The Vet Practice’s Toughest Job: AI is the answer and it outperforms call centres.

Every veterinary practice has its challenges, but one task frequently tops the list as the most dreaded and, consequently, the least completed: calling back clients who have disengaged or left the practice. We know from our direct relationships with veterinary businesses that this vital follow-up often gets pushed aside, with many practices never getting past the initial stages of their call-back lists.

Facing a long list of customer call-backs is tough enough for anyone. But when the responses can be confronting, it drains a lot of emotional energy. Add to that the frustration of two out of three calls going to voicemail, and it’s easy to see why this task remains unfinished.

The Good News: Two-Way Text Messaging and AI

The good news is that technology now offers a far more efficient and less stressful solution: two-way text messaging. Imagine sending a short reactivation message in bulk, giving your clients the convenience of responding at a time that suits them. This not only makes the process easier for your staff but also for your customers, and it completely bypasses the voicemail issue.

We’ve seen how text messaging has significantly improved vaccination recalls over the past decade, outperforming emails, postal letters, and even physical call-backs.

Even further advancements now leverage mathematical and AI logic to carefully select messages. For example, our Profitdiagnostix software ensures a client with an upcoming appointment won’t receive a reactivation message. AI-driven software can also handle more complex scenarios, like sending only one message if a lapsed client also has overdue vaccination reminders, avoiding duplicate communications that imply the same thing.

Consistency and Insights that Humans Can’t Match

Software also brings a level of consistency that human operators simply can’t offer. It logs every message sent, flags invalid mobile numbers, and records all customer responses for later categorization and reporting. This means if 20 customers report unfriendly reception staff, you’ll have the data to address a problem that could be costing you significant revenue.

Why Outsourcing Callbacks Isn’t the Answer

Some practices consider outsourcing call-backs to an external call center. While this might spare your team the direct impact of difficult calls, it introduces a host of new problems. We’ve identified 13 reasons why an automated text messaging system is a far superior choice:

1. Speed: Software sends messages in minutes; call centers involve significant delays due to manual processes. The customer many have already returned when they call!
2. Duplicate Contacts: No way to know if a call center has contacted a client, leading to potential double-contact.
3. Manual Input & Inconsistency: Relies on manual list provision, leading to staff time, human error, and inconsistent data.
4. Complex List Generation: Many practice management systems lack the sophisticated list generation needed for lost patients. Call centres are relying on these lists being sent to them by the practice
5. Client Perception: Pet owners may find call center calls strange or intrusive – you have given away their contact details. SMS appears to come directly from your practice. What happens if they ask the operative to book an appointment? – it will be awkward.
6. Limited Response Insights: Call centers provide responses through their “lens,” potentially missing crucial details because the process will require manual data entry.
7. Legal Compliance: Inefficient manual process for handling “stop contact” requests. Text messaging’s “STOP” function simplifies this and makes it legal.
8. Lack of Reporting: Manual processes offer no records or trends of customer responses. Software logs, catrgorises and reports every interaction.
9. Multi-Pet Households: Software merges messages for multiple pets; call centers may result in duplicate calls.
10. Human Error: Call center operatives can be inconsistent and make mistakes, leading to duplicate calls particularly if more than one operative deals with your list.
11. Inefficiency of Voicemail: High number of calls go to voicemail, making human calls highly inefficient.
12. Inconsistent Contact Strategy: Software allows for multiple, spaced-out text messages to the same customer with different wording with gaps of over 30 days in between; manual calls make this unviable so they only contact the customer once. Most marketing strategies confirm that at least 3 touchpoints are required for succesful campaigns.
13. Ethical Data Handling: Concerns about how external companies handle valuable client lists, particularly those affiliated with pharmaceuticals. Beware of offerings that appear too cheap to be true! Everything has a price so your data may be the hidden cost.

In essence, relying on manual, human-driven processes for client reactivation feels like a step backward. Just as we embrace modern equipment for dental procedures like ultrasonic scalers vs manual scalers, we should adopt new, efficient tools that benefit both our businesses and our patients and keep all our data safe.