The Efficiency of Proactive Pet Owner Communication: By the Numbers
As the world gets back to "normal", in June 2021 the majority of veterinary practices are still operating with a modified workflow. Below are some key stats collected by the AVMA in a year ago in 2020. With most practices still operating in a hybrid, reduced volume, or curbside manner, these trends still hold true today:
59% of clinics used contactless payment processing
58% of clinics utilized drive-thru pickup and drop-off
54% of clinics collected patient history by phone or virtually only
32% of clinics leveraged telemedicine/telehealth/virtual visits
While workflows changed, staff shortages continued to grow, and unlike most industries, revenue also continued to grow. These dynamics have caused clinics to be busier than ever, more understaffed than they can remember, and starved for workflow optimization to ease the pain. These forces driven by market changes have negatively impacted workflow in the following ways:
Increased call volume: Resulting from providing patient updates, collecting patient history, curbside process, and contactless payment processing.
Increased staff stress: Exacerbated by staff shortages, rapid change, pet owner communication challenges, and inefficient workflows.
Decreased number of patient visits: Driven by inefficient curbside processes, and social distancing limitations
Decreased pet owner satisfaction: Challenging communication processes have created low pet owner satisfaction with curbside and drop-off treatments.
Many of these trends are expected to continue as we continue to encounter times of change and evolution in the way we communicate and accept patient visits. Fur Baby Tracker can support these dynamic workflows and provide the relief staff needs, and the proactive communication pet owners want.
Contactless Payment: Send payment collection links via text message to free up phone time and streamline the payment collection process.
Drop-Off Process: Deliver proactive instructions about the drop-off process via text message to improve efficiency and pet owner expectation management.
Patient History Collection: Proactively collect patient history via pet owner drop-off notes sent to the clinic on the pet's record in Fur Baby Tracker.
Decreased Call Volume: Phone volume is exponentially decreased by the ability to quickly and efficiently send proactive updates via text message with Fur Baby Tracker.
Decreased Staff Stress: Communication challenges are eased both internally and externally between the clinic and the pet owner. The communication process can be shared by the entire staff creating a positive collaborative environment.
Increased Efficiency, Allowing More Patient Visits: Streamlined drop-off, payment and pick-up processes enable clinics to book shorter treatment windows and see more pets.
Increased Pet Owner Satisfaction: Pet owners love receiving photos and text updates about their pet. The ability to proactively manage their expectations results in better satisfaction and ultimately, loyalty.