If you are a pet owner or simply an animal lover, you’ve surely heard of the term “Veterinarian” before. Vets play a vital role in the lives of pets. Not only are they able to diagnose and predict potential health issues, they perform operations and surgeries on animals whose lives are in danger.
Vet caring for a koala, photo by the International Fund for Animal Welfare on Pexel
In a news article published by Channel News Asia, there has been a recent spike in animal ownership – likely attributed to the fact that as people start to stay home more due to the pandemic, they may crave a certain sense of companionship that can be provided by pets. [1]
When pet owners stay home, they interact frequently with their pets and may tend to notice more things such as lumps, spots or strange eating habits that they otherwise would have missed out on. [2] Resultant from these circumstances, veterinarians and animal hospitals across the globe have seen a huge increase in traffic.
With the increase in workload, it is not surprising that many vets struggle with mental health distress and managing a good work-life balance. [3] As they take on greater amounts of work, it is paramount to automate and digitalize aspects of their operations in order to streamline processes and reduce the workload on staff. An easy and efficient way to smooth operations would be to purchase a good point-of-sale (POS) system. Modern POS solutions can solve a great deal of problems for their users. They are also embedded with near-field-communication (NFC) technology that allows for contactless payment transactions.
NFC Payment featuring iMin’s M2
Here are three reasons why you need a good cloud-based POS system for your medical office.
Increased Efficiency
Firstly, by adopting a good cloud-based POS system, you will be able to increase efficiency in your daily operations. With the adoption of dual monitor systems, information between doctors, medicine dispensaries and cashiers can flow seamlessly and efficiently. It can also decrease the possibility of human error and reduce the need for communication which saves time. Invoicing customers becomes simpler just by tapping on products and services to add to the bill. This prevents loss of income due to errors in record keeping, which is a major problem in the veterinary industry. The system also allows users to generate daily, monthly or even yearly revenue reports that makes keeping track of profits a breeze for owners.
Inventory Management
Having a good cloud-based veterinary practice management solution for your clinic can also greatly support your inventory management process. By linking information about your products to a cloud POS machine, you will always be able to access the latest information regarding your inventory with a few taps on your mobile phone. Stock taking has never been easier as the POS system helps you monitor the status of your inventory. There are also certain features such as receiving alerts when certain stocks are getting low or even auto-order functions that allow the machine to place orders when the inventory hits a low level. This not only frees up time for your employees to perform other value adding activities, but eliminates human error altogether. There will also be a reduced need for paper usage in your operations.
Customer Management
An important aspect of running a successful clinic is managing relationships with customers. Of course, doctors love and care for their customers and their pets; but it can get extremely challenging to keep track of all the specific patient details and health issues, especially for big hospitals. With a good POS system, doctors and staff can access client databases and e-medical records almost instantly, even across branches. This reduces the time taken for doctors to locate specific physical folders to search for information. With the snap of a finger, medical histories and patient records can be retrieved just like that. In a life or death situation, this time saved – which may seem meaningless, could mean a great deal. Counter staff could also use the system to manage customer appointments and scheduling. Reminders can also be sent to clients to ensure that they are prepared and aware that they have an upcoming appointment with the doctor. Having such features can make administrative operations easier and less taxing on your staff.
Now that you know the importance of integrating a POS system into your vet clinic, the article will share three POS softwares that will help your clinic become more productive.
EzyVet
Founded in 2006 by Hadleigh Bognuda, Ezyvet is now a global leader in the veterinary software space. Ezyvet aims to provide intuitive, affordable and customizable software to vet practitioners of all sizes. Starting in New Zealand, they now serve customers across six continents.
Getting started with EzyVet
To begin your partnership with EzyVet, you can easily head over to their website to book a free consultation session with them. Subsequently, you can decide on which package to get and their pricing is based on the number of users that you require to support.
Why EzyVet?
EzyVet is among the most highly raved about veterinarian POS software providers online. Not only do they secure their data with the best tools and technology, they also provide comprehensive onboarding support for new customers. Their implementation specialists aim to make sure that you are comfortable and able to fully maximize their services.
Some key features of EzyVet include unlimited support 24 hours a day with their expert support team to ensure that your needs and wants will always be met with no downtime. In addition, they run a cloud-based software, which gives users the ability to access and share information and patient records on the go – be it in the office or from home, with any device available. Their software is also designed to be intuitive for users, decreasing the transition time that your staff will take to be proficient using EzyVet. They also include features for automated billing, inventory management and client communications, making it a top contender to consider.
eVetPractice
eVetPractice is developed by Covetrus, an American company that provides animal health products and related services. With over 5,500 employees and 100,000 customers worldwide, eVetPractice is definitely a good consideration for your clinic.
Getting started with eVetPractise
They offer three packages – the Foundations package, Standard package and Premium package that costs $265, $416 and $586 respectively before discounts. You can schedule a free demo with them to find out more on which plan better suits your business.
Why eVetPractice?
eVetPractice is a comprehensive cloud-based veterinary practice management solution that comprises many features. Their system is embedded with a central accounting system and integrated payment processing that enables your business to cut down on time spent to process payments and eliminating input errors and duplicate entries.
They also provide electronic medical records, which removes the need to have paper copies and saves time on file management. Patient records can be easily stored and accessed by doctors with the tap of a button. The cloud-based system allows for any internet-enabled device to access it anywhere, and there is also a limited access portal where patients are able to see some of their pet’s medical records. If you sign up for a 3 year contract, you will also be eligible for free onboarding services, data migration and set up for your client communications platform, regardless of the plan that you decide to purchase.
Hippo Manager
Hippo Manager was developed in 2012 and is the biggest cloud-based veterinary software provider in the United States. They aim to empower your business operations and help you strike a good balance between work and living with their intuitive and flexible software.
Getting started with Hippo Manager
Hippo Manager offers packages that provide unlimited data, patients and users. The Core Plan charges $119 monthly per full time vet, and they also offer data migration services with a migration manager attached to your business to walk you through the whole process.
Why Hippo Manager?
This cloud-based veterinary practice management software is easy to get accustomed to. It was designed to be patient-centric, time saving and highly customizable in order to fit specific business needs for any user. By providing customers with tested templates and automation tools, Hippo Manager aims to streamline your business processes to create a seamless workflow for your clinic, making the automation process a smooth one.
Their system includes accounting features that allow clerks to easily input transactions, create invoices and manage customer discounts or coupons. They can also send out appointment reminders and emails to remind pet owners of appointments and disseminate information without hassle. Medical histories and patient records can also be created so that doctors are able to access records and information in mere seconds. The software also allows business owners to keep track of key performance indicators and inventory levels so there will never be a case of stockout.
All software discussed above are compatible with Android, Windows and iOS.
Closing thoughts
Modern day POS solutions not only allow businesses to keep track of their sales. They now provide many other value adding services and capabilities that bring a lot of benefits. Adopting a good veterinary practice management software will definitely drive business efficiencies and improve workflows by a great margin.
Vets could even adopt a mobile POS system, which will allow them to perform on-call duties outside of their medical office even more efficiently. Not only will he be able to access patient records on the go, he is also able to collect payment on the spot with the tap of a credit card or debit card, fuss free. This enhances the animal care experience and can also create a satisfying customer experience – a win for everybody.
What are you waiting for? Get yours today.
*Information about Ezyvet, eVetPractise and Hippo Manager was obtained from their respective websites and is accurate as of January 2022.
References:
[1] Chin, N. C. (2021, October 23). The life of vets: Busier than ever as pet ownership rises, but they can’t ‘walk on water.’ CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/life-vets-busier-ever-pet-ownership-rises-they-cant-walk-water-2261666
[2] Schnell, M. (2021, September 22). “Overworked and overstressed”: How COVID-19 is affecting veterinarians. TheHill. https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/573317-overworked-and-overstressed-how-covid-19-is-affecting
[3] Tan, J. (2020, July 6). Puppies & burnout: The economic impact of the coronavirus on vets. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/puppies-and-burnout-the-economic-impact-of-the-coronavirus-on-vets-141964
