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Most veterinary professionals have a repertoire of routine questions they ask each client (e.g “Have you noticed any changes?” “Is he eating/drinking normally?”) While these questions are necessary, they are highly repetitive, and they chew up a lot of appointment time.
So, here’s our question for you:
What if you already had the answers to your routine questions BEFORE you began the consult?
At Virtual Vet Nurse, we see huge value in automating the basic history questions. It saves you precious time during the consult, so you can zero in on the issue/s more quickly. It also helps the client provide succinct, accurate answers.
Read on to discover how clinics around the world are using their Virtual Vet Nurse to do this.
What kind of information can your Virtual Vet Nurse provide?
This example is from a clinic in New Zealand. They run pre-visit surveys using their Virtual Vet Nurse, ‘Sam’.
Sam has automatically messaged the client with a survey link. Once completed, the client’s answers are sent to the clinic in this simple format, ready for the veterinarian to glance through.
The client’s responses are in bold. You can see how concise and relevant the answers are (unlike verbal answers, which tend to be long-winded!)
Virtual Vet Nurse pre-visit surveys gather all the information from the client before they arrive at the clinic. (No more rushed-through questions or awkward fumbling with a clipboard in the waiting area!)
There are broadly two types of pre-visit surveys available through Virtual Vet Nurse.
Your Virtual Vet Nurse will ask the questions that reflect your clinic’s specific requirements.
You can further customize your surveys – by length, topic, content or purpose – as we explain next.
The great thing about Virtual Vet Nurse surveys is their versatility. Your survey questions can be customized to whatever you want to ask your clients.
They can be customized according to:
You can choose a long or short-format survey or anything in between.
For example, one of our Australian clinics has a comprehensive survey on Feline Behaviour that takes around 20 minutes to complete. Engaged cat owners are happy to provide this detailed information on their pet’s anxiety, as they’re motivated to get it solved.
In another example, one of our US clinics used their Virtual Vet Nurse to do a quick ‘curbside check-in’. They just wanted a few brief questions and instructions messaged to the client when they arrived in the car park.
Your Virtual Vet Nurse can also seamlessly cross-sell additional goods or services during the conversation. They can prompt clients to purchase with questions like “Do you need any flea products?” or “Would you like to add a nail trim?”
They can also educate clients, where it’s helpful to elaborate on a topic. In this example from a pre-admission survey, the Virtual Vet Nurse offers pre-anesthesia tests – and can also explain why they’re important.
There’s also the option to tailor a pre-admission survey for specific visit types, such as dentals. Here’s an example from a clinic in the US:
You can browse the different types of “pre-visit workflows” on our Virtual Vet Nurse demo site. (Note: these are base scripts and would be customised for your clinic).
What kind of pre-visit surveys (if any) are you currently using? Let’s compare the benefits of Virtual Vet Nurse:
If you’re spending 5-10 minutes of precious consult time asking basic questions, it’s time to rethink.
Your Virtual Vet Nurse will provide all this information before the client walks through the door so you can delve straight into the clinical work-up (and/or ask more targeted questions).
For improved safety and compliance, your Virtual Vet Nurse will stay “on script” every time and never skip a question.
This is particularly important for pre-admission, ensuring ALL important questions are covered. And you will have a record of the client’s answers in the event of a dispute.
Most people dislike form-filling. Especially when asked to complete it in a hurry or remember things under pressure.
With Virtual Vet Nurse, your clients can complete the survey whenever is convenient for them (anytime, anywhere) and at their own pace. Their answers can be as succinct or detailed as they choose.
Unlike an electronic form, your Virtual Vet Nurse gathers information in a conversational way. It feels more like having a conversation with someone at your front desk.
Our user ratings are consistently high – people enjoy talking with Virtual Vet Nurse!
The survey results are automatically emailed to the front desk (or the email address you specify). If you want to keep a copy, the notes can be quickly and easily copied to the patient’s clinical records. It is even easier if your Practice Management System (PMS) integrates with Virtual Vet Nurse as this happens automatically.
Remember, “pre-visit surveys” are just one of the 10 automated workflows (all optional) that are included within your standard Virtual Vet Nurse subscription for a fixed monthly fee.
Here is our final question for you…
If your clinic had its own Virtual Vet Nurse to help streamline your consults and pre-admissions, what benefits would this bring?
If you’re ready to find out, please message our team to book a demo.
This post first appeared on Virtual Vet Nurse: “Here are the answers you’ve been waiting for!” Pre-visit surveys from Virtual Vet Nurse.
Rachel holds a Bachelor of Veterinary Technology (BVetTech) from Massey University, New Zealand. Prior to joining Virtual Vet Nurse, she has worked as a head nurse in general practice and for a specialist referral veterinary hospital.
Connect with Rachel:
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