How Text Messages Can Increase Veterinary Practice Revenue and Client Engagement
Veterinary practices have more tools than ever to reach and engage pet owners, but one consistently outperforms the rest by providing real-time, cost-effective communication: text messaging.
SMS messaging is versatile, providing a quick and low-effort means to remind clients about upcoming appointments, provide updates on hospitalized patients, and check in after visits. Efficient communication methods like veterinary SMS marketing improve client engagement and can indirectly increase revenue while easing the team’s workload.
Here’s why texting your clients is a smart business strategy for veterinary clinics.
Texting reduces no-shows
No-shows cause scheduling headaches and can be a direct hit to your vet clinic’s bottom line. Each missed appointment leaves lost revenue, wasted time, and a gap in pet care in its wake. While phone calls and voicemail reminders may go unnoticed, text reminders have an average open rate of over 90% and are typically read within three minutes of receipt.
With practice management software that leverages automated appointment reminders, you can set up timely notifications that keep your clients accountable for their scheduled time. Many modern systems also support two-way texting or allow integrations with client engagement platforms so pet owners can respond directly to texts to reschedule, cancel, or ask questions.
Texting improves front desk productivity
Front desk staff get pulled in a dozen directions throughout the day. Phone calls can keep them chained to the desk and unable to complete other work or tend to clients in the building. Texting helps streamline communication, freeing your team members to focus on the day’s appointment flow. And, text-based check-ins and checkouts help appointment flow to go smoothly, so you can see more patients and increase revenue.
Clients prefer texting
Millennials dominate modern pet parent demographics, and this generation frequently screens calls or ignores them. Texting is their preferred communication channel because it’s fast, familiar, and convenient.
A business text or client engagement platform with SMS capability allows clients to communicate with the hospital in their preferred way, strengthening connections and loyalty. Small interactions like these build up over time, reinforcing the perception that your veterinary practice is modern, attentive, and easy to work with.
Texting encourages repeat visits
Pet healthcare management is ongoing, and veterinary client communication should follow suit. Following up after and between visits via SMS messages shows clients that your team is invested in their pet’s well-being. Texting also encourages more frequent and consistent visits, which translates to higher revenue.
Use a text-based client engagement campaign to promote underused services like wellness screenings, vaccinations, or dental cleanings. The occasional text reminds pet owners about your services without being intrusive or overbearing.
Getting started with texting in your practice
Most veterinary clients and employees are familiar with text-based communications, making it intuitive and easy for the team to adopt. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Choose a text platform — Upgrade your practice software to a cloud-based system with built-in texting, or sign up for a third-party client engagement platform compatible with your current system.
- Create shortcuts — Use templates and automation to ensure a consistent message tone and save the team valuable time.
- Keep communication lines open — Enable two-way texting so clients can respond to messages or send new inquiries.
- Record interactions — Keep records of client communication to ensure continuity of care. A text platform that integrates with your PIMS can record these conversations automatically.
- Capture phone numbers — Ask for updated cell phone numbers and consent to send messages during the client onboarding process to keep everyone on the same page.
A small change with big potential
Communication has changed drastically in recent years as new technologies—and reasons to use them—emerge. SMS messaging meets the most pressing needs of today’s veterinary clients while reducing call volume and stress for veterinary teams. Effective client communication doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending a text.
