Does your clinic need an extra pair of hands?

Supercharge your post-op follow-ups with AI conversations.

8 min read | February 2024 | admin_vvn

When it comes to post-op follow-ups, it’s easy to spot best practice.

It’s having a personalized and thorough conversation with every client, after every procedure, to get an accurate update on how each patient is doing.

But how do you make it happen – without tying up your team for hours on the phone, or interrupting your clients in their busy day?

Virtual Vet Nurse is an AI conversational chatbot that will have these crucial conversations with your clients (in a way that’s convenient for them), and then seamlessly deliver the results back to your team.

Introducing the benefits of conversational AI

Some clinics send an automated email or text with a standard message asking the client to get in touch IF they have any concerns. (But that relies on them being knowledgeable enough to know what to look for, and that they’ll contact you before a potential issue becomes serious).

When you use conversational AI, you’ll have a comprehensive, automated follow-up system that seamlessly guides your clients to share accurate information about their pet’s post-procedure progress.

With automated post-op surveys from Virtual Vet Nurse, you’ll be able to:

  • Dramatically reduce phone calls and save hours of staff time
  • Allow clients to answer when it’s convenient for them (no more interrupting their workday)
  • Ensure the right questions get asked every time (protecting your professional standards)
  • Ensure follow-up from a human team member when needed (retaining the human touch)
  • Provide a written record to attach to the patient’s file.

Clients love the convenience too! Here’s some feedback from one of our US practice owners:

People are often so busy that they can’t answer their phones when we call anyway, and appreciate the ability to send us a message in their own time.

How it works

The post-op survey workflow is very easy to set up and run. You simply choose what type of visits you’d like to follow-up, and the questions you want to ask.

Then it’s a simple 3-step process:

1: A survey link is automatically sent to the client.

Following their pet’s procedure, your Virtual Vet Nurse automatically messages your client, inviting them to complete the post-up survey.

You can automate to send this link any way you prefer (e.g email, SMS/text, Messenger, Instagram, What’s App etc).

2: Your client chats with your Virtual Vet Nurse.

Your survey questions will generally cover things like:

  • checking on the patient’s routine signs (e.g “are they eating/drinking/toileting as normal”)
  • checking on medication compliance (“are you able to give these okay?”)
  • if the patient has a surgical wound, the client has the option to upload a photo or video of it
  • asking whether the client needs to book a follow-up visit
  • asking whether the client would like a phone call or follow-up from the clinic

Here are a few example screenshots from a conversation:

3. Your team reviews the answers.

The answers are emailed to your front-desk in a simple summary format, ready for review.

It takes two minutes to glance through the responses, and view the photo.

(Note: only the first few Post Op update questions and responses are shown here).

What happens next?

If the client reports everything is okay with their pet, it’s a case of ‘job done’. And if you want to keep a copy of the answers, the notes are easily copied to the patient’s clinical records. (Even easier, if you have the PMS-integrated version of Virtual Vet Nurse, the notes automatically write back).

Alternatively, if the client has specifically asked you to get in touch, or you see anything in their answers that requires attention, you’ll respond accordingly.

It’s a win-win for everybody!

Your Virtual Vet Nurse surveys are fully customized to your clinic

Remember, your Virtual Vet Nurse is your digital employee and is unique to your clinic. This means:

1. You can choose any type of visit to follow up

Other than post-surgery surveys, what other type of visits would you like to follow up on?

For example, one of our clinics in the US uses their Virtual Vet Nurse to follow-up after vaccination visits, to check for any reactions.

Other clinics send a courtesy follow-up survey to new clients, to make them feel extra-welcome. (This is the kind of next-level customer service that automation makes possible!)

2. Include digital forms or other offerings.

Maybe you want to include home-care instructions? Or offer to provide a refill of meds, or re-booking a visit? With conversational AI, it’s easy to weave anything like that into the conversation.

Compare the benefits

What is your current regime for post-op checks? Let’s compare the benefits of Virtual Vet Nurse:

How much staff time is it taking?

If your staff are making manual call-backs, consider the potential time-savings from automating this workflow. (Your staff only need to call the clients who request or need a call, based on their survey response).

Are you asking every important question – every time?

For improved safety and compliance, your Virtual Vet Nurse will stay ‘on script’ every time, and never skip a question.

This is particularly important for post-op checks, to ensure ALL important questions are covered. And you will have a record of the client’s answers, in the event of a dispute.

Is it convenient for your clients?

Receiving a phone call isn’t always convenient for clients.

With Virtual Vet Nurse, your clients can complete the survey whenever is convenient for them (anytime, anywhere), and at their own pace. Their answers can be as succinct or detailed as they choose.

Is it a ‘conversation’?

Unlike an electronic form, your Virtual Vet Nurse gathers information in a conversational way. It feels more like having a conversation with someone at your front desk.

Our user ratings are consistently high – people enjoy talking with Virtual Vet Nurse!

Does it write back to your clinical records?

The survey results are automatically emailed to the front desk (or the email address you specify). If you want to keep a copy, the notes can be quickly and easily copied to the patient’s clinical records. Even easier, if your your Practice Management System (PMS) integrates with Virtual Vet Nurse, this happens automatically.

Want to know more?

Post-op surveys are just one of the automated workflows that are included within your standard Virtual Vet Nurse subscription, for a fixed monthly fee.

How much time would you save by automating your call-backs?

If you’re ready to find out, please message our team to book a demo.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

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