Veterinary Software: Looking at the Bigger Picture

by Hunter Little

Let’s step back for a second and address the vast landscape that is veterinary software. Some of it is cloud-based, some of it isn’t. Some are pay-as-you-go, some are subscription based, and even a lucky few are free. Whatever the case may be, I think the veterinarymedicine, pet, health care, technology and people concept - happy woman and veterinarian doctor with tablet pc computer checking scottish fold kitten up at vet clinic industry, as a whole, is certainly guilty of one commonality: complacency. Veterinary medicine can be a slow-moving mammoth at times, preferring the familiar and the safe over something new that might upset the long-established balance. At the end of the day, it is easy to slip into the comfortable and seamless flow of the familiar; in other words, to do things as they’ve always been done. This preference for the familiar and long-established is no different in the sphere of veterinary software. Personally, I would wager that most practices have been using the same software for the better part of the past decade or so. But that is only natural. It is, of course, much easier to just continue using what has always been there, rather than take the time to sit down and take a long, hard look at your practice’s software.

 

I would imagine that, by now, you may have picked up on where I’m going with this. Today, I’m going to challenge your old habits. I’m going to challenge the way you think about veterinary software and how it should integrate with your practice. Not because it is the edgy thing to do, or I’m young and think I know better than you. I’m challenging you because it could prove to be a healthy exercise, not only for you as a practitioner, but for you as a business owner; as someone who is interested in the health and vibrancy of their small business. Ultimately, this will be an exercise in challenging the veterinary software norms of our day. Where deficiencies might be hidden, where old habits might be affecting productivity, and where efficiencies can be found or even built anew.

Over the next few posts, we will be looking at some specifics regarding veterinary software, like what services should be considered standard, as well as asking some bigger questions about the nature of veterinary software in 2016 (namely: should you really be paying for your software anymore?) So, today, I’ll leave you with some questions to consider as we move forward. These questions are simply meant to frame the conversation in the coming posts, as well as direct you in your questioning of your current software. Take them as they are (brain food, meant to stimulate your thinking!), and nothing more.

 

  • When did you buy/download your software? Or, better yet, when was the last time you updated your software?
  • How much are you currently paying for it?
  • Are there more features you COULD have, but you’d have to pay more for them?
  • What services/features come standard?
  • Is your practice taking advantage of the cloud?
  • How long does it take a new employee to learn your current software?
  • If you asked your employees, what would they say about your software?
  • If you like your current software, why?

Is Your Veterinary Practice Website Mobile Friendly?

by Hunter Little

If you’ve been scanning the web-based veterinary landscape in the new year, or attended the 2016 NAVC Conference, you may have noticed the growing conversation around the term “mobile-friendly.” While there may be jokes a-plenty about everyone spending too much time on their smartphones and mobile devices, there is a definite level of truth behind the humor. The reality, regardless of youvet_selfier opinion on it, is that much of our everyday lives and routines in some way or another heavily incorporate our mobile devices. Checking our social media accounts, emails, reminders, sending that happy birthday text to your friend, and even checking the weather have all become long-established mobile-based norms that populate our everyday life. So, it would only make sense that your website should be mobile-friendly too, right? Everything else is readily accessible via our mobile devices, and our lives have oriented around that. So, why should your veterinary practice be similarly oriented?

“But, my veterinary website is up-to-date on its veterinary software and content generation,” you might say. And that may very well be true; however, keeping up with the nuts and bolts of your website, as well as regularly updating content, may not necessarily make your website mobile-friendly. The real key is the presentation, the look and feel of your website on a mobile device. It should move seamlessly with the swipe-and-click nature of a mobile device, without requiring constant re-orientation of the smartphone or having to zoom in and out. Luckily for you, this isn’t as hard as you might think.

Google (unsurprisingly, I might add) has created a resource that can help you determine just how mobile-friendly your veterinary practice website is. Visit this Google search engine page, type in your website URL, and it will provide basic analytics to determine how mobile-friendly your website is! But, there’s more. Google has also constructed a blog designed to help you navigate the process of improving your website and making it more mobile-friendly, which can be found here. They have also conducted research on mobile usage trends, and hopefully a few statistics from these studies might be the final push you need to get your website mobile-friendly:

  • 77% of mobile searches occur at home or work; 17% occur while on-the-go
  • 3 out of 4 mobile searches trigger follow-up action; 36% trigger continued research, 25% triggered viewing a retailer’s website
  • 55% of store visits, phone calls, or purchases, happen within an hour of the mobile search

 

Remember, being mobile-friendly is all about presence and presentation. Potential clients may be searching for a veterinary practice in there area, come upon your practice in the search results, yet be unable to adequately or easily access your web-based content and info because your website is not mobile-friendly, and move on to the next practice. But do not despair, it is easier than you think and your clients will thank you for it.

 

Additional Resources:

Want to learn more about web-based trends and tips with Google? Check out Think With Google: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com