VCA Animal Hospitals is encouraging clients to use Amazon Alexa smart speakers to schedule appointments and receive health care reminders.
The Los Angeles-based network of more than 750 veterinary hospitals reported that its new technological offering makes VCA “the first in the animal hospital industry to introduce voice command to manage pets’ health care.”
Clients first need to link Alexa to their VCA account, and then begin the interaction. Pet owners can say, “Alexa, open VCA,” “Alexa, ask VCA when my pet is due for vaccines” or “Alexa, ask VCA to book an appointment for my pet.”
“We’ve made it our mission to provide pet owners with the best possible experience through continued innovation and digital transformation,” said Brendan Lynch, vice president of digital strategy. “For us, that means making every interaction between pet owners and our animal hospitals as convenient and easy as possible.”
VCA also is promoting its existing myVCA app, which is designed for use on smartphones and other mobile devices. The app offers:
- Personalized pet care advice and tips.
- 24/7 live chatting with a veterinarian.
- Access to health care reminders and medical records.
- Appointment booking.
“The ultimate goal of introducing these newer tech-forward offerings … is to create a more seamless customer experience when it comes to pet health care and to make sure we have healthier pet patients,” said Aaron Frazier, vice president of client experience.