We were able to chat with two professionals from the veterinary industry – Kath Chivers RVN, Digital Success Manager at IVC Evidensia and Amanda Harris, Client Care Manager at Rhyd Broughton Veterinary Group to learn how Rhyd Broughton is able to maintain control of their schedules with Vetstoria. 

One of the veterinary groups that were performing exceptionally well after implementing Vetstoria was the Rhyd Broughton Veterinary Group. Through our discussion with Amanda and Kath, we gained valuable insight on how they were able to save their front office staff time.

One of the main challenges that the Rhyd Broughton Veterinary Group faced was the influx of phone calls that were flooding in as soon as the clinic opened its doors on Monday mornings. On a typical Monday, the front desk would receive around 80 calls within the first couple of hours.

Speaking with Kath, we were able to discover that most of IVC Evidensia’s customers booking online preferred to book appointments through mobile (with 64% of online bookings coming in through mobile). Online booking eliminates the need to wait on hold or navigate through a complex phone system to schedule an appointment, this is why IVC Evidensia has an app for online booking integrated with Vetstoria, making it easier for pet owners to manage their pet’s health and book online appointments.

Together with the help of our head of customer success, Ida Geiger, Kath set up a V-sprint program, inviting veterinary clinics to learn how much they can customize Vetstoria. Many clinics had concerns that Vetstoria would control their diary and pet owners could book appointments whenever they wanted. But Kath and Ida reassured them that this wouldn’t be the case with all the features Vetstoria has to offer.

To learn more about managing new clients click here

Another feature which Kath really liked was Vetstoria’s integration with iRecall to create SmartLinks. This helps clinics provide reminders to their clients via email, text, or postcard (QR code). By accessing this link, clients are able to book an appointment without having to enter any of their details.

Over the weekend, the clinic received around 40 appointments booked through Vetstoria, saving the front desk a significant amount of time answering phone lines. In just a couple of hours, the front desk saved 80 minutes, and this was just the beginning. 

To better understand how Rhyd Broughton maintained control of their schedule, here are a few of Vetstoria’s features:

As a constantly busy clinic, Rhyd Broughton wanted to manage the workload of the clinic. So they used Vetstoria’s “gap to the earliest slot”, which was perfect to manage the gap between the current time and the next available appointment, avoiding staff overload.

Rhyd Broughton also uses Vetstoria’s new client form, so they could collect all the relevant information needed before the appointment, which reduces the time spent on phone calls to get their client information manually. The responses are then sent to them via email.

To sort appointments based on urgency Rhyd Broughton used Vetstoria’s appointment screening feature which lets you add keywords, so when pet owners enter the reason for their appointment, they see specific actions to take depending on the nature of the appointment.

Rhyd Broughton also uses Slot exclusions, which gives them the ability to limit appointment types and even limit appointments beyond its working hours of operation.

Online booking not only brought more appointments, but reduced the call volume because it delegated the scheduling process to pet owners. This saved them at least 23 hours every month.

Throughout the journey, Rhyd Broughton was in control of the bookings and the Vetstoria support team was readily available to answer questions at any time. The clinic received around 32 new clients appointments per week, and the platform allowed the clinic to get more information about the pet owners and pets, thanks to the new client form. Leading to better pet care and client service.

After 2 weeks of using Vetstoria, the clinic decided what they wanted to tweak with the bookings coming through the platform. The clinic’s pet owners also loved Vetstoria, with the response being overwhelmingly positive, as they could book appointments 24/7.

There were no reported cases of staff burnout or stress at the clinic, and the clinic’s management believed that online booking was a better option than phone calls.

Having worked in the veterinary field for 25 years, Amanda acknowledged that the industry was growing, and the clinic is receiving more complex inquiries, making online booking a necessity. Rhyd Broughton Veterinary Group was able to provide a better level of service to their clients while improving their daily operations by using Vetstoria.