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But how do you make it happen? Staffing levels might be tight, and you certainly don’t want to tie up your staff for hours on the phone. Nor do you want to interrupt your clients in their busy day.
You could send an automated text with the standard message asking your client to contact you IF they have any concerns. Then, hope they’re knowledgeable enough to know what to look for and that they’ll contact you before a potential issue becomes serious.
Or, you could make use of AI and have a comprehensive, automated follow-up system that makes it easy for your clients to share information about their pet’s post-procedure progress in their own time.
Virtual Vet Nurse is an AI conversational chatbot that will have these crucial conversations with your clients (in a way that’s convenient for them) and then seamlessly deliver the results back to your team.
With automated post-op surveys from Virtual Vet Nurse, you’ll be able to:
Clients love the convenience too! Here’s some feedback from one of our US practice owners:
People are often so busy that they can’t answer their phones when we call anyway, and appreciate the ability to send us a message in their own time.
The post-op survey workflow is very easy to set up and run. You simply choose what type of visits you’d like to follow up on and the questions you want to ask.
Then it’s a simple 3-step process:
Following their pet’s procedure, your Virtual Vet Nurse automatically messages your client, inviting them to complete the post-up survey.
You can automate sending this link in any way you prefer (e.g., email, SMS/text, Messenger, Instagram, What’s App, etc.).
Your survey questions will generally cover things like:
Here are a few example screenshots from a conversation:
The answers are emailed to your front desk in a simple summary format and ready for review.
It takes two minutes to glance through the responses and view the photo.
(Note: only the first few post-op update questions and responses are shown here).
If the client reports everything is okay with their pet, it’s a case of ‘job done’. If you want to keep a copy of the answers, the notes are easily copied to the patient’s clinical records. It’s even easier if you have the PMS-integrated version of Virtual Vet Nurse, as the notes are automatically written back.
Alternatively, if the client has specifically asked you to get in touch or you see anything in their answers that requires attention, you’ll respond accordingly.
It’s a win-win for everybody!
Remember, your Virtual Vet Nurse is your digital employee and is unique to your clinic. This means:
Other than post-surgery surveys, what other types of visits would you like to follow up on?
For example, one of our clinics in the US uses their Virtual Vet Nurse to follow up after vaccination visits to check for any reactions.
Other clinics send new clients a courtesy follow-up survey to make them feel extra welcome. (This is the kind of next-level customer service that automation makes possible!)
Maybe you want to include home-care instructions, offer to refill meds or rebook a visit. With conversational AI, it’s easy to weave anything like that into the conversation.
What is your current regime for post-op checks? Let’s compare the benefits of Virtual Vet Nurse:
If your staff is making manual callbacks, consider the potential time savings from automating this workflow. (Your staff only needs to call the clients who request or need a call based on their survey response.)
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 post-op checks to ensure ALL important questions are covered. You will also have a record of the client’s answers in the event of a dispute.
Receiving a phone call isn’t always convenient for clients.
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. Even easier, if your your Practice Management System (PMS) integrates with Virtual Vet Nurse, this happens automatically.
Post-op surveys are just one of the automated workflows included within your standard Virtual Vet Nurse subscription for a fixed monthly fee.
How much time would you save by automating your call-backs?
If you’re ready to find out, please message our team to book a demo.
This post first appeared on the Virtual Vet Nurse blog: Supercharge your post-op follow-ups with AI conversations
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:
The future of veterinary care isn’t coming. It’s already here. The question is, are you ready to make the most of it? The pace of technological progress has never been faster. AI, automation, and integrated software solutions are transforming every industry, including...
