Hespeler Animal Hospital

Telemarketers have made things tough for veterinary clinic owners.

Telemarketers have made things tough for veterinary clinic owners.

You see, many of us use the telephone as a way to contact pet owners with reminders. Some of us send postcards, some of us call, and others such as myself use both. It’s a service we provide for our valued customers. Yes, our bottom line benefits when they come in, but isn’t it nice to know we will let you know when your dog or cat is due for its check-up, so you can carry on with your busy life?

I personally prefer a phone call to a postcard for my reminders. I’m more likely to book an appointment and be able to cross it off my Things To Do list than when I get a reminder in the mail. That postcard often sits on my fridge for a couple of weeks, until I get around to making the call to book the appointment.

When the clinic first opened and we weren’t as busy, my receptionist made those calls. However, for many years now, I’ve hired a student to call my clients when their pets are due for their annual exam or their Heartworm Test. If a phone call isn’t successful, we’ll mail a postcard; so pet owners can be assured they haven’t been overlooked.

I’ve owned my clinic since the late 80’s (actually 20 years ago this January) and for quite a few years, it was a lot easier to reach people. They actually answered their phones back then! I think partly because their lives weren’t as hectic, but mainly because they weren’t afraid to answer in case it was a telemarketer.

They appreciated the reminders, and they usually booked the appointment on the spot. It made our lives, and, I like to think, their lives easier too.

I miss those days.

Now, it’s hard to speak to a live person. We often end up leaving messages on an answering machine. If someone doesn’t call back, we’re not sure if it’s because they don’t want to, or if it’s because a family member erased the message on the machine without passing on the information. It’s hard to balance persistence to make sure the message was received against calling too often.

Sometimes, my staff gets snarled at. I understand how sick we all are of telemarketers, but your veterinarian is trying to provide you with a service to make your life easier. My staff tries not to take it personally, but I know they often feel hurt when people are rude to them.

So what am I hoping to accomplish with this column? I tried to give you a little insight into the reminder system at a vet hospital. I’m hoping that next time someone from your vet’s office (or the dentist, optometrist, or chiropractor) calls; you’ll see their name on the name display and pick up the phone, rather than letting it go to the answering machine. That you’ll not hang up on the staff person who has taken time to give you a call. I’m hoping that if your schedule is as hectic as mine, you’ll book the appointment right then and there, knowing that if you don’t, you might forget to do so later. And finally, I hope you’ll realize that a lot of time and money goes into providing this reminder service to you, and that at the end of the day we’re doing it to help make your life easier. It’s one less thing for you to remember. Isn’t that great?