CASE STUDY
A 22-Year Journey to Operational Excellence
Companion Veterinary Care Center, a one-doctor, small animal practice in South Carolina, has built its reputation over 22 years by providing exceptional care to pets and their families. Like many practices, this long-standing clinic faced administrative challenges that threatened to rob both the practice owner and her team of valuable time—time that could be better spent with clients and patients.
When the practice transitioned from Cornerstone to Neo software, practice owner Jennifer Lockhart realized that switching to a fully integrated payment solution was not just a logical next step. It was essential.
Company
Companion Veterinary Care Center
South Carolina
Products
Neo Software
Challenge
From manual entry to automated accuracy
The most significant pain point before IDEXX Payments was the manual entry of credit card transactions. Every payment had to be typed in by hand, creating frequent errors that then required time-consuming investigation to resolve. “When you find out there’s a mistake and then have to do investigative work to figure out where it came from, that could take anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours,” the practice explains.
With IDEXX Payments fully integrated into Neo, those manual steps disappeared entirely. “It just automatically takes the payment you are making. It does everything, so you don’t have to worry about it.” The result: zero guesswork and zero room for human error in payment processing.
Solution
End-of-day reconciliation: from hours to one minute
Perhaps the most dramatic improvement is in daily reconciliation. The practice closes at 5:30 p.m., and with IDEXX Payments, the owner now completes end-of-day processing by 5:31 p.m.—literally one minute. “I no longer have to count credit card slips. I just print out the end-of-day sheet, it matches everything, and I can go home,” she notes.
This transformation means the practice owner reclaims time she previously spent on administrative tasks—time that can now be spent on what matters: patient care, staff management, or simply going home to her family.
Unlocking new capabilities
Beyond streamlining existing workflows, IDEXX Payments has enabled new functionality. Payment links (secure, private payment options that clients can access directly on their phones) have become an unexpected favorite. The practice now uses payment links for clients who forget payment methods, deposit collection for new clients, and after-hours pickups of medications and food.
Another powerful feature: surcharging.* By enabling clients to cover part of their credit card processing fees, the practice is helping to offset costs without sacrificing service quality. “Credit card fees on small businesses just wreak havoc,” Lockhart said. “This is a way that we can give great service, do what we need to do, but also be able to keep some of that money in our bank account so that we can pay our employees a little bit better.”
Results
Seamless integration, minimal disruption
The transition itself was remarkably smooth. The practice switched from Neo Payments to IDEXX Payments overnight with zero downtime. “We left work one day using Neo Payments, and we came in the next day up and running with IDEXX Payments. It was streamlined. It was seamless,” the Lockhart recalls.
Training the team was equally painless. “It’s so user friendly. It’s just basically point and click.” Staff adoption was immediate with no learning curve or resistance.
The result: true operational excellence
When asked to distill the most significant benefit of IDEXX Payments into a single sentence, Lockhart answered: “Streamlining our end of day but also streamlining every transaction. We’re able to talk more with our clients because we’re not stressed about if we put in the amount right. IDEXX Payments has taken the worry out of it. So, I’m able to talk with my clients. I’m able to pet a few extra dogs throughout the day. It just streamlined everything.”
“We’re able to talk more with our clients because we’re not stressed about if we put in the amount right. IDEXX Payments has taken the worry out of it. So, I’m able to talk with my clients. I’m able to pet a few extra dogs throughout the day. It just streamlined everything.”
—Jennifer Lockhart, Owner, Companion Veterinary Care Center
Conclusion
That’s what operational excellence looks like: a practice where the systems work for the team, not the other way around.
For more information, please visit our website at https://software.idexx.com/idexx-payments
*Surcharging is subject to federal and state laws, as well as card-network rules, which vary by jurisdiction and change over time. IDEXX does not provide legal or regulatory advice. Customers are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and requirements and should consult their own legal advisors before enabling surcharging.