by a veterinarian
Since opening their doors in 2007, Aspen Veterinary Clinic’s charming approach to wellness has helped serve the animals of their rural community 300 miles outside of Reno, Nevada. Keeping things small, they’re a single-doctor practice with a staff of four others.
Amanda, Aspen’s licensed veterinary technician, handles software, inventory, and add-ons like VitusVet. She began using VitusVet’s 2-way texting platform to help their Customer Service Representative handle the phone lines. Though their phone lines were always busy, they found many people weren’t leaving messages if no one was able to answer. 2-way really helped by offering a new line of communication with clients, especially as the pandemic hit and the clinic’s phones were ringing off the hook.
Perhaps the greatest help to Aspen’s clients is the addition of VitusPay monthly payment plans powered by Splitit. As Amanda tells it, money is a huge issue in their area. Every day members of their community struggle with finances in one way or another, especially as a large portion of their population are transient, working in the local mining industry. The clinic wanted to find a way to make sure that paying for pet care wasn’t among one of their clients’ worries.
“The greatest aspect of the VitusPay monthly payment options is they are taking away the financial worry many of our clients have. We want to do everything we can to help our clients care for their pets, and VitusPay helps us to do this so we tell clients about it all the time.”
Aspen had tried in-house payment plans in the past, but found them to be unsustainable and got burned as clients often had to miss payments and collection activities arose. What makes VitusPay a more viable option is that Aspen is getting paid upfront. The team no longer worries about chasing down payments or collection agencies now that monthly payment plans are being offered. Amanda has scheduled more dental appointments, surgeries, and most importantly, now has an option for clients to help them not turn to euthanasia due to unexpected expenses.
Clients love having the flexibility of a payment plan and really appreciate the option to choose between 3, 4, and 6 month plans.
Some clients are aware of the monthly payment plans while others hear about the option through the clinic’s technicians or nurses. It’s easy to explain and for clients to immediately understand.Amanda says,
“If we did not have this monthly payment plan option, 50-60% of dental plans would not occur.”
Stats like this show that payment options, especially with clients where money can be a major deciding factor on petcare, are more important than ever. “The greatest aspect of the VitusPay monthly payment options is they are taking away the financial worry many of our clients have. We want to do everything we can to help our clients care for their pets, and VitusPay helps us to do this so we tell clients about it all the time.”
