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From 22-Minute Hold Times to No Phone Room Needed: PetDesk Made It Possible for VMG Member

Veterinarian happily petting a dog in a wheelchair

hours saved
per week

%

out-of-hours
bookings

appointments
booked

of appointments
came via PetDesk

(Data recorded from June 2024 to June 2025)

primary care

Welcome to Primary Care Animal Hospital

Products:

  • PetDesk Communications
  • PetDesk Direct Booking
  • PetDesk Phones

Located in Long Beach, California, this well-known veterinary practice has been a valued member of Veterinary Management Group (VMG) since October 2019. With a large team of 14 DVMs, the clinic is committed to delivering high-quality care while continuously improving efficiency and client communication.

They began their journey with PetDesk Communications in April 2020, introducing two-way texting to reduce phone burden and improve responsiveness. In June 2023, they expanded their toolkit by implementing PetDesk Direct Booking, offering clients a more convenient way to schedule appointments online 24/7. Most recently, in May 2024, the clinic added PetDesk Phones, further simplifying workflows and enhancing client experience through a customizable, modern phone system.

Primary Care Animal Hospital exemplifies how multi-doctor clinics can leverage integrated tools to stay connected with pet parents and reduce staff workload—without compromising the quality of care.

‘It all started with too many phone calls.’

Before implementing any new technology, the clinic’s phone lines were overwhelmed. Clients were frequently on hold—sometimes for over 20 minutes—and negative reviews reflected their frustration.

“We were just getting hammered. Our average hold time was 22 minutes, and that had been going on for a year and a half. We knew we needed to open up another way for clients to reach us.”

‘We started with texting.’

The team’s first step was adopting PetDesk’s communications platform to enable two-way texting and take pressure off the phone lines.

“At the time, we just needed a platform to start communicating without the phone. Clients were leaving reviews saying they were on hold for too long. Texting gave us a way to avoid that.”

‘Direct booking felt risky at first—but now we can’t imagine going without it.’

There was some hesitation around direct booking to start. Concerns included clients booking the wrong appointment types or overwhelming the team with messy schedules.

But Practice Manager Andrea and her team found the solution with PetDesk Direct Booking’s customizations.

“What made PetDesk a success for us was the level of control. We could restrict appointment types by doctor, time, even pet breed or age. We didn’t lose control—we gained it.”

“Now we use multiple PetDesk tools and love it. It forces us to be better—it’s easy for clients to shop around if we’re not delivering, so we have to step up.”

“Now we don’t need a phone room. That’s 1.5 fewer CSRs needed just to manage phones. It’s huge in terms of staffing and space.”

‘Phone call volume dropped, and our workflow improved.’

PetDesk Direct Booking’s impact was immediate. The clinic eliminated an entire phone room, and repurposed that space for more productive use.

“Now we don’t need a phone room. That’s 1.5 fewer CSRs needed just to manage phones. It’s huge in terms of staffing and space.”

As a result, receptionists now focus more on providing exceptional in-person service.

“There’s less burden on the phones, which gives the team more time and less stress. That alone improved our front desk experience.”

That’s one reason we chose PetDesk—it handled those integrations well.’

PetDesk simplifies processes like sending messages or retrieving client data. While the team hopes for further enhancements (like auto-generating pet names), they’ve found the existing functionality more than sufficient.

“PetDesk support has been fantastic—responsive and helpful.” 

‘The team was hesitant at first—but it worked out great.’

Naturally, there were concerns early on—especially about new tools adding more work.

“The staff were worried. Would this be extra? Would it complicate existing systems? But once they saw how simple and helpful PetDesk was, they embraced it.”

‘Two-way texting is the team’s favorite feature’

The simplicity of the PetDesk portal also helped with adoption. Its intuitive interface and user-friendly navigation made training easier, and boosted confidence across the entire team.

“One hesitation I had was around two-way texting. I thought it would overload the team. So we turned it off for the first year, which turned out to be a mistake. We quickly realized the message volume was manageable, and clients don’t expect instant replies like they do with friends. It’s been a great tool since then.”

‘PetDesk’s phone system has been a game-changer.’

PetDesk Phones made a significant difference for Primary Care Animal Hospital. With smart routing and ringback options, the team now handles calls more efficiently.

“My favorite part is the ringback feature. Clients don’t have to wait on hold—they can choose to get a call back automatically. And CSRs don’t know whether it’s a callback or live call, so it just flows into their regular workflow.”

For the team, the call routing system is especially useful as it allows clients to navigate to the appropriate department (e.g., pharmacy, emergency, general inquiry), reducing misdirected calls and improving response times.

‘PetDesk’s phones are surprisingly customizable.’

After switching from a competitor, the team was amazed by how much control they had over the PetDesk phone system.

“That phone tree was surprisingly customizable. During onboarding, we set it up to route pharmacy calls first, then voicemail, then lab—exactly how we wanted it.”

‘Hold times dropped to zero.’

The call-back feature was a game-changer, making hold times a thing of the past.

“Our hold time has dropped to zero. People aren’t waiting on hold anymore and CSRs can’t tell if it’s an active call or a callback, they just pick up and handle it.”

“My favorite part is the ringback feature. Clients don’t have to wait on hold—they can choose to get a call back automatically. And CSRs don’t know whether it’s a callback or live call, so it just flows into their regular workflow.”

“Of all the tools, the PetDesk phone system has had the greatest impact.”

‘Templates help us keep communication clear and consistent.’

The team relies heavily on templates to manage how messages are sent to clients. Early on, they noticed staff adding emojis and informal language—templates helped standardize the tone.

“Without the templates, we can’t really control what’s being sent out. Now we can include our signature and reminders like ‘Call the clinic for emergencies.’”

‘We even use texts to support new doctors.’

Rather than mass marketing, the clinic uses targeted texting to fill gaps.

“We look at patients overdue for care and send them a message with a direct booking link. That helps us fill appointments for our new grads without overwhelming the team.”

PetDesk is helping the clinic work smarter. The new medical director began sending quick client updates—such as “X-rays look good, follow up in 6 months”—directly through PetDesk. The hospital administrator said this is what makes the workflow efficient:

“Our new medical director sends brief updates through PetDesk, and since replies go straight to the CSRs, she stays in the loop without getting overwhelmed. It’s working so well that we’re considering rolling it out across the whole team.”

“We adopted PetDesk Direct Booking in MayBetween the phone platform and Direct Booking, those problems were resolved.”

‘Online booking has become the norm and it’s helped everyone.’

For both the team and pet owners, online booking and modern communication tools have made life easier. Before switching to PetDesk, the clinic often received negative reviews about hold times. The silence now suggests that pet parent expectations are being met.

“It forces us to be better. If a client can’t get an appointment with us, they’ve got three other options on the app. So we’ve had to step up and we have.”

‘Reminders and built-in reviews give us real-time insight.’

The PetDesk review feature has become a powerful tool for measuring satisfaction and catching issues early.

“We see the feedback immediately, so if something’s wrong, we jump on it. I’d love to filter by doctor eventually—but it already gives us a good view of how the team’s doing.”

“When we adopted PetDesk Direct Booking in May, the hold time complaints in our reviews disappeared. Between the phone platform and Direct Booking, those problems were resolved.”

“Overall, PetDesk has absolutely delivered a return on investment. We’ve expanded, reduced staffing needs in certain areas, and improved client and team satisfaction.”

Experience with VMG

‘Initially, it was all about the discounts, but we stayed for the collaboration.’

The clinic first joined VMG for the group purchasing benefits. Access to negotiated contracts made it financially attractive:

“Honestly, the real reason I joined VMG was the group purchasing part—great discounts and that’s what I wanted.”

But over time, the collaborative environment and peer learning became the real draw:

“I’ve since drank the Kool-Aid. That’s the reason I stayed…because I really do think there’s a benefit there.”

‘Contract negotiations are taken care of—huge time-saver.’

A major advantage of VMG is that they negotiate vendor contracts on behalf of members, making decisions quicker and easier.

“They negotiated our PetDesk pricing for us. They just said, ‘Here’s your VMG pricing—do you want to be part of PetDesk?’ I said, ‘Sure.’”

The savings through VMG partnerships also played a big role in selecting PetDesk over other solutions.

“They undercut other product options by a big margin. If it’s a better product and I can get it for a better price, that’s an easy decision.”

 

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