Prepare to Keep Caring with Healthy Cost Conversations

In the daily challenges of life paired with economic uncertainty, many of your clients are focused on the cost of care for their pets. This means they may welcome open and supportive conversations about payment. In fact, being proactive in communicating with clients about cost and payment options can help build trust, earn loyalty and strengthen your relationships.

Some veterinarians are having open conversations with pet parents about their spending capacity. This is one way to show clients you’re not only committed to their pet’s care, but you’re also sensitive to their financial situation.

Many veterinary practices accept the CareCredit credit card, which can give their clients a way to pay over time with financing options,* therefore helping them move forward with full recommendations for their pet’s care.

CareCredit also provides a contactless way for clients to apply and pay. With a custom link, clients can learn about financing, apply from their own device and, if approved, pay the practice using their CareCredit credit card.**

Planning for the Cost Conversation

Now more than ever, candid conversations about payment solutions are needed. These conversations can also help your practice retain and attract clients, so make sure your team is trained in phone skills, prepared to discuss costs and ready to share contactless payment solutions.

From my experience coaching phone skills and doing mystery shopping, I’ve discovered that 89% of client service representatives quote fees without engaging callers and 76% don’t ask to schedule an appointment. These are opportunities you don’t want your staff to miss.

As the client experience keeps evolving, a healthy financial relationship needs to become an integrated part of the care you provide. Here are just a couple of ways to add financial care to your new protocols:

• The phone is a more powerful tool than ever. As workflows have changed, the phone has become absolutely essential. Clients will be concerned about their pet, the process and payment, and they’ll want to be assured about all three. When they call to schedule, explain what to expect when they arrive, capture relevant medical information and reassure them you have payment options. This can help ease their concerns before and during visits.

• Make the most of telehealth. There’s been a surge in practices leveraging telehealth, telemedicine and virtual consultations through a technology partner or pop-up experience, like Zoom or FaceTime. The same phone skills apply here. If you’re doing virtual consults, take a few moments to mention payment options at the end of your evaluation — it can be as easy as telling clients how they can pay online or by phone. If your practice has a payment portal or relies on third-party financing partners, text a link to clients or share the URL address.

One final note: As you continue adapting your protocols and process, it helps to remember that your clients are trying to adjust, too. They’re not only concerned about their pet’s health — they may now be feeling apprehensive about their budget, too. When you and your team take the time to discuss easy ways to pay, it really can help your clients feel prepared to keep caring for their pets, now and going forward.

Author Bio

Dr. Amanda Donnelly is a dynamic speaker, consultant and author with 30+ years in the veterinary profession. As a second-generation veterinarian, she combines practice experience and business expertise to help improve communication between veterinary teams and clients. Dr. Donnelly is the Talk The Talk columnist for Today’s Veterinary Business Journal.

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