It’s the holiday season. Everywhere you look you see holiday lights; the smells of balsam and evergreen are abundant; you can’t get “Jingle Bells” out of your head. Your veterinary practice is running some really great holiday specials that pet owners in your community would love.
If only those pet owners knew about those specials.
How are you informing your clients about all your practice offers? You should be using multiple communication techniques, including your practice website, various social media channels, perhaps some direct mail campaigns, and more. Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is. But, there’s one simple, low-maintenance way to reach pet owners with your current messaging (and some extra holiday cheer): a custom telephone on-hold message program.
When a pet owner calls your practice and is placed on hold, what does he or she hear? Silence? Music? The same generic recording you’ve been using for the past 2 years?
Capitalize on the changes of the season by incorporating them into a custom telephone on-hold program about your practice, so when people call you, they can hear about your services or learn a seasonal tip or two for their pets. You can also mention your website and social media pages in your program. These messages will increase the likelihood of callers scheduling appointments or purchasing products from you that they wouldn’t have known about if they hadn’t called. And if they’re not current clients, your on-hold program could help to convert them.
What kind of information should be included in a telephone on-hold program?
You want messages that are going to inform your callers and call them to action. A few ideas include:
- Seasonal: Specials on dentals during February’s Pet Dental Health Month, information on lily toxicity during the spring or antifreeze during the winter, heatstroke information during the summer, holiday specials or warnings about pets and human food, etc.
- Promotions of your social media channels: “Follow us on Facebook to get 10 percent off your next preventive care exam!”
- Logistical information about your practice: Location, hours of operation, website address, new personnel announcements
- Reminders about services you offer: grooming, boarding, in-home euthanasia, etc.
- Interesting facts: “Did you know? Fifty-two percent of cat owners avoid taking their cats for regular veterinary exams? Our hospital is cat-friendly, which means we go the extra mile to ensure cats feel safe and experience less stress when visiting us. Ask us about how we do that!”
When the seasons change, your practice changes. When your practice changes, your on-hold program should, too. Make the best of your program by incorporating season-specific information that will get your clients talking and wanting to know more. If you want to start benefiting from seasonal on-hold messages for your practice, visit InTouchVet.com or call 800-493-9003.
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