Amplify your veterinary practice’s client relationships with technology

Clients today want control over when and how they consume products and services, on their own terms and using a method that best suits them. Pet owners are no exception. If anything, they may be among the most emphatic examples of the rule.

As Forbes describes it: “Today, your customer wants to have a ‘relationship’ with you. You must be ready to interact with them personally, in a manner as nuanced as possible. Likewise, you need to meet your customers where they are and in the channels they prefer.”¹

While this trend might seem overwhelming, this isn’t really a new trend for veterinarians.

Making house calls for pets that may be too big to move, personally answering the phone at all hours of the night, effectively listening to every word a pet owner says to discern clues for a diagnosis – such things are commonplace in the veterinary world. In the broader business world, though, such levels of customer care might be seen as going above and beyond relationship-building. For you, it’s just business as usual.

For context, most businesses today are battling on two fronts to figure out how to meaningfully care for clients on a personal level, while also harnessing technology to maintain the health of these relationships at scale. Your clients come to you because they trust your expertise, they know you care, and even in the scariest of situations, they hope that you can help.

That’s about as meaningful as customer relationships get in the business world. Because you’re already working at that level, you have the luxury of considering client communications technology as a way to simply do more of the good things you’re already doing more efficiently.

There isn’t much more you can be told as a veterinary professional about maintaining healthy client relationships. It’s in your DNA. When it comes to evaluating technology that can amplify your client communications capabilities, it doesn’t hurt to know a little more about the mechanics of these systems. That way, you’re always in the driver’s seat powering your practice forward.

What you can expect from client communication platforms

In person-to-person communications with clients, what you say is naturally informed by what you know and what you observe. A client communications platform functionally operates the same way for all broader communications. Instead of relying on your own brainpower, though, it relies on a system of record like a practice management system but for unified communications.  And while “unified communications” sounds like a lofty marketing aspiration, it just translates to consistency and integrity.

Whether it’s email, social media, post cards, text reminders, smoke signals, telegraphs, or in person – all communications should have the same levels of relevance, value and core elements that have always been the foundation for your client relationships.

You don’t have to build the technology for this system yourself. It’s built for you. Ideally, it should even be fine-tuned to your specific needs or preferences by an implementation team that takes care of the technical details. This is especially important if you’ve already established useful, yet manual client communication efforts.

The rules for your practice of what to say, when and where to say it, and how responses are fielded do not – and should not – be abandoned r in exchange for out-of-the-box configurations. The more the platform’s rules for automated communications and outreach efforts are informed by your knowledge of your clients in your community, the more valuable that platform will be for you.

Granted, these are still high-level expectations for a client communications platform. In terms of specific benefits and enhancements, though, what should you expect to see from an effective implementation at your practice?

Here are a few common examples:

Timely, proactive communications on your clients’ terms

It’s easy to adapt to pet and pet-owner needs and preferences in person at your practice, but doing so at scale and across any channel should be equally easy with an integrated client communications platform. Along with controlling what you communicate to your clients, the platform should also enable clients to choose how and when they want to receive communications from your practice.

For example, they may choose to receive reminder notifications and appointment confirmations by SMS and repeat prescriptions by email. They may also opt-in to receive newsletters with valuable and interesting practice information, or they may prefer to simply follow updates on your Facebook page.

This flexibility lets your client receive communications that are relevant to them via a channel that is convenient and suits their lifestyle and technology choices. This personalized, reliable communication ensures that when you need to reach your clients, they’re willing to listen, and the same goes for when they need to reach you. This way of communicating should gradually become less of an intentional effort and more a function of communicative muscle memory.

It’s just what happens, or as one veterinarian put it:

“I like the fact that I can reset the reminders at the beginning of the year. I set it, forget it, and don’t have to worry about it again, because it all drives itself.” – Paul Lukianovich, VMD, Owner, Marlton Animal Hospital

Client convenience and satisfaction around scheduling

If you’re already using a practice management system, you probably know how much of a difference convenient scheduling capabilities can make. When potential openings for follow-ups or periodical check-ins can be quickly presented to a client and locked in before they head out the door, that’s one more block of time for a day in the future when things will probably go to plan.

An effective client communications tool should extend that ease and convenience to your clients as well. With online scheduling, for example, if a client is preoccupied with a hard-pulling pup while trying to cash-out, there’s no need to anxiously thumb through a calendar app or day-planner to make the next appointment. Later in the day, back at the office with their work schedule in front of them, or even after hours at home, that client can book their next appointment at their convenience through a portal on your website.

With your clients’ preferred communication channels, and your preferences for what channel should be used for various types of messages stored in the platform, clients can get appointment updates and reminders the way they want to receive them. Proactively, clients could opt in to get post-appointment scheduling reminders or up-coming reminders via email or text—in case the client might need multi-channel memory assistance.

Improved compliance with recommendations

Functionally, an integrated client communications solution should close the loop with automated client communications, appointment confirmations and updates, and every touchpoint in between for how your reach clients and how they reach you. This lifts the responsibility from your staff for manual outreach, but it also does the same for your clients. With an integrated communications solution, you create a dynamic where your clients benefit from opting in and responding to your communications, making them all the more receptive to future communications.

When it comes to client compliance, this virtuous cycle of valued communications can make a dramatic difference. When you need to reach clients to remind them to refill an on-going prescription or to give them an important refresher on a specific long-term care plan, your clients will be significantly more apt to listen. When better client communications translate to better compliance, that translates to better patient outcomes.

Centralized technology and data insights

The capabilities you gain from a client communications platform are great, but that’s not where the value stops. What you learn from your communications with clients can also become a huge asset to your business.

With an automated, integrated solution, you can receive real-time reporting on every aspect of your client communications. You can, for example, measure communication responsiveness down to the individual level to see how each of your communication campaigns have performed, so you can fine-tune them for even better results. Instead of having to keep track of every detail of every exchange with each client annually, a centralized, integrated system ensures every interaction becomes data you can analyze. This comes in handy if you need to diagnose communication difficulties. It can also be useful for identifying receptive client champions.

For example, if a client who has only opted into email or text reminders repeatedly no-shows to appointments, it may be wise to try calling the client or sending a direct mail post card. The data in your client communications platform should help you troubleshoot the disconnect.

Virtual and safe connections with telemedicine

With the growth of telemedicine, veterinarians can now make digital home visits.

Powerful technology with video conferencing and two-way texting enables veterinarians to conduct exams as if they were face-to-face*. This allows personalized care for pets in more complex situations and gives clients the choice of two-way chat, or phone or video conferencing. This latest communication technology also allows quicker follow-up consults and rechecks after hours.

“[Our] client communication system is a critical tool for us to stay in touch with our clients about their appointments and care. With video conferencing, we not only maintain communication but it’s easier for us to actively deliver care for our patients. It’s the next best thing to having the patient physically in front of you.” – Alinda Higgins, CVT, Manager, East Lake Hospital for Animals, Ltd.

Consider an integrated communications solution for your practice

If you want to extend the expertise and care you give clients in-house beyond the four walls of your practice, client communications technology can be a game-changer. Remember, though, that effective communication starts with effective client relationships. Technology can only amplify the dynamics you already have in place. Keep doing all the great things you do for your clients everyday and look for a client communications platform that enables you to do even more, easily and efficiently.

For learn more about how the Covetrus Comms solution can help you amplify your practice’s client relationships with automated, integrated communications.

*Practices should confirm that telehealth is allowed in their state.

¹ Trajanov, Tosho. Business Communication in the Customer Experience Era. Forbes (April 7, 2020).
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/07/business-communication-in-the-customer-experience-era/