Most, if not all, problems within a practice or any business really stems from poor communication. Poor team, poor client, or poor owner/manager communication.
The effects COVID has had on communication between clients and the practice has been dramatic to say the least. So how can we connect to our disconnected clients and improve communication? How can we use our social media platforms to bring our clients into the fold of the practice all while being online? Social media can be bittersweet for many veterinary practices.
The time and effort it takes to plan and post good quality content is generally the biggest and most common hurdle. Some practices have turned to keeping clients informed on changes and updates by posting to their website, but often overlook their social media pages. Last March, everyone faced a major communication hurdle and in a lot of ways, digital communication was the primary method people used to stay in touch. Veterinary practices had to pivot quickly and adopt lots of new ways of delivering patient care and good client communication. They turned to video, telemedicine, curbside appointments, drive up prescription pick-up, an uptick in online pharmacy orders, and more. The veterinary industry has always been flexible in how it can do what it does; however, limited personal contact with clients has left the door open for negative interactions and miscommunications.
