After 16 years as an equine ambulatory veterinarian in northern Virginia, I know firsthand the obstacles the field presents. Driving around seeing patients, answering calls from clients needing to schedule appointments or get their certs, attempting to collect payment for services rendered weeks or months ago… It can be chaotic, and you have little time at the day’s end for yourself.
I recently left practice to try my hand at more creative endeavors, but when I saw a new equine-specific app was being launched that provides a platform for client engagement and communication, I did some research to see if the app would be useful for my practicing colleagues. I was extremely impressed by what I discovered. Read on for 8 reasons your practice could benefit from an equine app.
Your clients increasingly use apps to shop, connect with friends, and find a ride, and they’re looking for the same convenience when obtaining veterinary care for their horses.
#1: Make appointment management easy
Your clients will conveniently be able to request, confirm, and cancel appointments directly through the app, meaning you and your team will not spend excessive time scheduling appointments. Before going out on the road every day, I would help the office staff field incoming calls because the phones would not stop ringing. This delayed the start of my day, and inevitably delayed what time I finished in the evening. Having your clients manage appointments through the app will also allow your office staff to field more important calls to help triage emergencies.
#2: Communicate with clients without sacrificing your privacy
#3: Collect payments without awkwardness
#4: Provide the best care for your patients
If a client forgot about their horse’s upcoming appointment, whether for a wellness visit to administer fall vaccines or to recheck a sutured wound, rescheduling could be difficult. This could mean that the horse was late in receiving vaccines or that appropriate antibiotic coverage was not provided. These situations always bothered me because this meant that my patients were not getting the care they needed. The new app features a reminder option to notify your clients about their horse’s upcoming health service. These reminders can conveniently be sent via email, SMS, or directly through the app, at a cadence of your choosing.
#5: Simplify your clients’ ability to utilize your pharmacy
My clients routinely purchased medications and supplements from cheap, online pharmacies, causing me concern because I could never be sure the pharmacy they chose was reliable. The medications could be counterfeit, expired, or not stored properly, causing their effectiveness to be diminished. The new platform allows your clients to easily refill prescriptions and order supplements from your pharmacy with a few clicks on their smartphone. If the process is convenient, your clients will be more inclined to utilize your reliable pharmacy, which is best for you and your patients.
#6: Easily distribute marketing and educational messages
Client education is something I consider extremely important, but my busy schedule didn’t always allow me to effectively notify my clients about every issue I thought was relevant. Using the app’s notification feature, you can easily inform your clients about current disease outbreaks, updates on travel restrictions, or any promotional deals you are offering, and you can choose which clients receive each notification, whether it’s all clients or a select group.
#7: Balance your workload and increase revenue
#8: Receive welcomed support
When I started in equine medicine, I only had to worry about my clients, my patients, and my truck. Times have drastically changed, and apps, social media, telemedicine, and other technology have innovated the field. These changes allowed me to reach horses I may not have had access to in the past, but I sometimes found the technology confusing. The new platform offers a dedicated success coach and access to a team of expert veterinary advisors, ensuring you have the support you need.
Vet2Pet is behind this new innovative and easy to use platform. Your clients will greatly appreciate the convenience an app will provide when interacting with your equine veterinary practice. And you and your team will love the ease and simplicity of the platform’s “mission control” cloud-based dashboard. If I were still actively practicing, you can bet I’d want to use this platform in my practice. To find out how the Vet2Pet platform can transform your practice—and your life!—sign up for a demo.
