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For pets and their owners, the veterinary waiting room experience is stressful.
For a client who comes to an animal hospital to deal with a pet emergency, waiting is hard—especially when they have no idea how long the wait will last. Even with an appointment, being seen on time isn’t a certainty. Sometimes, pets with more urgent needs jump the line, while clients with appointments struggle to keep their companions calm.
As a busy veterinarian, you can’t promise clients that every appointment will start on time, or that walk-ins will be promptly treated. What you can do is streamline the check-in process, optimize queue management, and provide helpful communications throughout the waiting process. All you need is the right software.
In the sections below, we’ll make the case for adopting a digital queue management system to improve check-ins, waiting, and client communication at your veterinary clinic or animal hospital.
The entire appointment queuing process poses challenges for pet owners, starting with booking or checking in to an appointment. If a pet owner’s only option is to call the clinic, this can be inefficient. The line may be busy, or a number of issues can complicate phone calls, such as bad reception, speech problems, or the slow nature of transmitting information over the phone.
Once an appointment is booked, the pet owner must arrive on time. If the clinic is having a busy day, the wait might be long—but the client won’t get the memo until they’re stuck in a crowded waiting room full of anxious pets.
According to a study by the American Medical Veterinary Association, 15% of veterinary appointments have waiting room times over 30 minutes.
Long waits are sometimes unavoidable, but the traditional waiting room system isn’t helpful. A paper-based system keeps clients out of the loop, involves lengthy intake paperwork, and forces pets and their owners to remain on-site for the entire wait. That’s a stressful situation for all parties.
Queue management software digitizes and automates the process of checking in for appointments, completing intake procedures, and progressing through the patient queue. Here’s a rundown of a few key features of queue management software.
Express check-in, or mobile check-in, is a streamlined appointment check-in process that clients can complete on their phones. To check-in for an appointment, a pet owner completes these simple steps:
Next, clients are automatically entered into a virtual waiting room. They immediately receive info regarding their position in the queue and the estimated start time of their appointment. Then, they can plan accordingly.
The traditional paper-based intake process for medical appointments isn’t ideal for modern vet care. Paper forms can’t be completed remotely, and thus tend to slow down the patient queue. They’re also unhygienic, waste-making, prone to human error, and create time-consuming data entry tasks for staff.
With queue management software, intake goes digital. On the same platform where they check in for appointments, clients can quickly complete patient registration forms and sign consent forms. These paperless processes can be completed remotely in advance of the appointment, so there’s no delay when they arrive at the clinic.
After checking in and completing intake forms, pet owners and their companions enjoy a flexible waiting room experience. Because they’re kept informed regarding their exact position in the patient queue, they don’t need to spend their entire wait on-site.
With virtual waiting, clients and pets can pass the time at home or out and about while they monitor their position in the queue. Then, when their appointment start time draws near, they can wait in their car in the parking lot or in another comfortable nearby location. Without being stuck in the waiting room, clients enjoy a more flexible appointment process—while pets avoid the stress and anxiety of a crowded waiting room.
Queue management is a major challenge in veterinary care, but the right software makes a world of difference.
At ER Express, our queue management system streamlines check-ins and creates a more flexible waiting room experience for clients and pets.
Ready to see the transformative effect of great queue management software? Contact ER Express today for a product demonstration.
From medical appointments to hotels to restaurant waiting lists, today’s consumers expect fast, easy mobile check-in options. Why should veterinary appointments be any different?
The traditional veterinary check-in process is full of stress and uncertainty for clients. They want their sick pets to be seen as quickly as possible. But, they often don’t have a clear indication of appointment availability until they walk through the door. Then, they may be met with a stack of intake paperwork to fill out, further delaying their appointment time and adding more stress.
Fortunately, express check-in solutions are changing the way veterinarians welcome clients and pets to their clinics. Let’s explore how express check-in works for veterinary care and why every practice should embrace this helpful tool.
Express check-in (also known as mobile check-in) refers to a streamlined check-in process that doesn’t require waiting for in-person assistance. Express check-in is a common benefit in the hospitality industry and is increasingly offered by medical practices.
The key features of express check-in include:
For veterinary care, mobile check-in simplifies the appointment process for clients while making it easier for staff to manage the patient queue.
Mobile check-in for veterinary clinics and animal hospitals works on a website or app. Clinics can quickly direct clients to their platform via an SMS link or QR code.
To complete a mobile check-in, a client completes a simple digital questionnaire to provide the practice with key info regarding the nature of the visit. Requested info typically includes:
Clients can usually answer these questions without assistance in less than two minutes. After submitting their info, the client is entered into a virtual waiting room. They’re immediately notified of how many pets are ahead of them in the queue, along with additional information about how the practice prioritizes appointments.
While they wait to be seen, clients and their pets can pass the time in their car or outdoors near the practice. Throughout their wait, they can monitor their place in line and maintain a precise estimate of their appointment’s start time.
Express check-in and virtual waiting improve the appointment experience for pets, their owners, and veterinary staff.
For pet owners, express check-in makes it easier to begin the appointment process remotely. The ability to check in from a phone means that clients can quickly secure their place in the queue without being physically present at the clinic. Not even a phone call is required.
Then, immediately knowing their place in line and their estimated start time helps clients time their visit to reduce the amount of time spent in the physical waiting room. This reduces the stressful waiting room experience for pets. With virtual waiting, pets aren’t forced to spend an extended wait in the proximity of other anxious animals. This helps them start their appointments with a lower stress level, leading to better care.
Mobile check-in is a big win for vet staff, too. The digitally-managed queue uses automation to update projected appointment times and provide notifications to clients. That means less data entry and guesswork for reception staff.
Plus, the physical waiting room is less crowded, and therefore a much lower-stress environment. Fewer animals in the waiting room means less noise, fewer accidents to clean up, and a calmer, more pleasant environment for workers, pets, and pet owners.
If you’re eager to improve the check-in process at your veterinary clinic or animal hospital, ER Express can help. We supply busy veterinarians with digital client engagement software that streamlines check-ins, reduces pet stress, and improves the quality of care. It’s a win-win-win for pets, their owners, and veterinary staff.
Our cloud-based digital engagement tools for vet care include mobile check-in, paperless digital intake tools, and virtual waiting rooms.
To learn more, contact ER Express today to request a screenshare product demonstration.
As a talented and experienced veterinarian, you’re passionate about providing excellent patient care and top-notch customer service. Your skills are sharp and your bedside manner can’t be beat—but what about your tools?
A modern veterinary practice needs modern tools. These include the digital systems that help you run your practice smoothly while providing clients with helpful, timely communications.
Are you a late adopter of digital engagement tools? Or, is your current software performing below expectations? If so, then we’re here with a quick primer on all you need to know about the latest client engagement tools for vet care. In the sections below, we’ll describe the most common and helpful veterinary digital engagement tools and discuss their value in improving care and customer service.
Digital patient engagement tools are software-based tools that streamline communications and transactions between a healthcare provider and a patient (or a veterinary client). Engagement tools are often cloud-based. They’re typically accessed via a website, app, or a digital kiosk inside a practice’s facility.
Examples of digital client engagement tools include:
These tools replace slow traditional communication methods and help clients feel more in control of their appointments and care.
Digital engagement tools improve customer service by making it easier for clients to complete appointment activities like scheduling, intake, and payment. Clients can complete these tasks from their computer, phone, or tablet. This means less paperwork, less waiting, and 24-hour access to some activities.
One area in which digital engagement offers tremendous benefits is the waiting room.
Traditionally, a client shows up early for their appointment and hopes to be seen on time. They fill out paper forms, which then must be manually entered into the system by reception staff. Then, they pass the time in a crowded waiting room, unsure of when their appointment will actually begin.
Mobile check-in and virtual waiting remove uncertainty, relieve stress on clients and pets, and create a more pleasant appointment experience.
Mobile check-in allows a client to check in to their appointment from a personal device. If intake forms are required, these are easily completed via the client’s device or on a self-service kiosk. These processes don’t require printing, scanning, or paperwork—resulting in a simpler, waste-free, hygienic check-in process.
After check-in, a client and their pet move into a virtual waiting room. On their phone or on a screen in the waiting room, they can monitor their place in the queue as well as their appointment’s projected start time. Start time estimates are automatically updated each time an appointment ends.
Best of all, clients and pets don’t need to wait in the physical waiting room. They can pass time in their car or around the grounds.
By removing the need to idle in a crowded waiting room, digital engagement tools provide relief for the most stressful part of a veterinary appointment. The waiting room experience becomes streamlined and enhanced by helpful communications, representing a huge customer service win for all parties.
Digital engagement tools don’t only make life easier for clients and veterinarians. They also benefit patient care by creating a more comfortable appointment process.
Pets are often nervous and irritated in the waiting room. With a traditional waiting room system, it’s difficult to alleviate pets’ anxieties. Clients don’t know exactly when their appointments will start, so they’re stuck. Throughout the day, the waiting room contains a revolving group of multiple pets—and they aren’t always enjoying one another’s company.
With patient engagement tools, the intake process is streamlined and the waiting room experience is flexible. For pets, that means less time in an anxiety-inducing space. In turn, pets are more relaxed when they enter the treatment room, leading to a calmer and more productive appointment.
At ER Express, we equip veterinarians with easy-to-use digital engagement software that improves communications and customer service. Our software solutions save time, boost efficiency, and improve the veterinary experience for pets, pet owners, and staff.
Our user-friendly software-based tools and features include:
Ready to explore the very best digital engagement tools for your practice? Contact ER Express today to schedule a screenshare product demonstration.
We are excited to announce that ER Express is now fully integrated with ezyVet! This powerful collaboration streamlines your practice management by seamlessly connecting ER Express’s online check-in and digital intake tools with ezyVet’s comprehensive veterinary software. Request a demo today to see how this integration can elevate your clinic’s efficiency and enhance the overall experience for your staff and clients.
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