Why Providing Clients With Options Is Essential For A Smooth Experience

For both pet owners and veterinary practices, payments can be the most stressful part of any visit. When clients don’t have visibility into the itemization of their bill, or aren’t presented with options to pay either now or in the future, the likelihood of an awkward, stressful situation is high.

Many times, vets hand out discounts just to move past these types of scenarios. After all, from managing pricing to filling up the appointment calendar, all while providing the best patient treatment, vets and staff members have enough to deal with. Curating a smooth client experience is crucial to winning loyal clients who trust your practice with their pets’ health and safety, time and time again.

In this blog post, we’ll share how providing a complete view of payment options is a critical part of an amazing client experience that allows pet parents to easily manage their pets’ care. This will ultimately put you in closer alignment with your clients and create a stronger, long-term relationship built on trust.

Payment Processing 101

First, let’s review payment processing. Payment processing is simply a series of automatic steps that allow a customer to pay the merchant. This involves authenticating and authorizing the transaction, as well as the process of actually transferring funds from the customer to the merchant and the other parties involved in processing the transaction. Of course, payment processing doesn’t cover cash, but rather, non-cash payments using credit cards, debit cards, e-checks, and online transactions.  With 80-90% of all transactions in a vet practice now based on card processing, saving on the associated fees can be a huge benefit to your bottom line.

Ultimately, customers these days are demanding convenience, speed, and security—and it’s no different when it comes to payment processing. So how can payment processing help vet practices provide pet owners with a seamless experience before, during, and after their appointments?

The Client Experience

Oftentimes, vet support teams are playing double or even triple duty. While customer service reps are juggling busy phone lines, full inboxes, and a hectic front desk, it’s no wonder why it can be difficult to truly focus on providing the best service to each and every client. Taking the task of managing payments off their plates can create a better experience for everyone—not just the practice team but also the client!

Automated payment solutions give pet parents the ability to manage their account balances on their terms, increase the likelihood of a veterinary practice receiving funds owed for services rendered, and give staff back the time in their day to focus on what truly matters: exceptional patient care.

To help your clients feel comfortable at the time of checkout, here are some automated payment solutions to offer them:

1. In-Person and Remote Checkout
   Point-of-sale transactions are a basic requirement for every veterinary practice. However, providing a remote checkout option to clients gives them the flexibility to pay from their mobile device. This is useful in many scenarios, for example, when the person bringing the pet into the office isn’t the one paying the bill.
   
   
2. Split-Payments
   With rising costs, pet parents often need to use multiple payment methods to complete a transaction. Ensuring your payment processing system is set up to handle complex transactions means less wait time for clients and less room for error compared to when your team is running multiple charges against one invoice.
   
   
3. Invoices
   Invoices are a detailed list of everything a client is being billed for and should include an account balance. Clients need to have access to this information readily - especially when they are ready to submit payment remotely or when filing a claim for insurance. Give your clients the ability to view their invoices digitally by providing access links through email and text message.
   
   
4. Receipts
   Much like invoices, clients should be offered the opportunity to receive a digital copy of their receipts - either on their mobile device through text or via email. Receipts should also include remaining account balances, and all the details of the transaction, no matter how complex.
   
   
5. Multiple Pets
   Over 30 percent of clients have multiple pets. It is no secret that bringing in multiple pets together is a time saver and a money maker for your practice. Save even more time by combining invoices and allowing clients to pay once for all the pets they are bringing in that day.
   
   
6. Loans
   If you have clients asking about insurance or loan options and you’re left scratching your head, you need to act fast. Loans may be difficult to understand but are crucial in tough situations with clients. By presenting clients with loan options during checkout, you can save them from the uncomfortable situation of admitting they can’t afford the bill, or better yet, avoid a dispute over the charges.

The SnoutID Solution

Focus on pets, and SnoutID will make sure you get paid. 

SnoutID is a software tool supported by a team of remote veterinary technicians that enables veterinary practices and hospitals to operate at their best. SnoutID integrates seamlessly into your workflow via your PIMS to automatically collect digital forms, signatures, and payment from your clients. Our team of technicians will help ensure all medical history from past veterinary practices are available prior to appointment.

We have a meet-or-beat guarantee meaning we promise you will definitely save time and money on transaction fees with our payment processing system. Contact us today to find out how much you can save.