In our previous articles, we have discussed what health plans are (Part I here) and what creating such plans requires (Part II here)
It is time to discuss the advantages that this type of service offers us and our customers. Pets are no longer just that, they have become family members and their health is of major importance.
Pet parents take responsibility for the well-being of their furry children and will look for the best option for them when it comes to veterinary services.
But let’s not forget that these choices for veterinary services also depend a lot on the budget of each of our clients. Here we can intervene and we can design packages as personalized as possible to meet the requirements of our customers (financially speaking) and especially the ones of our patients.
The scenario in which we do not offer such Wellness Plans for our patients can be translated into a series of situations that will be neither for the benefit of animals nor for the benefit of our business:
⚡️ The owner may omit parasite control pills and that may end up affecting their companion’s health; the existence of a plan for them and the possibility of sending reminders from the platform, represent win-win advantages for all parties involved (veterinarian, patient, and client).
⚡️If there is no communication and relationship with the animal’s parent, they may end up searching the internet for various types of information – such as information for their cat’s or dog’s diet; again, the existence of Wellness Plans can save us from headaches, save animals from uninspired choices, and owners of additional costs if the chosen diet (on the advice of Dr. Google) ends up affecting the health of the pet.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Let’s talk about some of the benefits for veterinary practices:
In short, Wellness Plans help us retain more clients, have a higher income that can be reinvested, constant income (there will always be a puppy/cat that is close to the end of the vaccination scheme), and last but not least, education and accountability of owners.
Loyalization
It is easier for clients to return to the clinic for a service they have already paid for.
Steady income
Selling services in the form of packages helps you keep your income at a constant level throughout the year. You can invest/use the income made from the packages sold.
Competitivity
Always an interesting topic for the veterinary field – competition – can prove fatal to a business. Be one step ahead of the competition and offer your customers services included in Wellness Plans that they cannot get elsewhere. By knowing the competition and what they offer, you can make your packages more attractive to your customers.
Benefits for pet parents and pets
The animals receive their vaccinations according to your recommendations, and the owners will no longer have to worry about the future costs of annual consultations, thus saving money in the long run.
Predictability and transparency
After discussing the plans with pet parents and everything they include, make sure you make clear what they do NOT include. This way you avoid misunderstandings, and the end result will be a healthy patient and a happy and satisfied client who will have confidence in your recommendations in the future.
Saving money
We have already mentioned this in previous articles when we explained how we can make health plans more attractive to homeowners, namely: by offering discounts for future services. Here are some examples:
- when purchasing a package for a kitten you can offer a 10-20% discount on the sterilization/castration service.
- when purchasing a package for a senior dog you can offer a 10-20% discount on additional investigations (abdominal ultrasounds, urine analysis, x-rays, etc.)
- when purchasing an adult cat pack you can offer a 10-20% discount at specialist consultations (eg dermatological consultation) or even at the senior cat pack (if the cat is approaching the age of 7 years).
Prevention
Again, prevention is probably the best argument for selling such plans to pet parents. What can we prevent? Problems such as obesity, dental problems, dermatological and digestive disorders. Make sure you state all of these issues when talking to parents of pets.
Implementation
If you find this whole process of creating Wellness Plans complicated, don’t worry, Digitail can help you!
Here are the steps you need to follow in creating these health plans in the Digitail veterinary platform:
Step 1: Type of plan
Choose a name and the species for which the plan is intended.
Step 2: Configuration
- recurrence: take into account if the service is one that takes place only once (sterilization) or if it is repeated – as deworming;
- the date from which the plan is active: takes into account the age of the animal;
- services offered: add the service you think you should include;
- remarks: here you can say what kind of discounts are included in the package and what services are not included or other internal notes.
Step 3: Reminders
To make sure the owners don’t forget about these visits we need to remind them. Fortunately, the Digitail platform takes care of sending reminders directly by email, SMS, or in the App (pet portal). Clients are informed that they should come to the practice for the next visit in the plan and they can choose the time they want to schedule their appointment.
