How to Put No-Shows in the Past for Your Veterinary Practice
Table of Contents
- Why do pet owners miss their veterinary appointments?
- What impacts do no-shows have on veterinary clinics?
- How can I prevent no-shows at my veterinary practice?
- How Vetstoria’s online booking makes no-shows no problem!
- Put no-shows in the past for your veterinary practice!
No one enjoys a missed appointment: clients delay the care their pets need, teams waste valuable time, and clinics lose out on revenue. It’s a daily domino effect of problems for veterinary practices, and understanding the root causes of no-shows can seem daunting.
We’re walking you through the real reasons why pet owners miss their veterinary appointments, the many impacts missed appointments have, along with the sure-fire strategies you can use to make no-shows become no problem in no time. Plus, we’ll discuss the powerful tools Vetstoria specifically offers to help no-shows disappear from your clinic—not your clients.
Why do pet owners miss their veterinary appointments?
When pet owners don’t show up to their appointments, sometimes it can feel a bit personal. It’s important to note that while forgetfulness and poor planning can often be the culprits of no-shows, other factors like lack of transportation and sudden emergencies can cause clients to miss their appointments to no fault of their own. We’ve put together a list of the reasons why appointments are missed so you can stay in the know:
Forgetting the Appointment: Pet owners are people, and people are often busy. Sometimes it can be as simple as a client failing to set or receive a reminder that causes them to forget they’ve booked an appointment with you, or their schedule became busier than expected.
Lack of Transportation: Not everyone has reliable means to easily get from place to place. Pet owners who don’t have consistent transportation they can count on are far more likely to not make it to their appointments.
Concerns With Cost: Sometimes it all comes down to money, or the lack of. Pet parents who are more worried about the financial burdens of pet care will often skip the veterinary appointments they’ve booked, or look for a cheaper option elsewhere.
Anxiety and Stress: We’ve all seen a nervous pet in the veterinary clinic, but their owners can be just as anxious. When a client feels worried or stressed about their veterinary appointment, they’re likely to cancel it at the last minute or completely skip it altogether without warning.
Poor Communication: Clients can only make it to the appointments they’re reminded about, and missed appointments can be the direct result of communication breakdowns from the clinic. No-shows can also happen when a pet owner meant to cancel or reschedule their visit, but never communicated that to the veterinary team.
Inconvenient Scheduling: When a pet owner only has a few available appointment slots to choose from, it might force them to book a time that isn’t truly convenient for their schedule. Even if they’ve confirmed their appointment with you, their scheduling conflicts may lead to them not showing up.
Emergency Situations: Not hearing from a pet owner before they miss their appointment can be the result of unplanned events or emergencies. Even if the client has already confirmed their visit and seems to be looking forward to your pet care, there’s always a chance they’ll have to unexpectedly miss it at the last minute.
Changes in Pet Health: We can’t always know exactly how a pet is feeling, and sometimes an issue that once seemed highly concerning turns out to be nothing to worry about. When a pet owner sees that their pet’s condition has improved, it may make them believe that the appointment they’ve booked at your clinic is no longer needed.
Perceived Unimportance: Unfortunately, not every pet owner is an active participant in their pet’s health journey. Certain clients of yours may not realise and understand the importance of preventive care and the benefits of taking their pets in for regular check-ups, leading to them missing or skipping their routine visits.
Negative Experiences: If a pet owner has a poor time at a veterinary practice, it can prevent them from returning for future pet care. They may believe that bad communication from the veterinary team, for example, is a reflection of the care being provided to their pet, and be discouraged from coming back without giving any notice.
Lack of Team Trust: Similar to how a poor experience can prevent pet parents from returning for more care, a client may not come back to a clinic if they don’t have trust and confidence in the veterinary team. Inconsistencies or not having an open dialogue with the staff can put clients on the fence about choosing that clinic for care, and cause them to stop showing up for their appointments.
Scheduling Errors: It’s certainly not always on the client when an appointment is missed. Mistakes in the veterinary practice’s scheduling process can cause missed appointments, or create a poor experience—like a double-booked appointment—that prevents a client from wanting to show up in the future.
What impacts do no-shows have on veterinary clinics?
Missed appointments are missed opportunities for quality care and clinic revenue, but they can also negatively affect your practice’s overall efficiency and risk you losing out on loyal pet owners. Knowing the specifics behind these negative impacts will help you understand the importance of preventing missed appointments in the first place:
Delayed Health Journeys: Pets need regular veterinary visits not only to stay healthy, but also to ensure early detection and management of any health-related issues. When a client misses their pet’s appointment, it can result in delayed diagnosis and treatments that put the pet’s health at greater risk.
Reduced Team Efficiency: No-shows are no walk in the park for your veterinary team. While sometimes a missed appointment can mean a much-needed break, no-shows disrupt your staff’s workflow and cause them to scramble as they’re forced to figure out next steps. These inefficiencies can decrease your team’s overall productivity and morale, ultimately risking burnout.
Lost Clinic Income: More than losing team productivity, missed appointments lose valuable revenue for your veterinary practice. Each appointment slot you’ve set up is designed to generate income while providing excellent pet care, neither of which are possible when pet owners don’t show up for their visits. Over time, no-shows can seriously impact the clinic’s financial health.
Diminished Client Relationships: When missed appointments happen more and more, it can strain the relationship between pet owners and veterinary teams. Frequent no-shows can lead to a lack of trust in clients and reduced satisfaction for your team, which can affect client retention and referrals.
How can I prevent no-shows at my veterinary practice?
Add a Reminder System: If clients are actively reminded about their appointments at your clinic, they’ll be more likely to come in for the services they’ve booked. You can keep pet owners on track by sending them automated reminders through the convenience of a phone call, email, or SMS without interrupting your busy routine.
Provide Flexible Scheduling: When pet parents have an easy way to schedule the services they need on their own time, they’ll be more likely to show up for their appointments. Offer clients a way to book online so they can set up appointments whenever they need to and wherever they are without having to give your clinic a call.
Request Pre-Appointment Payments: Capturing pre-appointment deposits ensures that clients are financially committed to their appointments, reducing the likelihood of a pet owner not showing up for their visit. This also helps secure your revenue in case they don’t make it to their appointment.
Communicate Everything Clearly: Efficiency is in the details. Make sure your appointment instructions are highly detailed and well-written so pet owners know exactly what to do and what to expect every time they book a visit.
Educate Your Clients: Make the importance of regular veterinary visits clear to pet owners by using things like blogs, newsletters, and in-clinic materials to spread the facts and raise awareness. Providing your clients with transparency and education can create a stronger community for your clinic and lead to more responsible pet owners booking your services.
Address Transportation Issues: Consider partnering with a pet transport service to help clients who face transportation challenges. This provides an easier way for these pet owners to keep their pets’ health journeys on course without the risk of missing their appointments.
Offer Financial Assistance: At the end of the day, veterinary clinics are businesses, and you can only provide the care that pet owners can pay for. That’s why it’s important to be transparent about the associated veterinary costs, and offer payment plans to alleviate financial concerns for pet parents. Being up front and honest will let your clients know what to expect from their appointments and prevent them from booking services they can’t afford.
Reduce Anxiety and Stress: Just like your veterinary team, pet owners have a lot on their minds. Help your clients feel less overwhelmed by providing clear pre-visit instructions and setting their expectations, along with in-clinic comfort that steadies their nerves. A detailed process and calm environment will encourage pet owners to follow through with their appointments more often.
Handle Emergencies Efficiently: Emergencies can happen at any time, so it’s important for your clients to know that your veterinary team is always prepared. Create clear policies for emergency situations in your clinic that give pet owners peace of mind and trust in your team, and provide emergency contact information so clients know what to do and who to reach out to in unexpected situations. This will further strengthen your relationships with pet owners and keep them coming back.
Promote Positive Experiences: Keep your quality of care consistent and professional to instil trust and improve client satisfaction. It’s a good idea to regularly seek feedback from pet parents to make sure they’re happy with the services being provided to their pets, and to know which processes in your clinic need improvements.
Ensure Accurate Scheduling: Double-booked appointments and scheduling errors can significantly slow your team down and scare clients off. Be sure to train your staff and use reliable scheduling software to avoid errors and keep things running smoothly. An accurate scheduling process will help promote more positive experiences for pet owners more frequently.
Vetstoria’s online booking makes no-shows no problem!
Vetstoria has the veterinary-specific solution to make your appointment management easier and more efficient than ever before. Our appointment scheduling platform can help you reduce no-shows, enhance your team’s productivity, and ultimately ensure pets get the timely care they need without delay. Here’s how:
Accurate Appointment Scheduling
Vetstoria is equipped with real-time booking, which means pet owners will only see the appointment slots that are available to select in your practice management system at that specific moment, rather than falsely seeing what was available to book five minutes ago. This ensures in-the-moment accuracy to prevent scheduling nightmares like double-booked appointments, which can deter clients from returning for more pet care. With an error-free and user-friendly platform for pet owners to book your services with, you’ll create an effortless veterinary experience that encourages them to keep showing up for their appointments. Just ask Pennard Vets, who saw a 93% pet owner satisfaction rate through the convenience of Vetstoria! Plus, with more appointment slots accurately filled and fewer no-shows, you’ll keep your staff efficient while maximising your potential for earnings.
Out-of-Hours Booking
Vetstoria lets clients schedule appointments anytime, anywhere, and on any device without having to make unnecessary calls or visits to your clinic. Rather than stopping what you’re doing or putting pet parents on hold, our platform offers 24/7 online appointment scheduling for clients to book your services on their own time—not yours. This keeps your front desk open after hours, accommodating pet owners who have busier schedules while your team gets some well-deserved rest. Accessibility like this helps to reinforce your practice as the preferred option for pet care, all while decreasing missed appointments and increasing your revenue. Plus, our platform is proven to help promote a healthy-work life balance, like how Hilltop Vets booked over 35% of their appointments after hours while their staff managed to stay equally focused on their professional and personal lives.
Veterinary Payments
Sometimes the in-clinic checkout process can be long and chaotic, providing a poor experience that prevents pet parents from coming back. With Vetstoria Pay, you’ll make checkout a breeze and reduce no-shows for your practice by requesting pre-appointment deposits or full payments from pet owners while they book online. This is especially useful for getting ahead of missed appointments and preventing last-minute cancellations from more risky clients, helping you secure your pay and keep your revenue on track. Not only that, but you’ll also create a smoother payment experience for everyone while saving your clinic money with our competitive rates on transaction fees!* Whether a new or returning pet owner is booking a consultation or a surgery, our veterinary payment tool enhances your clinic experience while providing the peace of mind you need for each and every transaction.
*Competitive rates and single payment provider or in-clinic and online transactions may vary based on payment provider and region.
Automated Veterinary Reminders
What better way to keep pet owners and health journeys on track than through the simplicity of automated appointment reminders—Vetstoria’s veterinary email reminders do just that by automatically emailing clients about their pets’ appointments well before they’re scheduled to come in, giving them enough time to prepare and follow any pre-visit instructions. You can customise your reminders to make them clear and concise by including things like the date, time, and location of the appointment without manually relaying this information in a repetitive phone call. Plus, our reminders provide clients with an easy link to confirm or make changes to their appointments in advance of their visits.
Put no-shows in the past for your veterinary practice!
From the simplicity of forgetfulness to the complications of poor communication, pet owners can end up missing their veterinary appointments for a number of reasons. Regardless of why, the negative impacts are clear: pets don’t get the care they need when they need it, veterinary teams become less productive, clinics lose out on valuable revenue, and client relationships can be put in jeopardy. That’s why it’s important to stay ahead of missed appointments at your veterinary practice, and use the right strategies coupled with the right tools to make no-shows no problem.
If your practice is experiencing a noticeable rate of missed appointments, it’s crucial to address the issue immediately—and Vetstoria can help. Our veterinary-specific booking solution equips your team with everything they need to stay efficient, providing staff members and pet owners with key appointment management features like automated reminders, customisable out-of-hours booking, accurate appointment scheduling, and powerful, cost-effective payment software. Start making no-show appointments disappear—not your clients—by scheduling a free chat with a Vetstoria product expert today! You’ll see what we can make possible for your specific practice, with no pressure to sign up.
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