Managing a veterinary practice can be overwhelming. From attending to patients and their distressed owners to managing finances, countless tasks require attention to detail and quick response times.
That’s where technology saves the day.
One of the most valuable aids in a modern veterinary practice’s toolkit is a cloud-based task management software that streamlines operations and improves efficiency, freeing up valuable time and resources for delivering high-quality patient care and client service.
While you might already have systems that work for you, we’re willing to bet that things can be easier, faster, and most importantly, better for your bottom line.
Here’s how and why using veterinary cloud software can make your practice more successful.
What Is Cloud-Based Software?
A cloud-based veterinary practice management system is hosted and accessed entirely online, meaning all data and applications are stored remotely and can be securely accessed from anywhere using an internet-connected device.
On the other hand, traditional software requires complex installations, hardware upgrades, and ongoing maintenance, which can be time-consuming and costly. Manual data backups and updates also increase the risk of data loss or corruption. This can be particularly problematic for smaller or newer practices that may not have the resources or expertise to manage complex IT systems
Veterinary cloud software provides a modern, flexible, and convenient solution.
Benefits of Veterinary Cloud-Based Software
Increased Efficiency and Productivity Through Streamlined Workflows and Automation
Convenience and cost-efficiency of cloud-based task management software extend beyond the setup stage.
In fact, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A good system is like having a superhero assistant who streamlines workflows and takes time-consuming tasks off your hands, freeing up your focus to give your patients your best.
For example, appointment scheduling and check-ins are notoriously time-consuming procedures, but veterinary cloud software simplifies them. It allows clients to schedule appointments online, while you and your staff can access all their relevant information from any device. No more endless phone calls, missed appointments, or paperwork. Everything is organized and smooth-running.
Speaking of paperwork, electronic medical records and treatment plans are a game-changer for practices that use cloud-based software. Rather than sifting through stacks of paper records or trying to decipher handwritten notes, clinic staff and doctors can quickly and easily find the information they need to make informed decisions about a patient’s care.
Other veterinary cloud software features that significantly improve efficiency and productivity include:
Prescription management and refill requests through electronic prescriptions and automatic reminders.
Inventory management and ordering through tracking and automatic reordering.
Reports and real-time data help practice owners and managers make informed decisions and identify areas for improvement.
Improved Patient Care and Client Experience Through Better Communication
At the heart of veterinary medicine is the relationship between patients, clients, and their healthcare providers —communication plays a critical role in building this trust and loyalty.
Unfortunately, old-school methods like phone calls, emails, and snail mail can be inefficient and prone to miscommunication. Veterinary cloud-based software tools enable practices to enhance their communication and create a seamless client experience without the hassle.
Tools such as online appointment scheduling and automatic reminders make it easy for clients to book appointments at their convenience, while reminders minimize missed appointments and ensure timely follow-ups.
Cloud-based task management software also allows you to send personalized messages and postcards to clients based on their pet’s health status or pet birthdays.
These personalized touches go a long way in making your clients feel valued and improving their satisfaction with your services.
Better Financial Performance
Accurate accounting is crucial for any business, but it can be tough to get it right. Mistakes in billing, slow payment processing, and inefficient financial reporting can eat into your profits and take up valuable time.
One of the key benefits of veterinary cloud software is that it streamlines and automates many financial tasks. For example, payment processing and collection can be a headache for veterinarians, but cloud software makes it a breeze. It allows you to offer clients many payment options, including online payments, making it easier for them to purchase your services and settle vet bills on time.
Financial reporting and analysis is also a critical tool as it keeps you informed on where your practice stands financially, helps you identify areas for improvement, and informs decisions that impact the long-term success of your practice.
Increased Data Security and Compliance
Traditional software and paper-based records can put sensitive patient data at risk due to theft, loss, or damage. Additionally, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires practices to protect clients’ confidential information and can result in significant penalties for violations.
Veterinary cloud software provides enhanced data security and ensures your practice stays compliant with these regulations. For example, Onward Vet’s robust security features ensure all data is stored in secure, remote servers that use advanced encryption and security protocols to safeguard against access breaches or cyber threats.
In addition, the data backup and recovery services of a cloud management system prevent the loss of valuable hospital or client information in case of any accidents.
You can rest easy knowing your management software maintains the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your practice’s data.
The Results Are Tangible
No doubt, cloud-based software will continue to transform the way veterinary clinics and hospitals operate. From streamlined workflows to automated processes, numerous practices have experienced tangible improvements in their efficiency, profitability, and client satisfaction after implementing veterinary cloud-based software.
But don’t just take our word for it, try it out for yourself. Schedule a free two-week trial of Onward Vet’s cloud-based task management software today and experience firsthand how our platform can take your practice to the next level.
Whether it be the local low-cost spay/neuter clinics or consolidated hospitals with cheaper services, the multitude of options available in the veterinary industry today has made retaining clients and maintaining profitability an uphill battle for many practices.
It’s more important than ever for both new and established practices to focus on providing value and fostering customer loyalty if they want to stay ahead of the curve.
Fortunately, this doesn’t call for a complete overhaul. The key is to adopt customer-centric strategies that meet the evolving needs of your veterinary client segment.
Here are some effective approaches we recommend to become more relevant to your veterinary clients so that you can stand out in a crowded market and boost your bottom line.
1. Understand Client Expectations
Before anything, knowing who your clients are and what they want is key. Are they millennials who want the very best for their furry family members, or more practical pet owners who prioritize affordability? Perhaps they’re a mix of both.
Today’s clients expect transparency, convenience, and personalized care. They want to feel like they are a part of the decision-making process and that their opinions are valued.
Some proactive steps you can take to understand your clients better include:
Send out surveys to gauge their satisfaction with your services, what they would like to be added or improved, and how you can become more relevant to your veterinary clients.
Encourage feedback after visits or appointments, either through your client communication portal or in person.
Keep an eye on social media platforms to see what they are saying about your practice and the industry as a whole.
Train your staff to ask questions and actively listen to clients to understand their needs and expectations.
Stay up-to-date on industry trends and changes, such as emerging technology, new treatment options, and evolving client expectations.
These will give you valuable insights on how to tailor more relevant services to your veterinary clients.
2. Foster a Client-First Practice Culture
The importance of placing the client at the center of your practice cannot be overstated. Not only does it help your practice become more relevant to your veterinary clients and stand out from competitors, but it also leads to increased client loyalty and referrals.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte, customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than those that are not. That’s right, tailoring your business model to prioritize customer success rather than the bottom line ultimately increases revenue and profits.
In addition, provide staff with the tools and resources they need to deliver an exceptional customer experience. As mentioned, they should learn to communicate effectively with clients, listen actively, and respond to their needs in a timely and effective manner.
3. Personalize the Client Experience
Personalization goes hand in hand with creating a client-centered culture to become more relevant to your veterinary clients. This is because personalizing the client experience involves making each client feel valued and heard, which is impossible if your overall approach does not prioritize the customer.
If you do get the foundation right, however, the little things will go a long way. Clients appreciate thoughtful actions from their vets, such as personalized emails, pet birthday greetings, or appointment reminder postcards because they show a genuine interest in their pets’ well-being.
But while regular communication can help maintain client relationships, be careful not to bombard them with too many messages, reminders, or offers as it could annoy and even antagonize them.
4. Segment Your Client Base
One of the most effective approaches to make your services more relevant to your veterinary clients is segmentation. You can’t effectively reach and satisfy customers if you don’t know their differing needs. But more importantly, your services may become diluted if you try to cater to everyone.
Collect and analyze client data to identify trends and patterns in their behavior. For example, you may find you have a high percentage of clients with senior pets who are concerned about age-related health issues rather than preventative care.
Other examples of veterinary client segments are:
Big dogs
Small dogs
Cats
Animals with chronic conditions
High-risk breeds
Active or performance pets
Use the patient segments you identify to inform the services you offer so that you can be more relevant to your veterinary clients.
However, be careful not to over-segment or create too many products as it could stretch you thin and compromise the quality of care you provide.
5. Develop Targeted Services
Once you understand who your clients are and what they need, create services and programs that proactively reach out to them. This is where targeted services come in.
Some examples of targeted services you can offer different veterinary client segments include:
Wellness Programs
These mainly offer preventive care services. For example, puppy and kitten wellness programs usually include regular checkups, vaccinations, and parasite prevention.
Pet owners are more likely to visit their vets for recommended services when they know they will be covered by a wellness plan, which means better care for the animals and increased revenue for your practice.
Senior Pet Care
Pet health needs change as they age. Offering specialized senior pet care services can help you address these changing needs. Senior pet care focuses more on blood work, dental exams, and pain management.
You can also provide nutritional counseling and exercise programs that help maintain their quality of life as they age.
Mobile Veterinary Services:
Become more relevant to your veterinary clients by offering mobile services for those who have difficulty coming to your practice. They can also be particularly helpful for clients with multiple pets or pets with mobility issues.
Mobile services include everything from routine checkups and vaccinations to emergency care.
Similarly, targeted information such as alerts, bulletins, workshops, and other forms of client outreach will keep them engaged and make you more relevant to pet owners.
6. Leverage Technology
With the right tools and software, what might seem like an overwhelming task of keeping up with client needs and preferences is made simple and easy.
Technology like veterinary client management software helps you gather and store client information, track pet health records and appointments, and even manage practice inventory and billing.
It also provides a centralized location for client communication, including sending appointment reminders, follow-up emails, and personalized messages — all the recommended tools for client-centric care.
Onward Vet’s robust business and client management features have been a game changer for practices, helping them become more relevant to veterinary clients by exceeding their service expectations.
We’re Here to Help
Building a client-centered practice requires effort and a commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of your veterinary client segments.
Onward Vet was built with this in mind, making it easier for vets to tailor their services to their clients.
Schedule a free demo today to learn how our software can enhance your services and help you create a loyal and satisfied client base.
Your veterinary office is more than just a place of business – it’s a space where people bring their furry family members for essential care and treatment.
This is why the importance of veterinary office organization, cleanliness, and friendliness cannot be overstated. A clean and organized veterinary office helps to create a welcoming and professional atmosphere for pets and their owners, while friendliness ensures clients feel comfortable and at ease during what can often be a stressful experience.
Overall, maintaining a clean, organized, and friendly veterinary office benefits both pets and their owners by providing a positive and stress-free environment for all involved.
Here are some of the best ways to ensure that your clinic is set up for business and customer success.
The Benefits of an Organized Veterinary Office
Let’s get the fundamentals out of the way (i.e., structuring your clinic’s processes to run smoothly and efficiently).
It goes without saying that maintaining a well-organized veterinary office is essential. Imagine trying to find a patient’s medical records or important medications in a cluttered office — it can be chaotic and time-consuming, leading to delays in treatment and unhappy clients.
When everything is in its place, staff members can easily find what they need, quickly access medical records, and avoid the stress of working in a disorderly organization. This, in turn, improves the quality of care for patients, as staff can spend more time tending to their needs and less time trying to handle mishaps.
Creating a schedule and sticking to it is essential for veterinary office organization, but that can be overwhelming for you and your staff to uphold. That’s where technology comes in. With features like scheduling and appointment reminders, inventory management, and electronic medical records, veterinary management software ensures that all aspects of your practice are running smoothly and efficiently.
For example, appointment scheduling lets you easily manage appointments and send automated reminders to clients, reducing the risk of missed appointments and improving overall client satisfaction.
The software also tracks inventory levels for you, ensuring your practice always has the supplies it needs.
Keeping Your Clinic Clean
Maintaining a clean veterinary office is essential not just for appearances, but for the health and safety of everyone who enters. A veterinary office is a medical facility where animals with various health conditions are treated, and proper hygiene is necessary to reduce the risk of infection.
Veterinary office cleanliness is also important for client trust and satisfaction. A clean and well-maintained veterinary office shows clients that their pets are in good hands with staff that is dedicated to providing the best possible care.
Establish a cleaning schedule that outlines which areas need to be cleaned and at what frequency. It should cover all areas of the facility, including examination rooms, waiting areas, restrooms, and common areas. Remember that this involves routine cleaning as well as regular deep cleaning and sterilization.
Train your staff on proper cleaning techniques using appropriate cleaning and disinfection supplies. Protocols should be established for disinfecting equipment and surfaces after each use, with special attention to areas where pets and their owners frequently touch or sit.
Here’s an example of a cleaning schedule for a small practice:
Cleaning Task
Frequency
Sweep/vacuum floors
Daily
Mop floors
Daily/As needed
Clean reception area
Daily/As needed
Dust surfaces
Daily/As needed
Clean windows
Weekly
Wash and sanitize bedding
After each use
Clean and disinfect cages
After each patient
Clean and disinfect exam tables and counters
After each use
Clean and disinfect surgery area
After each procedure
It’s important to adjust veterinary office organization and cleaning schedules based on your clinic’s specific needs and level of traffic and activity.
Setting Patients and Owners at Ease
The importance of veterinary office friendliness is evidenced by the number of positive reviews and return clients that clinics with good customer service received. Not only does it improve client relationships and increase loyalty, but it also creates a more positive overall experience for both pets and their owners.
Personnel should be friendly and unintimidating, from the receptionist who greets patients to the person who administers a pet’s shots. Your vets should also be especially able to develop bonds with animals quickly and be comfortable both calming them down and restraining them if necessary.
Other practical tips you can follow to create a friendly veterinary office include:
Provide a welcoming waiting area: Create a comfortable and inviting waiting area for clients and their pets. Consider providing water and snacks, and make sure the area is clean and well-maintained.
Ensure an efficient and systematized check-in process: Reducing wait times promotes a positive first impression and better care for the patients. This tip also underscores the importance of veterinary office organization.
Create a pet-friendly environment: Small touches like providing toys or treats for pets can make a big difference in boosting the mood of patients and their owners. If possible, provide separate waiting areas for different animals, e.g, cats and dogs.
Train staff on empathy and active listening: These skills can go a long way in making clients feel heard and understood. Additionally, encourage staff to go the extra mile, such as remembering pet and client names and preferences.
Implement systems for following up with clients and their pets: Show your clients that you care by following up with them after their visit. Consider sending a personalized note or email, or offering a wellness or loyalty program to reward repeat business.
Offer educational resources and tools for pet owners: For example, offer clients informative brochures to read as they wait or play explainer videos in waiting rooms. This will help them feel more informed and connected to their pet’s care.
Remember, a welcoming and professional veterinary office can make a world of difference in the experience of your clients and their beloved pets.
We Understand the Importance of Veterinary Office Organization
A friendly and efficient practice means improved client relationships, increased loyalty, and better overall experiences. However, achieving this can be overwhelming without the right tools.
This is where Onward Vet comes in. Our veterinary management software helps veterinarians streamline their operations, making it easier to maintain a clean, organized, and friendly environment.
Onward Vet was specially designed with the input of established vets and clinics, ensuring it meets the particular needs of every kind of clinic. Schedule a demo today and get access to a free two-week trial to see why a growing number of clinics and animal hospitals are taking advantage of this innovative solution.
Managing patient records and workflows is one of the biggest headaches for any veterinary hospital or hospital system. Veterinarians often struggle with different software, processes, and paper trails, which creates bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
Veterinary treatment flow sheets are a solution to this problem. By allowing easy access to information, practices can better manage their patients’ records and keep track of vital data.
But there’s more to veterinary electronic medical records than being a cloud-based storage system. Big or small, here’s why you should consider this technology for your practice.
The Benefits of Electronic Treatment Flowsheets
As mentioned, veterinary treatment flow sheets are an essential tool for numerous reasons:
Improved efficiency: Manual record-keeping is notoriously inefficient and prone to error. With real-time updates and easy accessibility, flowsheets enable you to update your patients’ records quickly.
Reduced errors: A centralized location for patient data reduces the risk of miscommunication or lost records. Also, standardized templates, alerts, and reminders ensure that critical information is not missed.
Improved patient care: Easy access to patient information means you can quickly identify and address any issues or changes in a patient’s condition. This leads to faster diagnosis and treatment and improved patient outcomes.
Streamlined information tracking: It’s harder to keep track of all patient records manually. For instance, a dog may be treated and receive a new file in an emergency, even if he’s visited at a prior time with the owner’s spouse. Veterinary treatment flow sheets also allow for improved communication between team members, ensuring that everyone is up-to-date on a patient’s status.
File safety: Fires, floods, mold, and natural disasters can destroy hospitals and their records if they are stored on-site. Cloud-based records prevent all of your patient files from being lost forever.
Digital record audits: With cloud-based veterinary software, you can easily track the performance of your workflows, your communications, and your task completion rates to eliminate any inefficiencies. You can also find missed billings, non-payments, and lost fees to boost your clinic’s revenue with little effort.
While it may seem reassuring to have all your client paperwork at your fingertips in a filing cabinet, these benefits far outweigh the old-school method of storing information.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Veterinary Treatment Flowsheets
Veterinary electronic medical records are an essential tool for modern veterinary medicine, but like all tools, they need to be used effectively to improve your hospital’s workflows.
Provide Staff Training
Ensure that all team members know how to use electronic treatment flowsheets effectively, including how to input and update data, access records, and use appropriate templates.
Flowsheets are only effective if they are kept up-to-date. Establish a system for reviewing patient records to ensure any changes to a patient’s condition, treatment plan, or medication regimen have been recorded.
Use the Data Collected
Veterinary practices can continuously improve their care and service to their patients by analyzing the wealth of data generated by their veterinary treatment flowsheets.
Switch to a Cloud-Based System
Veterinary treatment flowsheets can significantly improve efficiency, reduce errors, and enhance patient care.
Furthermore, a cloud-based system like Onward Vet allows you to securely access patient records from anywhere. We provide best-in-class security that ensures your data is not susceptible to breaches, corruption, or deterioration.
Don’t let outdated record-keeping systems hold you back. Schedule a demo today to learn more about why Onward vet is the software for your practice.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of daily life including veterinary visits, as telemedicine and virtual care became more prevalent and now continue to be an option many clients take.
However, while the rise of technology in veterinary medicine has brought about easier access to information and communication, it can sometimes hinder the personal connections that are crucial for providing top-notch care in an in-person veterinary clinic.
Fortunately, there are ways to incorporate the efficiency and convenience of technology into in-person veterinary care without compromising on its personal touch.
Here are some of the ways veterinary practices can foster personal connections with their clients while still using technology to streamline processes and enhance patient care.
1. Train Staff on Communication
Even with an in-person veterinary visit, communication is the main difference between a good experience for pets and their owners and a poor-quality one.
Effective communication requires staff to put clients at ease, provide clear explanations, and answer questions in a compassionate manner. On top of excellent communication skills, you should be able to read and respond to clients’ nonverbal cues.
Providing training is a proactive way of ensuring staff members are able to effectively communicate with clients during veterinary visits. This can include role-playing exercises to practice empathetic listening, effective questioning techniques, and clear explanations of medical procedures and recommendations.
2. Improve the Waiting Room Experience With Technology
The waiting room is often the first point of contact for clients and their pets during a veterinary visit. As such, it is essential to make it a comfortable and welcoming environment.
Fortunately, the technology used during the pandemic can also come in handy here.
Here are some ways you can enhance the waiting room experience and create a more pleasant environment using these tools:
Digital check-ins: Allow clients to check in for their appointments electronically via a tablet or smartphone, reducing the waiting time and chances of no-shows.
Communication tools: Speaking of no-shows, messaging and appointment reminders are a great way to keep clients informed and engaged, thus improving follow-through on veterinary visits and overall satisfaction.
Electronic boards: Use digital signage to display important information, educational materials, and upcoming events, creating an interactive and informative atmosphere.
Remember, clients who receive good in-person veterinary care are more likely to return for future appointments and recommend the practice to others.
3. Maintain the Positive Changes of Virtual Communications
Before rushing to encourage in-person veterinary visits, identify the digital aspects that enhanced care during the telehealth boom. One way to do this is to survey clients about the remote care they received.
Ask your clients what they loved about being able to access their pet’s health records online or receive reminders and updates via text. If your clinic did not provide these services, ask them if they would prefer them as an option moving forward.
Once you’ve gathered your responses, decide which virtual and distanced options you want to keep or add to your practice’s day-to-day operations.
Onward Vet Can Help
Ultimately, your in-person veterinary clinic should prioritize better communication and understanding while using virtual communication to enhance the experience.
With features such as automatic appointment scheduling and reminder postcards, Onward Vet’s cloud-based system can simplify your processes while improving client veterinary visits.
The pet boom of 2020–2021 had a profound impact on the veterinary industry, and its effects continue to be felt today in 2023.
As the industry continues to adapt to these changes, veterinary practices need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies to remain competitive and provide the best possible care to their patients.
From an expected long-term influx of patients to the adoption of digital pet care and communication technology, let’s take a look at the changes sparked by the pet boom, and what you should focus on to stay competitive.
1. Millennials Are Now Your Biggest Client Base
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), nearly 23 million American households — that’s one in five — added a furry friend to their family during the pandemic.
Of these, 32% are millennials, presenting a shift away from the boomer generation of pet-owning.
Millennials, as a generation, are known to prioritize the well-being of their pets and are willing to spend more on them than previous generations. This includes providing high-quality food, veterinary care, and even pet insurance — the total number of pets insured in the U.S. at year-end 2021 was 3.9 million, a 28 percent increase since 2020.
Additionally, they are more likely to seek out pet products and services that align with their values, such as environmentally-friendly products and those that support animal welfare organizations.
Emphasizing these aspects of your practice, such as preventive medicine, nutrition, and a holistic approach to pet health, can help you attract and retain this demographic.
2. Clients Want Digital Pet Care and Communication
In the past, older generations of pet owners did not have access to robust digital communications from their veterinarians. Making appointments by phone, faxing medical records, and receiving appointment cards in the mail have been the industry norm until recently.
Millennials, however, not only want digital communications, they expect them. With 76% preferring texting over any other communication, new communication solutions for veterinarians are a must.
On top of more pet owners seeking digital pet care and communication, such as telemedicine and online appointment scheduling, veterinary practices should also invest in new technology to improve the quality of care they provide. These also include equipment such as digital X-ray machines and ultrasound devices.
Remember, today’s pet owners seek the best services for their animal family members.
3. More Emphasis on Routine and Preventative Care
On top of modern communication solutions for veterinarians, catering to today’s pet owners also means adjusting the types of services that veterinary practices offer.
Trends show a rise in requests for preventive care, such as vaccinations and wellness exams, and decreased demand for emergency and specialty care.
Practices should expand their services to include offers like veterinary wellness plans that help clients afford routine care for their pets. This establishes you as a go-to destination for comprehensive pet care and builds a loyal client base.
It’s also important to prioritize staff training in communication skills to ensure clients feel heard and valued while implementing digital pet care and communication to quicken processes.
Stay On Top Of the Changes
With clinics and hospitals understaffed in the face of more pet healthcare demand than ever, veterinarians need as much support as they can get to run their practices without burning out.
Streamlining communications is a must to keep up, and an effective digital pet care communication and management system like Onward Vet can offload much of the logistical burden.
How is your practice handling the effects of the pet boom? Schedule a demo today to see how Onward Vet can help.
