How to Improve the Veterinary Client Experience: A Step-by-Step Checkout Guide
The checkout process is easily overlooked in veterinary practice, but it’s one of the most important parts of a veterinary visit. Regardless of how the appointment goes, a poor checkout experience can leave a bad impression. Improving the veterinary client experience during checkout keeps the tone of each visit positive from start to finish, building trust and encouraging pet owners to return.
Instead of thinking of checkout as a single moment, treat it as the final step in the series of small, interconnected events that influence how clients feel about your practice. Use our step-by-step guide to learn how to optimize each step and prime pet owners for a better checkout experience.
Arrival: Setting clear expectations
When a client checks in, their first interaction shapes the tone for the visit. Friendly greetings are important, but clear information also matters. Clients feel confident in the clinic’s quality of care when they know what to expect, including costs and payment options.
For routine visits, confirm the scheduled services and typical doctor recommendations for the pet’s age and lifestyle. For sick visits, explain basic costs (e.g., exam, blood testing) and that the team will provide an estimate before any additional tests or treatments.
For payment questions, equip the front-desk staff with the knowledge and skills needed to counsel clients through basic options and direct them to the right place for more details or applications.
Exam room: Discussing costs openly
Cost conversations should happen during the appointment instead of blindsiding clients during checkout. When recommending diagnostics, medications, or procedures, provide an estimate and—most importantly—explain the value of each service.
For a spectrum of care approach with multiple treatment paths, ask the client to engage in an open discussion about what they can and cannot afford, then adjust recommendations to provide the best care plan within the client’s means. This flexibility builds trust and improves the veterinary client experience.
Treatment: Multi-tasking for efficiency
When pets are in “the back” for tests or treatments with your veterinary technicians, the room assistant can prepare invoices, dispense medications, and discuss discharge instructions. This kind of preparation ensures clients fully understand what was done and why before they head up front to pay the bill.
Payment efficiency like this sets the stage for a smooth, speedy checkout. It gives the reception team a head start and prevents rushing to ensure pet owners receive accurate statements and go home knowing that the hospital values their time and their wallet.
Checkout: Providing convenience and speed
In-room checkout can make the checkout process easier for clients with mobility issues, anxious pets, small children, or busy schedules. Handheld card readers provide flexibility for clients and keep lines from forming at reception. If your client forgets their wallet or needs to leave before a team member can check them out, mobile payment tools and emailed or texted invoices give them a way to pay on the go.
To enable the most modern and fastest payment options that clients expect, consider upgrading to a cloud-based veterinary practice management system. Modern software integrates and consolidates multiple payment systems into one easily managed dashboard, preventing mistakes and bottlenecks.
Clients notice when things are well-organized and when teams are stressed. Checkout becomes more manageable and less stressful for everyone when your team focuses on payment efficiency, communicates clearly, and gives clients more flexibility.
Departure: Following up after a visit
The veterinary client experience continues after the bill is settled. Included in your check-out process should be a follow-up email or text message thanking clients for visiting, checking in on pets, or asking for feedback to help you improve and show pet owners you care about the veterinary client experience.
A better checkout process
Veterinary clinic checkout processes can become a pain point. However, thinking about this part of the visit differently—as part of the larger veterinary client experience—can ensure a smooth close-out to each visit.
Improving payment efficiency, communicating clearly about cost, and offering flexible checkout options can turn stressful moments into positive ones for pet owners who are worried about balancing the cost of care with their pet’s health. A better veterinary client experience is possible when you focus on what pets and pet owners need, and how you can exceed expectations every day.
