1 Jun 2016

Generation game: client communication is changing

The way veterinary practices communicate with clients has changed enormously during the past decade. Tech-savvy clients now expect to be contacted by SMS and email, and practices failing to do so could well be missing out in more ways than one, says Jamie Crittall

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Jamie Crittall

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Generation game: client communication is changing

Image: © vectorfusionart/Fotolia.

How times have changed. It’s hard to imagine the world without digital communications, online calendars and planners, email correspondence, websites, instant messaging apps and SMS.

Image: © vectorfusionart/Fotolia.
Image: © vectorfusionart/Fotolia.

Resistance is futile – whether we like it or not – client communications are constantly changing and if we want to capitalise on our business opportunities in the future we need to embrace a range of new communications technology.

Today, we all manage our lives on digital devices, by SMS, email and using social media. Statistics show there are 7.4 billion people on the planet, with 5.1 billion owning a mobile phone, yet only 4.2 billion owning a toothbrush. Active internet users total 3.2 billion and there is already a social media penetration of 30%.

Changing times

No wonder businesses need to find new ways of communicating effectively with their clients. As co-founder and director of a veterinary communications business, and as a vet and owner of two thriving veterinary practices, I can remember when the only communication with my clients was face-to-face, by landline telephone and by post.

So, how did the changes evolve? The obvious starting point was to get into digital messaging, but that depended on compiling accurate customer data, so we set about collating this during routine meetings and conversations with our clients. We then developed a suite of digital communication tools to generate concise and automated targeted messaging, now marketed under the iRecall brand, to deliver personalised SMS and email reminders. It takes the hassle away from clients needing to remember key critical treatment and vaccination dates, for example, so compliance, footfall and profits all improve organically.

Establishing strong relationships through timely and targeted communications is key to success in all areas of business today, encouraging customers to become valued clients by inspiring enhanced loyalty. People have less time to wade through heaps of post or email spam and are looking for ways to simplify their busy lives. Connecting with them in an unobtrusive way allows our clients to keep up to date without feeling pestered. The secret is to recognise the needs of our clients and find mechanisms to deliver key messages they are pleased to receive, and thus nurture relationships, build loyalty and encourage referral and recommendation.

Tailored approach

So, strip it right back and what do we need to do? Know our audience, know what they need and communicate with them in a modern, convenient and cost-effective, tailored way.

Nearly everyone uses a mobile phone (more than one million smartphones are sold every fortnight in the UK), and with UK consumers glancing at their smartphones more than a billion times a day, mobile communication is a must.

SMS text messaging is tried and tested, a short yet extremely effective marketing tool that can be received by every mobile device on the planet. It’s an instant means of getting a message directly to your target. It’s simple, personal, usually opened and read within around three minutes of being received. It also offers an immediate call to action, and so is ideal as a quick reminder to apply treatments, such as flea and wormer, which a client may have sitting in a cupboard at home.

Email is also powerful, enabling more advice to be sent to help owners make better informed decisions, dynamically directing them to appropriate and moderated information online, if necessary. Most critical to the success of SMS and email communication is an accurate database; either of qualified contacts already known to you, or, in certain circumstances, lists purchased from bona fide data marketing agencies, though adherence to data legislation is key. Once armed with your contact base, precise and targeted messaging can soon bring additional and repeat business, as well as appreciation from, and enhanced relationships with, your clients.

Huge reach

The social media explosion means we can easily reach beyond our existing contacts. It has provided an extraordinary and free resource to communicate with a wider audience and encourage a loyal following. Providing information of interest to your target client audience will attract followers and these followers will have followers of their own, so there can be a snowball effect if your message is effective and engaging.

Facebook and Twitter accounts, two of the most recognised social media tools, are quick and simple to set up so you can start connecting and communicating. Some convincing facts published by www.socialmediatoday.com suggest Facebook adds half a million new users a day and that social media users in general have grown by 176 million in the past year alone. For so little effort it’s an enormous marketplace worth tapping into and embracing.

However, some clients will still need their traditional snail mail reminder and this should be offered, where appropriate, as part of the practice’s communication plan. But don’t assume certain groups of society will prefer or need postal reminders – ask all clients for mobile and email contact details, explain why you’d like their details and what’s in it for them, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how quickly they come on board.

Broad benefits

What has enhanced client communication delivered for me? Fundamentally, it has driven happier clients, healthier pets and more profitable practices, with the staff having more job satisfaction with improved working standards, facilities and equipment. It has helped us create an ever growing collaboration between the team and owners to help their pets live longer, healthier and happier lives.

We become the first port of call if an owner is worried and more owners are converted along a consumer pathway from being simply a customer to a bonded client.

The bottom line: our clients are more compliant – they adhere to our advice better and buy more of our services and products, at the time their pets need them. UK averages show 34% of pets only receive a single flea treatment a year with only 41% of pets being wormed once each year. In comparison, our clients actually apply 7.5 flea treatments each year to 59% of their pets with every pet receiving two worming treatments each year.

Our pets are vaccinated every 372 days, on average, compared to the 405-day inter-vaccinal interval nationwide. We are not recommending over-vaccinating and only use appropriate vaccine components as and when necessary, but we tailor a vaccine plan according to each individual patient’s need.  Our clients are happy to accept our recommendations, particularly when we use digital communications to follow up the face-to-face interaction, helping reinforce the recommendation and want demonstrably to support us.

Their loyalty has driven our food sales – nationwide, only 5% to 8% of pets on average are fed practice-purchased food, compared to 33% of my practices’ pets. I am not complacent or resting on my laurels as I would like our compliance figures to be even higher and, therefore, we continuously look to improve our service, including our communication methods, to help enhance our overall customer experience. By so doing, we can be assured we are trying to do our very best.

So effectively enhancing your customer experience is the name of the game. All practice communications, including digital ones, should help reinforce your face-to-face client interactions with a variety of timely, personal and individual messages.

The aim remains to drive loyalty, footfall and revenues, while helping clients make better informed decisions to maintain their pet’s health. But it should all happen daily and automatically, freeing up your team to deliver – in person – top quality clinical care and customer service.