5 Ways Veterinary Practices Survived The COVID-19 1st Wave
Australian outbreaks, a harbinger of what’s to come
Despite restrictions such as school closures and limits of the number of people in venues, Australia’s state of Victoria went into yet another 6-week lockdown thanks to recent outbreaks in Melbourne. Veterinary practices in the Southern hemisphere have so far been mercifully unscathed compared to practices in the UK which faced mass staff furloughing and in some cases closures.
This second lock-down in Australia is both shocking and unnerving especially since the US and the UK are both easing restrictions just like Australia did a couple of months ago.
Getting it right the 2nd time around
Without a doubt, practices were hit in the 1st wave due to the lack of “pandemic-proofing” which was a totally new thing for most of us. However, the degree to which a practice is affected varies massively based on the measures they took and the existing technological infrastructure in place to accommodate the drastic shock.
We thought we’d share what the most successful veterinary practices did during lock-down. In some of the cases you’ll read below, the lock-down not only served as a catalyst for a productivity boost but also helped gain additional revenue from deploying innovative technology.
But before reading on, if you’d like to see how Vetstoria can help your practice by reducing admin pressure and helping you better connect with pet owners, book a free demo with one of our friendly specialists for an online scheduling platform.
Things to do NOW
1. If you have fewer receptionists on shift or no receptionists at all, reduce call volume by using a combination of an online disclaimer, smart digital triage, online booking and tele-triage. This way you’ll be able to continue helping pet owners and maintain appointment bookings with limited resources.
Seadown Veterinary Services takes 1000+ Appointments and 600+ payments digitally ONLY in just one month when ALL receptionists are on furlough. Read Seadown’s Case Study.
Emerson’s Green Veterinary Surgery, reduced call volume by 60% whilst staff productivity in-house soars during COVID lockdown. Read Emerson’s case study.
2. Collect payments digitally either at the time of booking with your online booking tool or use payment links after the appointment sent via email. This will free up a huge amount of time for your team!
3. Offer curbside (on-site but not in the building) appointments. If pet owners can’t enter the building, treat pets while owners wait in the car or outside – if you’re using a telemedicine tool, you can enable pet owners to watch their loved-ones get treated on their phone.
Wylie Veterinary Centre delivers 200+ video consultations & generates over £7k / $9k in one week on Vetstoria’s online booking and telemedicine platform. Read Wylie’s case study.
Center Veterinary Clinic automates appointment booking and telemedicine, utilizing curbside appointment type to completely fill up their appointment book. Read the case study.
5. Don’t stop vaccinations. Combine curbside appointments, online booking and payments to reduce manual staff workload. Read Seadown’s Case Study to see how they took 1,000+ telemedicine and vaccination appointments and over 500 payments in 1-month with zero human intervention.
How Vetstoria’s online scheduling platform helps
By using Vetstoria’s online scheduling platform with features such as online booking, online payments, and hosted video consultations, your practice can streamline repetitive manual tasks to maintain a competitive advantage and ultimately protect jobs.
Wanna see how it could work for your practice? Book a FREE 1-to-1 personalized demo with one of our product specialists today!
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