By Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Everyone wants convenience…everyone!
The stress and uncertainty of recent years have left many people feeling stretched thin, and veterinary teams are experiencing that firsthand in their interactions with clients. But it doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle. There is a better way to meet the needs of busy clients while still supporting the team — and to care for those clients who, busy or not, feel overwhelmed by the thought of adding one more thing to their day.
The trusted relationship between veterinarian and pet family hasn’t gone away; it just looks a little different now.
The Way We Did Things No Longer Works
The way we did things a few years ago simply will not satisfy clients today. Emphasizing the medical importance of a visit means little to someone who is juggling a soccer pickup, dinner, a gym session, and homework battles — all before the end of the day.
Failing to follow through on promised response times can be the final straw for a worried pet family. Many clients leave practices simply because it is too hard to fit veterinary care into their lives. Convenience may sound like a soft concept, but for people with full schedules, it is anything but. Pets are an important part of families — but they are not the only important part. Veterinary teams must recognize that helping pets live longer, healthier lives means accommodating the communication and time demands of the whole family.
Keep Your Promises — And Communicate When You Can’t
We have many communication tools at our disposal, and sending a quick update takes only a couple of minutes. The client relationship depends on keeping our promises. The old adage — under-promise and over-deliver — has never been more relevant. If you know a patient won’t be ready in two hours, don’t set that expectation.
Medical cases rarely follow a predictable timeline, and that timeline often shifts. A pet owner who hasn’t heard anything in hours will naturally assume something has gone wrong. Meanwhile, a busy veterinary team that has moved on to the next patient may have no idea the client relationship is at a tipping point. Every practice needs a clear process for keeping clients informed — even if the update is simply that there’s a delay.
Education That Meets Clients Where They Are
Clients need and deserve to be educated about their pet’s medical needs — but what that looks like has changed. A busy practice cannot function if every pet family receives a full 15-minute explanation from the veterinarian. Well-trained team members who can communicate calmly and clearly with clients free the doctor to focus on what only they can do.
Hiring people who love animals is a great start, but the team’s responsibility goes further. It includes making sure clients not only understand their pet’s care, but feel genuinely seen and heard. A client who feels uncomfortable or dismissed is far less likely to return — or to call when something comes up.
There are excellent resources available for client education: handouts (still appreciated by many), videos, and a wealth of online information. Worrying about clients who search online to validate a recommendation is a losing battle — it’s far better to embrace that instinct and direct them to credible sites that align with the practice’s values. Not every client will read a stack of printed materials. Some want a quick bullet list; others prefer a short video showing how to pill a cat. The tools to communicate in ways that truly resonate with clients are right at our fingertips.
Make Ongoing Care Easier, Too
Managing a diabetic pet, for example, doesn’t have to mean daily trips to the clinic. Glucose updates can be handled through shared electronic data and quick text check-ins. Finding ways to make ongoing care more convenient for pet families benefits everyone — clients feel supported, and the practice is better able to manage both the disease and its schedule.
Veterinary Care Is More Than the Medicine
Our society fills every minute with activity, and as important as Sparky’s care is to his family, picking him up after a day at the clinic is still one more thing on an already full schedule. This isn’t a call to slow down — it’s a call to meet people where they are. They are busy and, often, anxious. Expecting convenience is not the same as being demanding. Veterinary care is more than the medicine. To give animals the best care possible, we must consider the needs of the entire pet family.
