Is modern technology leaving your practice behind?

By Marketing

17 February 2020 5 min read

 

Stay current and drive engagement and compliance with your veterinary practice patients using a mobile app.

Whether it’s for banking, making an insurance claim, or ordering your ride home, apps are becoming ubiquitous. Still, there may have even been times where an organization didn’t have an app, but you wish they had.

It’s likely your clients have thought the same. After all pet owners are just like the rest of us and use their phones and apps many times each day.

According to the New York Post, Americans check their phone on average once every 12 minutes – burying their heads in the phone 80 times a day. And, what are we doing on our phones? Well, 90% of the time, we’re on an app.

Having an app for your clinic can have many benefits, including more engaged customers, more frequent patient checkups and – most importantly – higher compliance rates.

So, how exactly do apps help achieve all these benefits?

Easily schedule appointments or order new prescriptions

An app can link your client directly to their pet’s patient record via their phone. This means that information such as when their next appointment is due, or which medication their pet is using is right there in their hand – instantly available.

When it’s time to book their next appointment, all you client needs do is select the date, time and reason for the visit and the app takes care of the rest. This includes sending a confirmation to your client and entering the appointment directly into your practice management software calendar.

The same applies to prescriptions. Your client can easily check what dosage they should administer their pet and how often. And, if they’re running low it’s easy to reorder a prescription without having to call your clinic.

Customize notifications

An app can also give your clients control over which notifications they receive from your practice and how they receive them. They can customize their own reminders. By allowing your client to choose which communication channel works best for them, you can be confident they’re receiving recall and reminder notifications. This translates into fewer no-shows from missed appointments.

Stay on top of their pet’s health

Rapport’s mobile app is linked to the client’s patient information. This lets owners see their pet’s health record and manage their information. This makes it easier for the pet parent to keep track of what treatment a vet has recommended and makes it easier for them to book appointments for recurring treatments when they’re due.

Stay in touch

Apps also make it easier for a client to get in touch with your veterinary clinic. This includes having contact information easily accessible in one place so they can call or email your clinic with one touch.

Breaking down communication barriers and providing information on the health of pets is an important part of increasing compliance. This is because clients are more likely to ask questions they feel might be too trivial for a visit.