Leave a comment The Onward Vet Resources and Veterinary Blog

Whether it be the local low-cost spay/neuter clinics or consolidated hospitals with cheaper services, the multitude of options available in the veterinary industry today has made retaining clients and maintaining profitability an uphill battle for many practices. 

It’s more important than ever for both new and established practices to focus on providing value and fostering customer loyalty if they want to stay ahead of the curve. 

Fortunately, this doesn’t call for a complete overhaul. The key is to adopt customer-centric strategies that meet the evolving needs of your veterinary client segment. 

Here are some effective approaches we recommend to become more relevant to your veterinary clients so that you can stand out in a crowded market and boost your bottom line. 

1. Understand Client Expectations

Before anything, knowing who your clients are and what they want is key. Are they millennials who want the very best for their furry family members, or more practical pet owners who prioritize affordability? Perhaps they’re a mix of both. 

Today’s clients expect transparency, convenience, and personalized care. They want to feel like they are a part of the decision-making process and that their opinions are valued. 

Some proactive steps you can take to understand your clients better include: 

  • Send out surveys to gauge their satisfaction with your services, what they would like to be added or improved, and how you can become more relevant to your veterinary clients. 
  • Encourage feedback after visits or appointments, either through your client communication portal or in person. 
  • Keep an eye on social media platforms to see what they are saying about your practice and the industry as a whole. 
  • Train your staff to ask questions and actively listen to clients to understand their needs and expectations. 
  • Stay up-to-date on industry trends and changes, such as emerging technology, new treatment options, and evolving client expectations. 

These will give you valuable insights on how to tailor more relevant services to your veterinary clients. 

2. Foster a Client-First Practice Culture 

The importance of placing the client at the center of your practice cannot be overstated. Not only does it help your practice become more relevant to your veterinary clients and stand out from competitors, but it also leads to increased client loyalty and referrals. 

According to a study conducted by Deloitte, customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than those that are not. That’s right, tailoring your business model to prioritize customer success rather than the bottom line ultimately increases revenue and profits. 

In addition, provide staff with the tools and resources they need to deliver an exceptional customer experience. As mentioned, they should learn to communicate effectively with clients, listen actively, and respond to their needs in a timely and effective manner. 

3. Personalize the Client Experience

Personalization goes hand in hand with creating a client-centered culture to become more relevant to your veterinary clients. This is because personalizing the client experience involves making each client feel valued and heard, which is impossible if your overall approach does not prioritize the customer. 

If you do get the foundation right, however, the little things will go a long way. Clients appreciate thoughtful actions from their vets, such as personalized emails, pet birthday greetings, or appointment reminder postcards because they show a genuine interest in their pets’ well-being. 

But while regular communication can help maintain client relationships, be careful not to bombard them with too many messages, reminders, or offers as it could annoy and even antagonize them. 

4. Segment Your Client Base

Two Dogs and A Cat Lying Together On a Cushion

One of the most effective approaches to make your services more relevant to your veterinary clients is segmentation. You can’t effectively reach and satisfy customers if you don’t know their differing needs. But more importantly, your services may become diluted if you try to cater to everyone. 

Collect and analyze client data to identify trends and patterns in their behavior. For example, you may find you have a high percentage of clients with senior pets who are concerned about age-related health issues rather than preventative care. 

Other examples of veterinary client segments are: 

  • Big dogs 
  • Small dogs 
  • Cats 
  • Animals with chronic conditions
  • High-risk breeds 
  • Active or performance pets 

Use the patient segments you identify to inform the services you offer so that you can be more relevant to your veterinary clients. 

However, be careful not to over-segment or create too many products as it could stretch you thin and compromise the quality of care you provide. 

5. Develop Targeted Services 

Once you understand who your clients are and what they need, create services and programs that proactively reach out to them. This is where targeted services come in. 

Some examples of targeted services you can offer different veterinary client segments include: 

  • Wellness Programs 

These mainly offer preventive care services. For example, puppy and kitten wellness programs usually include regular checkups, vaccinations, and parasite prevention. 

Pet owners are more likely to visit their vets for recommended services when they know they will be covered by a wellness plan, which means better care for the animals and increased revenue for your practice. 

  • Senior Pet Care 

Pet health needs change as they age. Offering specialized senior pet care services can help you address these changing needs. Senior pet care focuses more on blood work, dental exams, and pain management. 

You can also provide nutritional counseling and exercise programs that help maintain their quality of life as they age. 

  • Mobile Veterinary Services:

Become more relevant to your veterinary clients by offering mobile services for those who have difficulty coming to your practice. They can also be particularly helpful for clients with multiple pets or pets with mobility issues. 

Mobile services include everything from routine checkups and vaccinations to emergency care. 

Similarly, targeted information such as alerts, bulletins, workshops, and other forms of client outreach will keep them engaged and make you more relevant to pet owners. 

6. Leverage Technology 

With the right tools and software, what might seem like an overwhelming task of keeping up with client needs and preferences is made simple and easy. 

Technology like veterinary client management software helps you gather and store client information, track pet health records and appointments, and even manage practice inventory and billing. 

It also provides a centralized location for client communication, including sending appointment reminders, follow-up emails, and personalized messages — all the recommended tools for client-centric care. 

Onward Vet’s robust business and client management features have been a game changer for practices, helping them become more relevant to veterinary clients by exceeding their service expectations. 

We’re Here to Help 

Building a client-centered practice requires effort and a commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of your veterinary client segments. 

Onward Vet was built with this in mind, making it easier for vets to tailor their services to their clients. 

Schedule a free demo today to learn how our software can enhance your services and help you create a loyal and satisfied client base. 

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Pomeranian Dog on Diagnostic Table During In-Person Veterinary Visit

How to Reintroduce In-Person Care at Your Veterinary Clinic

6 April 2023 Rajat Sharma Leave a comment The Onward Vet Resources and Veterinary Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of daily life including veterinary visits, as telemedicine and virtual care became more prevalent and now continue to be an option many clients take. 

However, while the rise of technology in veterinary medicine has brought about easier access to information and communication, it can sometimes hinder the personal connections that are crucial for providing top-notch care in an in-person veterinary clinic. 

Fortunately, there are ways to incorporate the efficiency and convenience of technology into in-person veterinary care without compromising on its personal touch. 

Here are some of the ways veterinary practices can foster personal connections with their clients while still using technology to streamline processes and enhance patient care. 

1. Train Staff on Communication

Even with an in-person veterinary visit, communication is the main difference between a good experience for pets and their owners and a poor-quality one.

Effective communication requires staff to put clients at ease, provide clear explanations, and answer questions in a compassionate manner. On top of excellent communication skills, you should be able to read and respond to clients’ nonverbal cues. 

Providing training is a proactive way of ensuring staff members are able to effectively communicate with clients during veterinary visits. This can include role-playing exercises to practice empathetic listening, effective questioning techniques, and clear explanations of medical procedures and recommendations. 

2. Improve the Waiting Room Experience With Technology 

The waiting room is often the first point of contact for clients and their pets during a veterinary visit. As such, it is essential to make it a comfortable and welcoming environment. 

Fortunately, the technology used during the pandemic can also come in handy here. 

Here are some ways you can enhance the waiting room experience and create a more pleasant environment using these tools: 

  • Digital check-ins: Allow clients to check in for their appointments electronically via a tablet or smartphone, reducing the waiting time and chances of no-shows. 
  • Communication tools: Speaking of no-shows, messaging and appointment reminders are a great way to keep clients informed and engaged, thus improving follow-through on veterinary visits and overall satisfaction. 
  • Electronic boards: Use digital signage to display important information, educational materials, and upcoming events, creating an interactive and informative atmosphere. 

Remember, clients who receive good in-person veterinary care are more likely to return for future appointments and recommend the practice to others. 

3. Maintain the Positive Changes of Virtual Communications 

Before rushing to encourage in-person veterinary visits, identify the digital aspects that enhanced care during the telehealth boom. One way to do this is to survey clients about the remote care they received. 

Ask your clients what they loved about being able to access their pet’s health records online or receive reminders and updates via text. If your clinic did not provide these services, ask them if they would prefer them as an option moving forward. 

Once you’ve gathered your responses, decide which virtual and distanced options you want to keep or add to your practice’s day-to-day operations. 

Onward Vet Can Help 

Ultimately, your in-person veterinary clinic should prioritize better communication and understanding while using virtual communication to enhance the experience. 

With features such as automatic appointment scheduling and reminder postcards, Onward Vet’s cloud-based system can simplify your processes while improving client veterinary visits. 

Get access to a free two-week trial today and see how.

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The Benefits of IDEXX VetLab Software Interface

7 January 2014 owvet_admin Leave a comment The Onward Vet Resources and Veterinary Blog

As we discussed in an earlier blog post, Onward Vet’s cloud-based veterinary software is a good avenue for clinics that want to go paperless but don’t want the hassle of IT issues. One of the biggest benefits that it offers, though, is an interface that provides direct access to in-house lab equipment such as IDEXX VetLab Software Interface. IDEXX VetLab Interface provides benefits to veterinarians in addition to those provided by the rest of the Onward Vet software. Here’s a brief overview of how it can streamline the processes of a clinic.

Increases Medical Capabilities

Whenever a test is run on a patient at a lab, results are stored in a report via the IDEXX VetLab Station interface Additional tests and results are compiled into the same report over time, creating a cumulative representation of results and progress. This makes it easy to visualize recent results in comparison with past results, putting the progress into context. It also makes it much easier for the vet to detect abnormalities, which is better for the pet’s health. Veterinarians can view a graph of the patient’s results over time and easily detect changes so that health problems can be nipped in the bud.

Makes a More Productive Office

More time than you probably realize is wasted on data entry; often, receptionists enter the same data for the same patient more than once. Onward Vet stores all IDEXX VetLab results about a patient in its storage cloud, making it unnecessary to rummage through files, manually copy down information, and perform other tedious tasks. This is not only quicker and more efficient, it reduces the amount of errors, making the office a more productive place.

Provides Streamlined Business Management

The bottom line is that customers like to know that they’re visiting an organized and well-maintained office. No one wants to dread visiting the clinic, knowing they’ll have a long wait time while the receptionist digs up old records and copies down new ones. Having a streamlined management system helps to gain customer loyalty. It also provides employees with the peace of mind of accuracy – they’ll know every test result will be attributed to the right patient, since it’s done automatically. Most importantly, it’s cost-effective. It keeps track of important patient records, like prescriptions and bills, ensuring that payments are up to date. Visitors are happy with the quick and easy service, and you will never compromise profits by forgetting to collect a bill.

Having such software is beneficial for clinic owners, pets, pet owners, and employees. When records don’t get lost and service is quick, everyone is satisfied and the job gets done efficiently.

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