PetDesk vs. Rapport: Easy client outreach boosts appointment compliance & saves staff 40 hours per month
How a 3-Location Practice Improved Compliance and Enhanced the Client Experience…While Slashing 2 Hours of Busy Work Out of Every Day
hours per month of administrative time saved
The Problem:
Too Many
No-Shows
Plus, appointment scheduling errors.
The veterinarians and staff at East Hills Veterinary Clinic, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, and Tennessee Avenue Animal Hospital in Ohio were united behind a single calling: to take care of animals. However, the teams found that their existing client communication software, combined with AVImark, was standing in their way.
Three main issues marred the client experience and practice success:
- Unable to engage with clients effectively, resulting in no-shows and a decrease in client compliance.
- The solution did NOT include convenient compliance metrics and reporting.
- The practices faced CONTINUAL appointment-scheduling errors, causing more work and confusion.
Appointment-scheduling issues rippled through operations. Clients would book a time and show up at the office but would not appear on the Rapport dashboard, making it difficult to satisfy their clients and give superior care to their patients. Having no personal support or hands-on support from Rapport, and after repeated attempts to resolve the root cause and troubleshooting requirements, the team decided shifting explanations wasn’t enough, and it was time for a change.
“There was always something,” said Kirk Hampton, Practice Administrator, as he recommended the practices move on to a new solution.
“We’ve had nothing but positive experience here from all employees…
I wouldn’t change anything about the setup process.”
kirk hampton
Practice Administrator
40 Hours
The Solution: Impeccable Implementation and Immediate Improvement with PetDesk
The switch to PetDesk was simple. The solution rolled out quickly, and the offices conducted a “lunch and learn” to orient everyone to the enhanced capabilities they now had at their fingertips. Even more, PetDesk provided the clinics with PetDesk branded collateral to make it easy on the staff for client app adoption.
“We’ve had nothing but positive experience here from all employees,” who were quick to personalize the app with photos. “I wouldn’t change anything about the set-up process,” said Kirk.
The clinics immediately put the PetDesk reporting features into action. Practice leaders were pleased with the new ability to evaluate client retention and discover how reminders were working to generate revenue. The emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic underscored the value of app-based client communications as well as the added two-way texting ability from PetDesk. The team found the flexibility of appointment windows helpful in adapting service delivery at this critical time.
“I think a client app is important…it’s the new way to do things.”
The Results: Easy, Proactive Client Outreach Boosts Compliance and Revenues
Plus, app-Based Communications Save Staff 2 Hours Every Day
On compliance, “we’ve done much better with PetDesk,” said Kirk. The team runs a compliance report, views clients who are overdue for an appointment, and feeds the data directly into the messaging tool.
A great example was the “COVID Catch-up” campaign. The clinics offered half-price exams to clients who hadn’t been seen for 6 months and received a strong response. Not only did they increase return visits, but they also provided additional testing and diagnostics and are retaining clients long-term.
Previous Rapport user, Practice Manager Jen Web joined the group after the PetDesk rollout. She estimates that the solution saves about 2 hours per day. Not only do clients schedule and confirm appointments through the app, but they also send all kinds of inquiries via PetDesk. “I’ve answered food-related questions on there,” she said. “It all helps reduce the overwhelm on the phones.”
Jen concludes, “I think a client app is important…it’s the new way to do things.”
