• Fetck KC Callout
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspective
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
dvm360 LIVE!™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Client Handouts
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

The Benefits of Online Appointment Booking

October 6, 2018
Bruce L. Truman
American Veterinarian, October 2018, Volume 3, Issue 7

You’ll alleviate frustration, improve team performance, boost client satisfaction, and enjoy better business outcomes.

As he goes through his mail late one evening, your client Mr. Smith sees your practice’s post­card reminder for booster vaccines for his dog. The office is closed, so he visits your website, chooses “click here to request an appointment,” and provides the required information.

The next day, Mr. Smith misses a call from your office. When he calls back, the clinic phone line is busy, so he leaves a message. At the end of his workday, almost 24 hours after receiving the reminder from your practice, he has experienced multiple missed calls and voice-mail messages—and he still has not scheduled an appointment for his dog.

Mr. Smith is not the only one who is frustrated. Your receptionist spends much of her day on the phone, returning calls from clients who left messages and requested appointments online, as well as calling others with appointment reminders—not to mention answering calls about a host of questions and pet health concerns. With each new call, your reception­ist’s frustration grows. And that frustration comes at a cost: lost revenue, poor client reten­tion, and employee turnover.

RELATED:

  • Getting Started With Telemedicine
  • A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Likes

More than three-quarters of patients today want the ability to book, change, or cancel their own doctor and dentist appointments online.1 The global management consulting and professional services firm Accenture predicts that by the end of 2019, 66% of US health systems will offer online scheduling.1

Your clients will soon expect online appointment scheduling for their pets, as well. For years, the veterinary industry has enjoyed hearing that clients “wish their own doctor” called to check on them or offered evening appoint­ments, or whatever else the veterinary industry does that the human medical profession does not. Today, the veterinary industry risks hearing something different: “I can schedule my own doctor appoint­ments anytime, day or night. Why do I have to waste time calling and being put on hold just to schedule one for my pet?” And wasting time is what we are all doing, given that it takes about 8 minutes, on average, to schedule an appointment over the phone.1

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Real-time online appointment scheduling is a solu­tion to the frustrations that both your clients and team members face. Consider how many more tasks could be completed if your receptionist spent less time on the phone. Consider the revenue lost when clients postpone making an appointment because of inconvenience. Instead of thinking of online scheduling as just another technology gimmick, view it as a new opportunity to engage your clients and team and improve business success.

Before moving forward, it is important to address any reserva­tions you have about using this technology. For many hospitals, a chief concern is double-booking appointments. Many service providers will update your calendar automatically through your practice information manage­ment software when an appoint­ment is scheduled online. Also, if 2 clients are attempting to schedule a visit at the same time, the first person to complete the process will get the appointment and the other will be notified that the slot is no longer available.

FIND A PRODUCT THAT FITS YOUR NEEDS

How does one go about choosing a real-time online appointment scheduling program for their practice? Consider a program that:

  • Offers real-time booking and not just a request for a callback to schedule. As many as 40% of bookings take place when businesses are closed.
  • Automatically updates your practice information management system after each booking to avoid double bookings or other snafus that often occur when manual updates must be managed by front office staff.
  • Sends both email and text reminders to clients about their scheduled appointments to reduce no-shows.
  • Provides links that can be placed on your website and social media platforms to make it easier for clients to schedule quickly.
  • Is customizable to your practice’s needs.
  • Has the ability to prevent odd gaps in scheduled appointments via customized features.

YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Think of the savings in receptionist hours (up to 75% time savings has been reported1) when phone calls are reduced. You’ll also experience operating cost savings as clients fill your appointment book at their leisure when the business closed. Implementing scheduling software will have a multitude of positive repercussions, including improved team performance, client satisfaction, and business performance.

And what about Mr. Smith? He found a practice that provides real-time scheduling, so he was able to schedule his pet’s appointment without playing phone tag.

Mr. Truman is the founder and owner of BLT Technology & Innovation Group, a companion animal business consulting company that focuses on marketing and sales strategies for new products and services. He is the past president of VetPartners (vetpartners.org), a member of the CATalyst Council board of directors, and a member of the AVMA Veterinary Procedural Terminology Council.

download issueDownload Issue: October 2018

Related Content:

October 2018
website logo
Leading By Team: A Better Management Approach
website logo
Transportation and Respiratory Disease in Horses
website logo
Advice Unleashed (October 2018)

Latest News

Mini donkey successfully receives pacemaker to manage fatal heart condition

News wrap-up: This week’s headlines, plus Cincinnati Zoo welcomes baby hippo

Dr Mike Nolan receives 2022 AVMF/EveryCat Health Foundation Research Award

Lear's macaw reintroduced into wild and flourishing

View More Latest News