Things have changed. The internet makes finding and retaining clients a challenge due to websites like Yelp, Facebook reviews and simple things like lack of a veterinary practice website. Throw in smartphone capabilities and you have consumers pulling you in every direction. Businesses have evolved with mobile apps and click-to-book functionality. Even in-store experiences are influenced if you have a smartphone. All of this changes what a practice needs in order to evolve and stay in business. Are you feeling confused or lost about it all? Here’s a guide to help you sort through the chaos.

Ask yourself the right questions.

What issue are you trying to solve? Compliance or customer loyalty? Providing your clients an app? Simplifying your front desk staff? Lessen phone calls? Whatever it is, you need to write it down. It’s pointless to look into working with a technology company without knowing what you’re trying to accomplish.

Find the right technology to solve your issue.

  1. To reduce phone calls, look at solutions for:
    1. Digital appointments
    2. Digital refills
    3. Appointment confirmations
  2. To increase compliance, look at solutions for:
    1. Digital reminders (email, push notifications and text messaging)
    2. Digital confirmations
  3. To communicate with clients easier, look at solutions for:
    1. Text and photo messaging capabilities
    2. Digital reminders
    3. Digital confirmations

Find a partner who solves current issues, plus continues to improve their products and solve other burdensome areas of your practice.

If you’re not working with someone who is constantly evolving with the latest technology, then you’re always trying to catch up. Find a company that offers you solutions to the problems you want to solve NOW, but also continues to enhance their products and develop new ones.

Be sure to communicate your needs with your partner.

It is extremely important to communicate your wants and needs with your partner, otherwise they will never know how they can best work with you. If you want a better email tool, tell them. If their digital appointments aren’t benefitting your practice, tell them what you’d like done differently. It takes two-way communication to ensure a partnership works, and if you’re not doing that, then you can bet on it not working out. The right partner will listen to your needs and add to their product based on feedback from their partnerships.