With all of the daily interruptions and influencing factors that seem to be outside of one’s control, improving the efficiency of your practice by incorporating the use of technology can provide a benefit without causing additional headaches. The following tips can help a practice boost their efficiency level and improve their means of client communication through the use of technology.

Using Technology to Boost Your Veterinary Practice’s Efficiency

Website
Nowadays, an established website is a necessity for a practice. Clients have learned to rely on the web’s instant access in order to retrieve practice information, for example:

• Address
• Contact information
• Hours of operation
• Animal specialization
• Types of available procedures offered, for example:
  • Emergency Care
  • Surgery
  • Cancer
  • Dental
  • Therapy
• Accepted insurance or wellness plans
• Client comments and reviews

Having an up-to-date website maintains office efficiency in such ways as:

• Reduces the number of incoming phone calls that are searching for common, easily located information
• Frees up clinic staff and phone lines:
  • Helpful in times of emergencies when clients need an immediate connection via the phone, reduces client frustration
  • Increases the opportunity for clinic staff to quickly meet and work with incoming clients and patients, decreases the waiting time and reduces client frustration  
• Maintains a connection with current clients
• Attracts and encourages new clients

Scheduling
If your practice is not staffed to schedule appointments every minute of every day, chances are good that you are missing out on client opportunities. Online programs have been developed to:

• Offer appointment and scheduling applications that can be integrated into the practice office calendar and accessed regardless of whether the practice is open or not
• Give clients, at their convenience, the opportunity to schedule appointments during available and open office times

Online Access to Forms
Technology can also reduce the time that clients spend filling out paperwork in a noisy waiting room with their stressed pet. Offering the ability to access specific informational forms on your website will be appreciated by clients who prefer answering the necessary questions from the quiet of their own home. This online accessibility also provides further benefits to your practice, for instance:

• Forms can often be customized to include specific patient-related questions
• Online forms are typically answered with more complete responses and better accuracy
• Once the form is finished and submitted, the information can be accessed by the office, speeding up any clarification needs and increasing the opportunity to quickly address questions
• Having access to the patient information before the examination may help to quickly determine what, if any, extra supplies may be needed for the examination

File Sharing
When taking in a new client, or in times when a patient is moving to a different practice, the quick transference of patient records between facilities is essential. Applications are available that make sending and receiving patient files relatively easy. The process involves uploading the data directly to a designated site, and can be completed by either the client or the veterinary practice.

Maintaining the efficiency of a growing practice can often feel like a real challenge, but it doesn’t have to. By following these tips that involve the use of technology, a practice may boost their efficiency level and improve their client communications.

For questions about any of these tips, or for more ideas to take advantage of available technology in your own practice, contact your Covetrus representative at 855.724.3461.

Sources:

http://veterinarybusiness.dvm360.com/how-technology-can-enhance-value-your-veterinary-clients?id=&sk=&date=&%0A%09%09%09&pageID=3