Sample formula: 500 new clients annually 2,000 active clients seen during last 18 months = = 75% bonding rate

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1 Creating Great First Impressions for New Clients Wendy S. Myers, CVJ, President, Communication Solutions for Veterinarians Inc., 6455 Montano Place, Castle Pines, CO 80108, USA; ; Csvets.com; Facebook.com/csvets; What you ll learn Phone tips to efficiently schedule new patient exams Scheduling 30 minute exams for new clients to allow time for bonding Providing welcome gifts and tours during the first visit Following up with handwritten cards, calls and reminders to increase new client bonding rates Tracking your sources of new clients so you make smart marketing decisions When new clients visit your veterinary hospital, what experience do you provide to ensure they ll become lifetime clients? Learn how to make new clients feel like family, from the scheduling phone call to checkout. A pet owner stays with a veterinary hospital for an average of 5 years, according to the Well-Managed Practice Study from Veterinary Economics and WTA Associates. 1 The average bonding rate of new clients is 60% 2. To figure your client retention rate, divide your number of new clients per year by your number of active clients (seen during the last 18 months). Then subtract that number from 100 to get your client-bonding rate. For example, if you have 2,000 active clients and 500 of those are new, then 1,500 clients have been retained. This makes your client retention rate 75%, which is 15% above the industry average. Sample formula: 500 new clients annually 2,000 active clients seen during last 18 months = = 75% bonding rate To sustain a healthy, growing practice, a veterinary hospital needs 25 new clients per full-time-equivalent veterinarian each month. 3 For example, a two-doctor practice should target 50 new clients per month and 600 annually. Phone tips to efficiently schedule new patient exams Gather new clients contact information during scheduling calls. Invest 2 minutes to enter the client record in your practice-management software. Gathering details over the phone lets you start the first visit on time rather than having 15 minutes of valuable exam time eaten up with paperwork. You get one chance to make a first impression, so create expectations when new clients call to schedule their first appointments. Imagine a new client visiting with her fussy toddler and puppy tugging at the leash. You hand her a clipboard with a new client registration form. You ll likely get incomplete and illegible information. Clipboards are impersonal and awkward. Plan A: Let s schedule your new puppy s exam. To help speed your check-in process as a new client, we ll get all of your information over the phone now Then ask for the following information, which you ll enter in your practice-management software: Client s name Address Cell phone Home phone Pet s name 1

2 Pet s birthdate Pet s gender Pet s breed Plan B: If phone lines are ringing and clients are lined up before you, offer to the new client a link to your clinic s website where she can complete your new client registration form online. Say, Let me get your and within the next 30 minutes, I ll send you a link to our website where you can complete the new client registration form and read about the doctor you ll see. Completing your new client form before your exam will help speed your check-in process on the day of your pet s exam. Intermountain Pet Hospital & Lodge in Meridian, Idaho features online registration for new clients as well as a PDF of the form at The online registration includes the hospital s financial policy and medical records release. Plan C: If the new client doesn t have Internet access, ask her to arrive 15 minutes early to complete paperwork and get a tour of the hospital. Say, We d like you to arrive 15 minutes before your exam begins so we can complete your new client registration. We ll also give you a tour of the hospital before or after your exam so you can learn about the care we can provide for your pet. Confirm directions. Remember, new clients have never been to your hospital and may arrive late to their first exams. Share major cross streets or landmark buildings. When possible, give the caller estimated driving time from her home to your hospital so she is more likely to arrive on time. Let the caller know if there is any road construction in the area so she can be aware of possible delays. Contact previous veterinarians to request medical records before exams. If the client has recently moved, locating pets medical records among moving boxes may prove challenging. Say, May I have the name of your previous veterinary clinic so we can contact them to request records before your pet s exam? When you call the prior hospital, let them know when the pet s exam is scheduled so they can send records before to that date. The American Veterinary Medical Association has a list of state regulations on the confidentiality of veterinary patient records at Scheduling 30-minute exams for new clients to allow time for bonding Schedule 30-minute exams. You ll need ample time to establish a client relationship and review adoption paperwork or previous medical records. Color-code new client exams in your schedule so your entire team knows to provide welcoming greetings. If new clients are scheduling surgeries, such as spays and neuters, have a doctor appointment so you can establish a doctor-client-patient relationship. While technicians could admit routine surgical and dental patients for established clients, a doctor always should admit new patients. You ll increase new clients confidence and retention. Greet clients and pets by name as they walk through the door. Stand as you greet clients, which communicates you re eager to help. Say, Good morning, Mrs. Myers and Opus. Welcome to <Your Veterinary Hospital>. Let s get you ready to see Dr. <Name>. We ve received your pet s medical records from your previous veterinarian. I will let the technician know that you ve arrived. Can I answer any questions before your exam starts? Give new clients your business cards. At the end of the exam, the veterinarian should provide his business card and say, We appreciate the trust and confidence you ve shown in choosing our veterinary hospital for your pets care. Here is my business card should you have additional questions. 2

3 When technicians or assistants educate puppy and kitten owners, they can say, If you have questions about the information we ve discussed today, please call and ask for me. Here s my business card. Create addresses for every employee with your domain name and include them on business cards. Avoid Gmail, Yahoo and other free accounts. Remember, you run a professional, often milliondollar business, so don t look like a temporary player with a free address. Ask your webhosting company to provide s for staff. Watch my video on using business cards at Print an appointment reminder and Facebook and AAHA logos on the back of your business cards. Have your practice manager welcome new clients. Each morning, the practice manager should check the schedule and look for new client exams. At the beginning or end of each exam, the manager should step into the exam room, introduce herself and provide a business card. Say, I want to welcome you to our veterinary hospital. My name is <your name>, and I m the practice manager. We strive to provide exceptional patient care and client service, so please contact me if you have any questions. Here s my business card. Providing welcome gifts and tours during the first visit Give new clients welcome gift bags. Have canvas bags imprinted with your logo, phone number and website. To get a count on how many bags you ll need to order, run a report in your practice-management software to determine how many new clients you saw last year. Ask your top pharmaceutical or pet food sales representative about marketing dollars to sponsor your gift bag. On the front of the bag, print your clinic s logo, website and phone number. On the backside of the canvas bag, print the vendor s product logos. Stuff new client gift bags with: Slip leash with your clinic name and phone number Hospital magnet Pet food measuring cup Pet food can lid cover Hospital brochure Emergency clinic info Vaccine record Dental report card Pen with your logo, phone number and website Toy or treats Puppy / kitten kit Gift certificate to try boarding or grooming services Add literature based on the pet s life stage. For example, new clients with senior pets would receive brochures on senior preventive screening, arthritis and senior diets. A new client with a puppy would receive house-training and socialization handouts along with the first free doses of heartworm and flea/tick prevention. Johnston Animal Hospital in Smithfield, N.C., gives its clients stainless steel bowls engraved with its logo. Dr. Kathy Ward says the gift keeps their hospital top of mind every day when clients feed their pets. For information on personalized engraved bowls, visit Explain the retail value of new client gifts. Tell phone shoppers, As our baby gift to your new puppy, you ll also receive free doses of flea/tick and heartworm prevention, a canvas tote, an educational book, a sample of premium puppy food, leash, pet food measuring cup, magnet, emergency clinic information, and training handouts. This gift is valued at $. Most welcome bags will have a retail value of $60 to $100, which will entice pet owners to schedule exams. 3

4 New client welcome gift items Retail value Canvas tote $ Hospital brochure $ Hospital magnet $ Slip leash with your clinic name and phone number $ Emergency clinic information $ Literature, handouts, booklets based on life stage $ Vaccine record-keeper $ Pet food measuring cup and/or can lid cover $ Pen with your logo, phone number and website $ Toy or treats $ Gift certificate to try other hospital services such as boarding or grooming $ TOTAL $ For puppy and kitten baby gifts, add first free doses of heartworm and flea/tick prevention, sample of puppy/kitten food or coupons, and training and socialization handouts. Welcome bags for senior pets would include information on dentistry, senior diets, arthritis and senior preventive screening. Give tours before or after exams. As new clients walk through your hospital, they ll see other services you offer such as dentistry, surgery, laser therapy, boarding and grooming. Offer a virtual tour on your website and on digital photo frames in the lobby. If you have computers in exam rooms, have your screen saver be a hospital tour. When computers hibernate, clients can watch a slideshow of services you offer. To start exams on time, you ll likely give tours after appointments when you won t be rushed. Every team member should be trained on how to give tours. If a client care coordinator can t step away from the front desk to give a tour, she could ask a boarding staff member to help the new client. Before taking new clients into the treatment area, page an inpatient technician or assistant to confirm that emergencies or other procedures aren t taking place that may be uncomfortable for a pet owner to see. What might a new client see during a tour of your hospital that would wow her? Share photos of new patients on Facebook. Create a wall album titled Welcome our new patients. Collect new clients s so you can notify them when you post new patients photos. Many will Like and share pets photos with Facebook friends. Facebook s average user has 338 friends. 4 Let s say your two-doctor practice averages three new clients per day, which equals 72 new clients for the month. If 72 new clients Like their pets photos on your Facebook page and have an average of 338 friends each, that s 24,336 exposures for your business this month. Snap photos during exams and get written permission to post information. A simple statement will suffice: I grant Your Veterinary Hospital permission to post my pet s picture, story and medical information on social media. Have the new client sign and date the form. Use the term social media rather than stating which sites so you have flexibility about where to post. Include the request for social media permission on your new client registration and anesthetic consent forms. Schedule first, pay last if follow-up care is needed. If a pediatric or medical progress exam is needed, schedule the next appointment before having the client pay for today s services. Direct the client to a specific date and time, increasing the likelihood she ll schedule. If the client is here at 10 a.m. on a Thursday, she can probably visit again at a similar time and day of the week. Book the appointment with the same doctor, ensuring continuity of care and efficient use of exam time. When you print the client s receipt for today s care, an appointment reminder also will appear on the receipt. Say, Dr. <Name> will need to see your puppy/kitten again in three weeks, which would be <date>. Does this same time work for you? 4

5 When scheduling follow-up exams, remember Same doctor, same day, same time. Present the invoice to show value. Read the list of services and products off the computer screen, and then state the total. Don t say prices for each item, just the sum. Besides showing value, this allows the client to add more items if needed. State which payment methods you accept so new clients know which credit card to pull out of their wallets. Say, Today <pet s name> had a preventive care exam, vaccines, a heartworm/tick screen, an intestinal parasite screen and preventatives. Does <pet s name> or your other pets need any additional refills today? After the client responds, say, Your total is $. Which payment method are you using today? For your convenience, we accept cash, checks, all major credit cards and CareCredit. Describing products lets you confirm that medications are in clients hands not still getting filled in your pharmacy. Stating payment methods professionally yet subtly communicates that payment is expected when services are rendered. Let new clients know which payment methods you accept. Following up with handwritten cards, calls and reminders to increase new client bonding rates Send Welcome to our hospital cards or letters to new clients. Your welcome letter should express appreciation for choosing your veterinary hospital, give an overview of services and be signed by a doctor or practice manager. For a new-client welcome letter, see my book, The Veterinary Practice Management Resource Book & CD ( Enclose two business cards, giving the new client a card to keep and another to pass along. If you send a greeting card, keep the box of cards in a drawer at the front desk. Once a new client goes into the exam room, the client care coordinator would hand-address the envelope and leave the card on the doctor s desk to sign. Have the doctor who saw the patient write a personal note. Enclose your business card, magnet and / or brochure. A hand-addressed envelope will quickly float to the top of the stack of bills and magazines in the client s mailbox. Call new clients after their first visits. Client care coordinators should call new clients the day after initial exams. Your call has two purposes: 1) To see how the pet is feeling following vaccinations and 2) To show appreciation for the client s business so she returns for future care. If you get voic , leave a message. What the client hears is that you value the trust and confidence she has shown in choosing your veterinary hospital. This is <your name> calling from <Your Veterinary Hospital>. We enjoyed meeting your new baby, Charlie, yesterday for his pediatric preventive care exam, diagnostics, vaccines and preventatives. I m calling to see how Charlie is feeling and to make sure we got all of your questions answered. If have questions, please call us at You also can go to our website at < and log in to see Charlie s updated services and order any products. We appreciate your trust in choosing <Your Veterinary Hospital> for Charlie. Set up reminders in your practice-management software. Enter future reminders for exams, vaccines, diagnostics and preventatives based on the adoption paperwork or previous medical records that you review during today s exam. Tracking your sources of new clients so you make smart marketing decisions Be vigilant about tracking new client sources. Set up referral tracking codes in your practicemanagement software. Have client care coordinators enter the source code for every new patient record entered in the computer. If front-desk staff fails to enter the code, you won t be able to track which marketing efforts are working for your practice. 5

6 Many practices are eliminating phone directory advertising. You won t want to make this financial decision without data to prove you re making the right choice. Yellow pages dollars will likely be better reallocated to Internet marketing and referral thank-you programs. But you absolutely must know where clients are coming from to make sound business decisions. As a double-check to make sure new client sources are entered, ask the lead receptionist or practice manager to review every new client s medical record each day. This staff member will be responsible for mailing the welcome to our practice card or letter. During the record review, make sure the following information was entered: Source of new client Future reminders and cell phone numbers were captured for reminders and follow up Add this section to your new client registration form How did you become aware of our veterinary hospital? Referred by a friend; Whom may we thank? Referred by a veterinarian; Whom may we thank? Drove by / sign Brochure Previous client Website, Google Online review website (Yelp! Yahoo, etc.) AAHA hospital locator website References 1. Tumblin D. Benchmarks 2009: A Study of Well-Managed Practices. Veterinary Economics, December Accessed at 2. Opperman, M. 9 ways to keep your clients coming back. Veterinary Economics: Dec Accessed at on Glassman, G. Q&A: When to add an associate to your team. Veterinary Economics: March Accessed at on Smith A. 6 New Facts About Facebook. Pew Research Center. Posted at Helpful resources AVMA list of state regulations on the confidentiality of veterinary patient records Video: Importance of business cards for veterinary teams Book: 101 Communication Skills for Veterinary Teams Book: The Veterinary Practice Management Resource Book & CD, which includes new client welcome and referral thank-you letters Stainless steel pet bowls engraved with your clinic logo Link