Customer Story
“Our Website Now Reflects Who We Are”- Forest Veterinary Clinic’s Journey with Vetstoria
440+
appointments booked
36%
booked when the clinic was closed
245
(almost 55%) came from the floating button on the website.
72%
booked on a mobile device
200+
unique website visitors from organic search in a month
This data is from January 2025 to June 2025
The challenge
Forest Veterinary Clinic’s old website was outdated and no longer reflected the clinic’s values or high standard of care. It lacked modern functionality, had broken links, and didn’t effectively communicate their services — especially for exotics. The team also faced a high phone volume, with limited ways for clients to book outside of business hours.
The solution
They partnered with Vetstoria to revamp their website and implement online booking all in one place. The new site was co-designed with the team to reflect the clinic’s ethos, while the integrated booking system helped streamline client scheduling.
The results
📅 Online booking paid for itself in the first month.
📞 Reduced phone volume, freeing up receptionist time.
📈 Increased new client registrations, including exotics.
💻 The website now drives bookings and better represents the clinic.
‘We have had a lot of new interest from our revamped online presence.’
The decision to revamp the clinic’s website came from a growing sense that their online presence no longer reflected the quality of their care or their values.
“Our website earlier was old fashioned; a bit embarrassing, really. And it didn’t really convey much about what the practice did- there were some dead links, it needed updating. It’s one of those things that, when you’re a busy practice running around day-to-day, it gets put on the back burner.”
‘We wanted our website to represent our values and ethos.’
Tom and the team were deeply involved in shaping the new look and feel of the website with support of Vetstoria’s website team.
“We’ve obviously had a lot of support from the Vetstoria team with Antoinette. We put in a lot of thought about how it would represent the practice and our ethos. The design, the backgrounds, and the logos was a team effort as well, because we had a bit of input from everybody.”
‘Having online booking and website from one place was more preferable for us.’
When considering options, ease of integration and centralised support made Vetstoria an ideal fit for the practice.
“It was preferable for us that it was all in one place- the online booking and the website; as it seemed to integrate a lot better. This meant less legwork and running around. If something goes wrong, we know who to go to, and hopefully there’s less chance of it going wrong in the first place, because it’s all under one roof”
‘The updated site has already started delivering results.’
Thanks to improved design and visibility, the practice is seeing a noticeable increase in interest, especially from clients searching for exotic pet care.
“Particularly since we do a bit of exotics work, that has drawn a few clients in, who have registered and booked online. They seem to have done a Google search for a vet for their tortoise and our website comes up. So that’s been quite useful and we’ve had a number of clients.”
‘With average age creeping up, clients prefer to book online.’
Tom has also noticed a shift in how clients, especially younger ones, prefer to interact with the clinic.
“I suppose the younger clients, generally speaking—maybe have jobs, they're working from home, they're quite used to IT systems and they're quite keen to register online and book online. People prefer not to call the clinic, which it's helped with.”
‘Our website helps us sell.’
For Tom, the clinic’s website plays a vital role in drawing in new clients.
“Having an online presence is so important, especially where they’re able to look and see, read a bit about you, and read your reviews. This is what makes them click, register their pet and read a bit about the vets. The website helps us sell ourselves.”
Tom noted that selling doesn’t come naturally to most veterinarians:
“We’re not very good salesmen, naturally, as vets. It’s hard to get out to people as to what you stand for. And a good website definitely helps us with that.”
‘Our website is the window to our clinic and our ethos. It represents us quite well.’
‘We adopted online booking to reduce the call volume in the clinic.’
One of the driving factors behind adopting online booking was to reduce phone volume and ensure that clients could book appointments- even when the clinic was closed.
“Certainly the phone volume – that’s probably the biggest thing we wanted to reduce. Particularly if we missed a call, we have a recorded message now that tells them if it’s non-urgent, they can book online.”
“I wanted to open up to those people who might be looking on a Saturday night, after work, and can’t reach the doctor. If another clinic offers online booking and we don’t, they may go there instead. So it was to open us up to a broader spectrum of clientele.”
‘The reception staff are able to deal with time sensitive things effectively.’
Tom recognised that online booking helped his team prioritise urgent, in-person needs while handling admin tasks more flexibly.
“For reception staff, it’s reduced phone call work that is the ultimate benefit. When the phone’s ringing, it’s ringing now. And someone walking in — they’re here now. We want to deal with time-sensitive things immediately.”
‘Vetstoria’s customisability options are pretty straightforward.’
While the customisation options seemed overwhelming at first, Tom found that setting it up thoughtfully paid off.
“I did a lot of thinking on how to structure it. I spent a good few hours doing it, but if you do it right, it makes the whole system work for you. I’ve only had to tweak one thing since we went live. With all those safeguards in place, slot exclusions and everything, you can really set it and keep it functioning well.”
‘‘Receptionists are using the saved time for other things.’
Tom has already seen the benefits, with clients frequently booking online and staff gaining back time for more meaningful work.
“I see a good percentage of clients book online these days. Everything booked online saves at least a 5-minute per phone call. I feel that my reception team is now able to do something more useful with that time.”
‘When clients repeat use it, we know they find value in it.’
While younger pet owners are typically more inclined to book online, Tom has been pleasantly surprised by just how broad the appeal is.
“We have quite an old client base. Some of them surprise me. We have some 80-year-olds who use Vetstoria’s online booking and love it.”
‘The clients love the ease of booking at any time.’
Clients enjoy being in control of their own scheduling, with more visibility into available options than a phone call typically provides.
“They’ve got much more flexibility and time at their leisure to pick what they want. The ball’s more in their court.”
“When you ring up, you only get the appointments the receptionist tells you are available. But with Vetstoria, they can see, ‘I could go on Wednesday and see Tom, or Thursday and see Sophie. I could do 9:20 or 3:20.’”
‘Our first appointment through Vetstoria paid for itself that month.’
Tom didn’t have to wait long to see real value.
“One of the first online bookings we had turned into a high-value appointment to treat the dog—and that alone paid for the first month of online booking and the website. So yeah, it paid for itself. Good investment.”
‘My team and I love the responsiveness from Vetstoria team.’
From onboarding to everyday operations, Tom appreciated Vetstoria’s responsiveness and support.
“The Vetstoria team has been very attentive from the start, with a clear timeline and implementation. Even recently, I had a little thing—I forwarded it over, and they sorted it out. They’ve certainly not left us hanging. In fact, they were chasing me to make sure I had access and everything was working.”
I would recommend Vetstoria. It’s integrated well. It’s easy to use. Clients like it. And ultimately, it’s a bigger window into our online presence—and that’s translated into more bookings and more new clients. So yes, it’s been a good investment.
Vetstoria’s real-time online booking drastically reduces phone calls and keeps you in control.
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Vetstoria’s real-time online booking drastically reduces phone calls and keeps you in control.
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Tom Llewellyn | Partner, Clinical Director and Veterinary Surgeon
A local to the area, Tom first joined Forest Vets for work experience at 16 and never really left. After graduating with Distinction from Edinburgh Vet School in 2007, he started working at the clinic just two days later. In 2023, he became a partner alongside Neil and now serves as Clinical Director.
Tom treats everything from routine pet cases to the more unusual—like exporting a Bearded Dragon to Cyprus or examining a 30kg snake. He’s also the clinic’s lead for exotic animals and holds certification as an Official Veterinarian for pet exports.
Outside of work, Tom spends time with his wife, two sons, and their Border Collies, Ted and Leo. He’s a keen cyclist and rarely sits still. Working at Forest is, and always has been, his dream job.
