In today’s technological age, with instant communication and notifications, pet parents are always on their mobile phones. Text messages are so pervasive that recent studies have found almost 95% of all text messages are read. For comparison, it’s twice the email’ open rate.
With this in mind, veterinary practices should leverage SMS and texting as much as possible to engage with pet owners. We will highlight some strategies that are beneficial to clinics and can help drive more revenue, higher client satisfaction, and deliver that personal touch.
Text Message Reminders for Veterinary Practices
One of the most important uses of text messaging for veterinary practices is for appointment and service reminders. Many practices still rely on postcards and phone calls to remind clients of overdue services and upcoming appointments.
Not so effective nowadays: people are so fed with robo-callers and spam that these two methods are not likely to get through to clients as much as intended. SMS reminders are more cost-effective as well, as compared with postcard reminders as clinics don’t have to worry about postage and fees associated with printing postcards. Instead, text messages can be delivered for fractions of a penny, saving practices hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on the number of reminders sent.
Two-way Text Messaging for Practices
The other use of text messages helps to increase the personal touch delivered by a veterinary hospital. There are few things worse than dropping off a pet with a vet for surgery or being kept all in the hospital all day. The stress of this situation can be tough on the pet and owner. During this situation, clients are likely to call the clinic to check up on their pet once or twice per day to ensure things are okay. This phone call takes time for not only the client, but also the practice staff. Instead, your practice can send a quick SMS update to the owner, letting him/her know how the animal is doing. This communication reassures the client and allows staff to keep a conversation with the client throughout the day, rather than a quick one over the phone.
Enhance Your Client Communications through Next In Line
Next In Line is an innovative technology company that provides not only a real-time scheduling platform but also a robust text message system for veterinary practices. Through Next In Line, you can automatically send text reminders to clients. With these text message reminders, pet owners can respond ‘Yes’ to confirm they can still make the scheduled appointment. This quick response reduces the burden on staff, costs associated with postcard reminders, and reaches clients how they most want to be reached. Additionally, Next In Line has a new two-way communication feature, through which you can text and email clients. All of these communications are stored on the client record for the history of what has been said.
To learn more about our offerings, and see how we can assist your practice with better scheduling, get in touch by requesting a demo today.
