Communication

Technology and automation can help a veterinary practice communicate better with pet owners and deliver a top-notch in-clinic experience.

Have you ever visited a business and thought, “Wow, what a great experience!”? If so, were you inclined to tell people about this business, maybe even write a review? How does your veterinary practice compare? Do pet owners leave your practice thrilled by the experience? Do you keep in touch with them when they’re not […]

Market your stress-free clinical approach by capitalizing on social media options and optimizing your practice website.

When I went to veterinary school many years ago, there were no marketing classes, no search engine optimization lectures, no discussion about social media or Twitter followers, and not a single hour on how a website can “make or break” your practice. In fact, I don’t think these topics were even a glimmer in my […]

Accommodating a client’s preferred learning style can lead to a more educated pet owner and better compliance.

Several years ago, I took my Papillon, Chloe, to a veterinary dentist for removal of an oral tumor and any necessary dental care. In addition to reviewing details of the surgical procedure, he showed digital radiographs to explain which teeth needed to be removed. The dentist’s combination of auditory and visual client education built trust […]

Focused marketing efforts can cure the ups and downs of seasonality.

Not too long ago, small animal veterinary medicine had a predictable seasonality. From a revenue and transactional standpoint, it looked like a bell-shaped curve — the peak usually in midsummer, the valley in winter and the curve heading up in spring and down in fall. That is no longer the case. Today, the curve looks […]

Is your clinic website optimized for mobile users? Do you populate the website with videos? Now add more.

You evaluate patient wellness using a checklist: physical exam, presenting signs, test results, age, weight and so forth. And from there you know how to advise clients and address health issues. It’s part of your daily protocol, right? But what about the wellness of your hospital’s online marketing efforts? Do you have a daily protocol […]

The most important mobile app — you must have one — is the one with your veterinary clinic’s name on it.

We all know that technology is accelerating, but do we also know how to take advantage of these breakneck speeds? While veterinary practices may have learned to leverage the digital sphere by creating a stunning website loaded with compelling veterinary information, alongside a Facebook page offering great client engagement, the next frontier of technology has […]

Soothe angry pet owners and raise the level of service by training the team to listen carefully and respond the right way.

When faced with an angry client, veterinary team members tend to have two default responses: They either become defensive or suffer in silence. Unfortunately, neither response makes an unhappy client feel any better. While no one likes to be confronted by a livid pet owner, team members who are trained to respond with compassion will […]

Simple solutions start with the initial phone call and extend to the products offered at checkout.

The writer Malcolm Gladwell once said, “We don’t know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean, so we don’t always appreciate their fragility.” As practice owners, we know that our first opportunity to interact with and acquire a client may not occur in person or in an exam room. It may […]

Bad body language and a poor choice of words can damage a client relationship.

The veterinarian slumped a little, a sigh revealing her disbelief and signaling her impatience. “Can you explain again how that blood test tells us what’s wrong with Tigger’s pee-pee?” the client asked. The veterinarian didn’t understand what the pet owner couldn’t comprehend. This was so simple. The hashtag #SMH (shaking my head) crossed the doctor’s […]

Maximize your website’s visibility so internet users — and potential clients — can find you easier.

Guessing how many Google searches are performed each year is a bit like guessing the speed of a domestic house cat. Sure, it’s fast, but how fast? And sure, we use Google a lot, but how much are we using it exactly? Well, Google’s search engine performed 1.2 trillion searches in 2016 alone. You can […]