VETERINARY TEAM UTILIZATION GUIDE

This topic will emphasize the importance of each step in the client journey, with subsequent topics providing specific details. 

Initial Contact and Awareness: Welcoming New and Existing Clients

Digital touchpoints in the initial stage help practices connect with potential clients and sustain engagement with current clients. Reflect on the impact your practice is having (or not having) on the client experience in these areas:

• Website and Online Presence: A well-designed website serves as a first impression, showcasing the practice’s services, team, and values. This builds trust and encourages potential clients to consider the clinic.
  

• Social Media Posts: Sharing engaging content like pet care tips, updates, and team introductions creates a connection and reinforces the practice’s expertise.
  

• Educational Resources, Blogs, and Infographics: Providing informative content and vetted resources builds the practice’s reputation as a reliable source of pet care knowledge, helping clients feel confident in their choices.
  

• Paid Digital Ads: Ads targeting local pet owners promoting services like wellness exams or seasonal care reach potential new clients and boost awareness. 
  
  

Making Initial Contact – Appointment Scheduling Experience

From the moment a client considers booking an appointment, they start to envision what their visit to the clinic might be like. Refer to Topic 2 for specific details on:

•  Appointment Scheduling

•  Automated Text Reminders and Email Communications

• Chat Feature Availability on the Website
  

Streamlined appointment scheduling ensures that pets receive timely care without delays from missed or forgotten visits. To further enhance this value, prepare clients before their arrival at the practice by:

•  Developing pre-visit emails or text messages that set expectations.

•  Share educational content about what to expect.
  

A well-prepared client helps the visit go smoothly, minimizing stress for both the team and the pet while enabling a more thorough examination and care.

While most of the examples given above are developed ‘behind the scenes,' the efficiency allows team members to focus on what matters: providing a seamless and relaxed client experience. When clients are happy, team members enjoy their careers. 

The Client Experience Upon Arrival

When a client and patient arrive at the practice, the team must be prepared to provide exceptional service. Team members who stand and greet clients professionally by name (with a smile) earn immediate respect from the clients.

Sometimes, receptionists may be assisting another client, but that should not stop them from acknowledging the arriving client. Moreover, enlisting the ‘backup’ team of veterinary assistants and technicians to greet the client and patient enables the entire team to create a phenomenal experience.

Additional digital features that enhance the efficiency of the client experience include an automated check-in process. Clients can check in on their app when they arrive in the parking lot. See Topic 3 for more details on the enhanced client experience.

The Exam Room Experience

The client’s experience when they arrive at the practice can either set up the exam room experience for success or cause failure.

If the client service team acknowledged the client upon arrival and made them feel heard and valued, then the experience in the exam room would be off to a great start. Clients will be engaged and excited for the next step in the journey. If the initial experience was poor, the medical team is likely set up for failure as they must overcome the poor experience they just received. 

The exam room experience is a team sport. The client service team sets clear expectations for the medical team, which must be prepared to deliver an efficient, professional, and knowledgeable experience. Ensuring communication is clearly documented so the same questions are not asked of the client twice is key.

Further digital tools that enhance the efficiency of the client and patient exam room experience include:

• Electronic medical records with templates.
  

• AI scribe features that enhance efficiency by transcribing the physical exam and recommendations made in the exam room to the medical record.
  

• Digital client education resources to demonstrate and/or email to clients to ensure understanding.
  

See Topic 4 for more details on the exam room experience.

The Client Check-Out Experience and Future Planning

This experience is one that clients will remember. What did it “feel like” to conclude the visit? Was it efficient? Did the client receive value for the money spent? Did every team member enhance (not detract) from the experience?

The client’s body language can reveal vital answers; if there is any indication that the client is unhappy with their service, the client service team should engage and inquire to learn more.

See Topic 5 for more details on that experience, as well as these ideas for future client engagement opportunities:

• Thank-you Emails and Text Follow-Ups

• Pet Health Apps

• Monthly Newsletters

• Efficient Reminder Systems 

• Loyalty and Referral Programs

• Online Reviews and Testimonial Requests

• In-between Visit Educational Emails

• Interactive Social Media Engagement

• Client Success Stories and Spotlights

• Pet Photo Contests and Social Features

• Recognition Programs

Overall Practice Culture 

Each interaction along the client journey enhances the relationship between the client, the team, and the practice, creating a supportive and trusted environment that benefits everyone involved.

• For Clients: Each touchpoint provides reassurance and consistency, building trust in the team’s expertise and the practice’s commitment to comprehensive care.
  

• For Team Members: When empowered at each stage, team members develop stronger communication, a sense of fulfillment, and respect for their roles, fostering a collaborative culture. 
  

• For the Practice: Utilizing the skills of the entire team optimizes efficiency, improves patient outcomes, and elevates client satisfaction, all of which contribute to a positive work culture and practice growth.