• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • 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
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
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
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
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

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Is your veterinary practice forward thinking about forward booking?

December 6, 2017
Brendan Howard, Business Channel Director

On Christmas eve, do you want to be visited by the Ghost of Opportunities Past? Then it's time to check out tips from these inspiring contest winners trying to talk clients and your practice management into forward booking.

The Ghost of Appointments Future helps a pet owner face his regrets about failing to make a more timely wellness appointment. (Photo courtesy of Animal Healthcare Clinic of Southlake)

Forward thinkers

Check out the hard work from the first-place and second-place winners of the "Forward Booking Works!" testimonial contest, run by Partners for Healthy Pets with the Veterinary Medical Association Executives. These videos and articles spell out the benefits of forward booking to veterinary clients, team members-and, now, you. See the complete list (with honorable mentions, too!) at vmae.org/forward-booking-contest-winners.

First prize-$2,500

> "The Ghost – Forward Booking" video from Animal Healthcare Clinic of Southlake in Southlake, Texas

Second prize-$1,000

> Fayetteville Animal Clinic in Fayetteville, Tennessee (video)

> City Cat Doctor in Chicago, Illinois (article PDF)

Advertisement

> SouthCare Animal Medical Center in Spokane, Washington (video)

> Animal Family Veterinary Care Center in Davenport, Iowa (article PDF)

> Cleveland Road Animal Hospital in Wooster, Ohio (article PDF)

What does it take to make change in veterinary practices?

In the case of a contest this year from veterinary advocacy group Partners for Healthy Pets and the Veterinary Medical Association of Executives, it was a turnkey campaign. To promote forward booking-the practice of making the next veterinary appointment during the current appointment-the two organizations created tools for state VMA directors to share with hospitals: advertisements, newsletter content, Facebook posts, letter templates and more.

They also pledged $10,000 in prizes for practices associated with those VMAs to create and share what's been working in forward booking in their hospitals this year.

To further inspire, we've got a few tips from some of the winners about their entries and their efforts in making sure pets don't leave hospitals without the helpful reminder of the next visit on the books.

 

Forward booking pro tip

"It helps if the veterinarian passes the baton by saying, for example, 'Shannon will get you scheduled for your next yearly appointment,'" says practice manager Bobbie Cotton. "Or 'We need to schedule that in three months, so Shannon will get that scheduled for you.' We get better compliance."

'When you give clients the opportunity to say "no," it's hard to go back'

What do you call it? "We started forward booking back in 2009. We call it 'pre-appointing.'" What's your goal? "Seventy-five percent of appointments. We don't always make it, but we do have clients fill out a pre-appoint card and we compare the number of those with the number of wellness exams and figure the percentage from there."

What's your biggest hurdle? "New staff tend to have the most difficulty. They're in the habit of asking clients 'yes' or 'no' questions, instead of saying, 'I'll book your appointment for next year on a similar date and time, a few weeks before the due date. That way, if you need to reschedule for a more convenient time, there's time to do so.' When you give clients the opportunity to say “no,” it's hard to go back."

How's it going? "Some clients still don't want us to pre-appoint, which is why our numbers fluctuate, but the majority are getting used to it and expect it from now on. We're really just fine-tuning now-sending out the reminder card after checking the address for accuracy and the pet to make sure they're still with us, and verifying that the appointment date/time is still with the DVM they want to see."

- Bobbie Cotton, practice manager, Animal Family Veterinary Care Center, Davenport, Iowa

 

Forward booking pro tip

"We don't ask if we can book them for next year. We let them know this is how we're scheduling now, so they don't have to worry about booking. It's to help us stay up to date with all the vaccines, so McFluffy can stay as healthy as possible," says practice manager Laurel Brewster. "We also have clients fill out their address on reminder cards, so when it comes in the mail, they recognize their handwriting and are more likely to look at it."

'Now our clients love it'

What do you call it? "We call it pre-appointing, for ourselves and with clients."

What's your biggest hurdle? "At first, the room assistants were reluctant. It felt like just another thing they had to do on top of getting notes filled in for the doctor, checking out in the room, and the rest. However, within a few months, they had a routine down."

How's it going? "We began forward booking in May 2016. By the end of 2016, we had 171 appointments booked. As of mid-November this year, we had 818 appointments booked. We're already seeing a huge jump in owner compliance. Now our clients love it. They usually ask, 'Are you going to send me that little postcard?' or, 'Can we schedule this like we did last year?' Clients love it. We let them know that no one knows what they're doing a year from now, but when they get the reminder postcard, we can find a time that best suits their schedule."

- Laurel Brewster, practice manager, SouthCare Animal Medical Center, Spokane, Washington

 

Related Content:

TechniciansOwnersBreaking NewsClient Relations & Marketing
Veterinary tech students awarded national scholarship
Veterinary tech students awarded national scholarship
3 tips for selling your practice
3 tips for selling your practice
AAHA seeks applicants for its board, including for a newly created veterinary technician role
AAHA seeks applicants for its board, including for a newly created veterinary technician role

Advertisement

Latest News

Xylazine moves from the stables to the streets

DEA reports widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine

3 Must-reads for National Poison Prevention Week

UC Davis study on eye diseases in kittens

View More Latest News
Advertisement