Email vs. Text: What’s Best for Veterinary Client Engagement?
The world has gone digital, making veterinary client communication more complex than ever. Pet owners expect convenient communication options, quick responses, and valuable information when interacting with veterinary teams. With email and short message service (SMS) now integrated into modern practice software, which communication channel should you choose to optimize the client experience?
Like most things in life, this question doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. Some messages benefit from the immediacy of an SMS notification, while others benefit from the detail and nuance an email provides. Understanding each channel’s strengths and limitations can help veterinary professionals streamline communication, improve client satisfaction, and build stronger client relationships.
Here’s what you should know about vet email marketing and SMS for vets.
Email for veterinary client engagement
Email is a powerful communication tool in veterinary medicine, particularly for detailed or educational content. Email allows for longer, more detailed messages and links, attachments, or images that strengthen your message and showcase your brand.
Teams can use vet email marketing to educate pet parents on routine topics, such as vaccination schedules and wellness or preventive care, or keep them updated on clinic happenings with a newsletter. Emails can also provide detailed appointment reminders, confirmations, follow-ups, pre- or post-visit instructions, and patient care summaries. With automation-enabled practice management software, staff members save valuable time while keeping clients engaged.
However, vet email marketing also has its downsides. Because of the large volume of emails most people get, not everyone checks email daily. Additionally, emails can get lost in spam folders, accidentally deleted, or ignored alongside countless others in a client’s inbox. A clear subject line that includes the pet’s name can entice clients to open your emails, but text messages may be the better option when you need a quick response or immediate action.
SMS messaging for veterinary client engagement
SMS helps vets reach clients instantly. Most smartphone users immediately see and open text messages, offering a near-perfect guarantee that pet owners will see essential notifications. SMS for vets is preferred for urgent appointment reminders, short messages, promotions, and last-minute updates.
A simple reminder and confirmation text requesting a response or providing a link to complete a virtual check-in can dramatically reduce no-shows and improve efficiency in a veterinary practice. With modern, cloud-based practice management systems, you can send personalized or automated SMS messages for hassle-free communication.
But, SMS for vets has limitations as well. Text messages are character-limited, meaning complex information must be condensed. If a message requires detailed instructions, an email or phone call might be a better fit. Additionally, while millennial and younger pet owners prefer texts, some clients still appreciate traditional communication channels like phone calls or postcard reminders.
Email versus text: striking a balance
Both media strategies can boost client engagement when you know how to use them together. Each serves a purpose—the key is matching the right communication method to each situation.
When to use email:
- Educational content
- New client or patient onboarding
- Vet email marketing (e.g., newsletters, announcements, or promotions)
- Detailed visit notes and instructions
- Sending attachments
- Reminders
When to use SMS for vets:
- Appointment reminders and confirmations
- Urgent messages
- Hospitalized patient updates
- Medication refill reminders
- Simple follow-ups
- Promotions and links
The benefits of multi-channel communication
Clients use multiple digital channels each day, including email, text messages, social media, and website chatbots, but traditional communication methods are still relevant. Sometimes, a phone call is the best way to maintain personal connections with veterinary clients.
The best communication strategy for your veterinary practice should adapt to the needs of your pet owners. Veterinary team members should balance communication methods to engage with clients, ensure messages get noticed, and boost client loyalty. Receiving messages on multiple channels reinforces the information you provide and helps you set expectations for the veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
The right approach for your veterinary clinic
Both email and text messages have a place in modern veterinary medicine. Email offers versatility for marketing, education, attachments, links, and more. However, clients may not read emails daily, and some messages are inevitably lost. SMS messages and notifications can supplement email messages and communicate vital updates urgently.
A veterinary practice management system that automates vet email marketing and text communications allows teams to implement client engagement strategies that benefit pet parents while reducing team workloads and stress. The most effective approach prioritizes clear, timely, and convenient communication to earn client loyalty, set appropriate expectations, and improve pet health outcomes.
Want more content like this?
