From client and patient records to appointment scheduling and medical histories, your practice information management systems (PIMS) is your clinic’s back-office source of truth that ensures continuity, accuracy, and compliance.
At the same time—client expectations around communication, convenience, and digital engagement continue to rise, and meeting those expectations requires more than what most PIMS are designed to deliver.

That’s where pairing a cloud-based PIMS like Pulse with best-of-breed front-office solutions like PetDesk Communications comes into play, creating a superior record management and client engagement experience for clinics, team members, and pet parents.

The latest improvements to the PetDesk Communications–Pulse integration help veterinary teams further reduce manual work, improve record accuracy, and strengthen client engagement—all without adding unnecessary complexity to daily workflows and still providing pet parents the delightful engagement experience they expect via PetDesk.

Why pairing the right solutions with Pulse matters

Pulse is designed to manage the clinical and administrative records that veterinary practices depend on every day, making it the authoritative system for record management.

As a cloud-based PIMS, it centralizes:

• Client and patient records

• Appointment schedules

• Medical histories

• Practice data required for reporting and compliance

However, like many PIMS, Pulse was not built to fully address all modern record management and client engagement needs. Features such as two-way texting and appointment confirmations often require additional tools or manual effort from staff, which takes away valuable time from the already-busy front desk.

Practices relying on a single, all-in-one system to equally excel at office management, record management, and client engagement may find themselves constrained by limited configuration options, generic workflows, or functionality that doesn’t align with the realities of the clinic’s operations. Similarly, those relying on PIMS-compatible software with limited features (e.g., the lack of a veterinary-specific phone system) may find themselves constrained to these same limitations.

How focused client engagement solutions support your veterinary practice

Best-of-breed veterinary software prioritizes your practice’s specific pain points. Instead of asking one system to do everything, practices can choose from purpose-built solutions that help them meet their unique needs—and seamlessly integrate them into their existing PIMS.

PetDesk Communications provides best-of-breed front-office solutions by dedicating our full focus to improving client engagement, communication, retention, and practice growth. While some generic engagement software vendors serve multiple industries and have rigid limitations, PetDesk builds configurable, veterinary-specific solutions designed to reduce no-shows, keep your schedule full, and drive more pet parents to your practice.

When paired with Pulse, this approach allows each system to do what it does best:

• Pulse maintains accurate, compliant, centralized records

• PetDesk drives efficient communication, automation, and engagement through the additional power of client communications, vet-specific phones, and direct booking

The result is a more cohesive, scalable clinic tech stack that continuously grows with your practice.

Eliminate manual work with PetDesk’s improved Pulse integration

One of the most persistent operational pain points for veterinary teams is manual data entry—especially when information must be copied and pasted between systems.

PetDesk Communication’s latest improvements to the Pulse PIMS integration directly address this by enabling writeback functionality for two critical workflows: Two-Way Texting conversations and Appointment Confirmations.
These enhancements help you reclaim your time, reduce administrative burden, improve record completeness, and help practices maintain consistency across systems.

While these PetDesk Communications-Pulse integration improvements are new, other PetDesk solutions like PetDesk Direct Booking already write to Pulse to further reduce manual data entry. Plus, PetDesk Phones also integrates into Pulse to help staff immediately identify who’s calling—preparing the front desk for a productive, personalized conversation before picking up the phone.

Two-Way Texting writebacks: real-time record sync

Texting has become an important client communication channel for veterinary practices, helping to deliver faster responses, clearer instructions, and more convenient interactions for team members and pet parents.
Now, in just one click, PetDesk’s Two-Way Texting conversations are written back to Pulse. This means:

• Text conversations are synced directly to the patient record in Pulse

• No manual copying or note entry is required

• Communication history is preserved alongside clinical data

By automating this process, practices can maintain more complete patient records without increasing staff workload. This also supports adherence to AAHA recordkeeping standards by ensuring that relevant client communications are documented accurately and consistently.

The operational impact is significant: teams spend less time on administrative tasks, and more time focused on patient care and client relationships.

Appointment Confirmation writebacks: closing the loop automatically

Appointment confirmations are another area where manual updates often slow teams down. Without a direct integration, staff may need to confirm appointments with clients and then separately update the appointment status in the PIMS.
PetDesk’s Appointment Confirmations writeback feature eliminates this manual, repetitive step.
When an appointment confirmation is sent through PetDesk, these updates are automatically written back to Pulse:

• The appointment status is updated

• A “confirmed on” date is added

• The note “Confirmed via PetDesk” is included in the appointment notes

Automated appointment writebacks ensure that Pulse always reflects the most current appointment status—without requiring staff to intervene. Schedules remain accurate, reporting improves, and front-desk teams are freed from copying and pasting.

Over time, this reduction in friction contributes to smoother daily operations and a more reliable scheduling process.

Stronger engagement, cleaner data, better outcomes

When PetDesk Communications and Pulse work together, practices benefit from both improved client engagement and stronger data integrity.

• Pet parents receive timely, convenient communications

• Staff avoid redundant data entry

• Patient records remain accurate and complete

• Front-office workflows become more efficient

This alignment reduces operational risk, supports compliance, and creates a better experience for both clients and staff.
It’s important to note that these benefits are created from the combination of PetDesk Communications and Pulse; rather than replacing one system, PetDesk enhances the value of Pulse by extending its capabilities in every client interaction.

A scalable technology strategy for growing practices

As veterinary practices grow, so do their operational demands. A best-of-breed software approach provides the flexibility to scale without sacrificing performance.

Pairing Pulse with PetDesk helps:

• Practices avoid over-reliance on one system, while providing freedom to choose the best platform for their specific needs without affecting the pet parent experience

• Teams access continuous innovation in record management and client engagement

• Technology investments stay aligned with long-term growth goals
  Each platform evolves independently within its area of expertise, while also remaining tightly integrated.

Take the next step toward less manual work

By letting Pulse serve as your back-office management system and using PetDesk Communications for superior client engagement, you give your team the tools they need to operate and grow more efficiently not only now, but also for the long term.

If you’re already using PetDesk’s Two-Way Texting and Appointment Confirmations, contact your dedicated customer success manager or reach out to the PetDesk support team to set up the writeback feature with Pulse.