Yet another national pet brand is looking to cash in on veterinary care services by offering tele-advice services to its customers. The pandemic “pet boom” has created a surging demand for pet products and veterinary care services, and as these brands seek to become a “one-stop shop” to all things pets, they are moving to cash in veterinary care as well.
SPOILER ALERT: You have a distinct advantage that national pet retailers cannot touch – keep reading to find out.
So how do independent veterinary practices respond to this growing trend? Well, do you want the good news first, or the not so good? Since it’s 2020, let’s start with the good:
The Good News About Pet Owners
- Pet owners find more value in speaking to their own veterinarian who knows their pet.
- Pet owner satisfaction with their veterinarian is consistently very high, sometimes over 90% (although I’m sure you can think of a few outliers from your own practice experience!).
- Dog and cat owners are willing to pay a statistically higher amount (roughly $38 more) for having their vet (or $13 more for a vet in their community) on a veterinary telemedicine call or video vs another vet.
A Potential Cause for Concern
- Pet owner habits, like other consumers, are continuing to shift toward online procurement of goods and services.
- Consumers in general are more likely to work with brands that are accessible virtually.
- 15% more pet owners have defected from traditional veterinary practices to alternative options offered, including by national retail providers.
Back to More Good News!
Your clinic has likely been offering some form of telehealth to clients for years, but you’re just not generating revenue from it! The time your staff spends responding to emails, phone calls, Facebook Messenger, texts, etc. is actually a form of telehealth.
Your clinic also has a distinct advantage over national retail brands. You know your clients and have the ability to offer a more valuable form of telehealth, which is VCPR-compliant telemedicine, not just tele-advice. You have pet owner trust and (a really great) opportunity to strengthen the relationship with pet owners that the national retailers cannot replicate.
Introducing Virtuwoof
VHA has partnered with Virtuwoof to offer clinics an option to offer its telemedicine platform at a discount to VHA member clinics. This platform is simple and flexible and puts the power in your clinic’s hands to offer a new service to clients, differentiate your practice, and generate additional revenue through virtual care.
Virtuwoof is local, woman-owned, and their telemedicine experts can help you create a personalized telemedicine practice for your business at a low monthly cost. Virtuwoof clinics on average see 500%+ return on their monthly telemedicine subscription investment.
Contact your VHA Veterinary Practice Consultant to learn more, schedule a demo, or get signed up for Virtuwoof. Learn more at www.virtuwoof.com.