Are you looking for a way to give your Veterinary practice a boost…without losing your sanity in the process? Rise above the day-to-day gauntlet of non-stop patient care without compromising cost, and return to the joys of caring for animals without all the stress….
Yes, it’s possible!
It’s no secret that in recent years demand for pet care has exploded as more people have become pet owners, and long-term pet owners have adopted more pets. Current estimates reveal that veterinary doctors now service anywhere from 1000 to 1500 households – that’s a lot of patients! With such demand, it’s easy to assume the number of DVMs would increase to accommodate such growth – but that is not what’s happening. Truth is, the number of DVMs is actually contracting as one third of all DVMs are baby-boomers. And they are retiring faster than new graduates can enter the field. As a result, no surprise, this imbalance has put enormous strain on remaining veterinarians and their staff. This compromises work-life balance, customer service and patient care. Make sense?
If this is you – and it likely is – any desire to improve the current state ought to immediately include consideration of the undeniable benefits that an elite-quality answering service can bring to your practice. Let’s review.
Improved Customer Relations: Pet owners want thoughtful and caring service. Of course, the care of their pet(s) is an emotional matter. When a situation arises, urgent or not, they prefer immediate contact with a thoughtful, empathetic real person.
Unfortunately, with high daily caseloads it’s not always possible to answer every call within a few rings, and hiring additional staff can be costly. Many customers are unaware of this dilemma, so have little patience when confronted with excessive ringing followed by voicemail. But when you partner with an elite-quality answering service, especially one with expertise in the veterinary industry, customer service and satisfaction will immediately improve. Customers who call in are met with a friendly and caring person to express their concerns, all while you and your staff remain focused on patient care. Relax knowing your practice won’t have to deal with annoyed customers who aren’t able to get through right away. Problem solved!
Better Work-Life Balance – Avoid Burnout: Of course, work-life balance is important to avoid burnout. According to this recent study, burnout rates among all groups of Veterinary staff increased in 2021 – in direct correlation to increasing caseloads. With this knowledge, any opportunity to offload non-essential tasks – like routing evening and weekend calls to an answering service – will make it easier to manage a large number of patients with less stress.
Get More sleep!: Your elite-quality answering service representative is expert at screening non-urgent calls…and in emergencies after-hours, in contacting the correct on-call doctor.
Until we reach parity with either more veterinarians at work (not happening anytime soon…), or less demand for pet care (highly improbable), partnering with an elite-quality answering service will give your veterinary practice, and your life, a tangible boost!
Sources:
