6 common veterinary communication challenges
Client communication affects nearly every part of the day, from scheduling appointments to preparing clients for care. When messages, calls, and follow-ups rely on extra steps, your team can spend more time tracking down information and clients may miss what they need. Do any of these six challenges sound familiar?
1.
Your phone is ringing off the hook
From overdue service reminders, to appointment scheduling, to confirmation calls, phone-based booking can add unnecessary phone traffic to every appointment. Keeping up with these calls on top of an already busy call volume could prove challenging for your team.
2.
Your clients can’t reach you
Clients don’t want to call multiple times or wait on hold to ask a question or make an appointment. When clients don’t know how to best reach you, frustration builds and may impact future interactions.
3.
Your clients arrive unprepared for appointments
New and returning clients are not always aware―or may not remember―your client’s protocols. This can result in reduced compliance with pre-appointment instructions such as remembering to bring fecal or urine samples, completing activities like bringing in a fecal sample, or completing pre-appointment paperwork.
4.
Your waiting area is crowded
The flow of traffic in your waiting area is inconsistent, with clients showing up early, late, or not at all.
5.
Clients are reluctant to consent to additional services
Client conversion for same-day preventive care services such as routine blood work or urinalyses is typically low. Clients aren’t always prepared to commit or pay for additional testing and can be caught off guard or need more time to consider your recommendations.
6.
Your technology causes delays and backups
Shaky internet, slow service, or software problems can bring your day to a screeching halt. Software that doesn’t integrate perfectly forces staff to stitch together multiple solutions via workarounds and manual or duplicate data entry.
Want to dive deeper?
These six challenges are common across practices, but they're not the only part of the story. Download the full guide:
Talking the talk: Client communication strategies for Cornerstone practices