How to reduce no-shows at your practice

There may be times when missing an appointment is completely unavoidable, but no-shows (or DNAs) will always be a source of frustration in any veterinary practice. Not only do they waste the time of the appointment itself, but potentially also time spent in preparation for the appointment, and for multiple members of staff. It’s also possible that supplies put aside in readiness are wasted, all of which contributes to lost revenue. 

A well-run vets practice will prioritise efficiency and use practice management software to ensure its scheduling system runs as successfully as possible. Having a strategy in place to reduce no-shows is essential, and will not only improve the efficiency and income of your practice, but also client and staff satisfaction too. We’ve put together some tips to help you in this blog post.

Ensure clients have the appointment in their diary

This may seem obvious, but setting the appointment clearly at the outset is the most important and often most successful way to ensure it is kept. Clarifying the time and date is easy to do and by cementing it in their paper diary, online calendar, or wherever they keep their appointments, you’re most likely to avoid a no-show. Even if the patient records the appointment in a diary or on their phone, ask if they would like an appointment card to remind them of the details, and always follow up with a confirmation by text and/or email. This can be automated to reduce admin. 

Send reminders

It can still be easy for appointments to slip the mind of a client if they’re busy, so sending reminders is a really good way of ensuring they attend their appointment. Again, these can be automated and sent via text and/or email a certain number of days beforehand, and even repeated if deemed appropriate. Assisi includes a smart reminder system which allows you to send automated reminders for appointments, boosters or products such as wormers or flea treatments and health scheme renewals. Evidence shows that automated wormer/flea reminders can increase sales by as much as 40%.

Online booking

Enabling clients to book appointments themselves online makes life easier for both you and them. Clients can find and book appointments at their convenience, referring to their calendars and perhaps their family’s too, without having to take time out of their working day in order to call during practice opening hours. Allowing clients to make their own appointments, as well as change and amend them, usually means they’re less likely to cancel or not attend since the time is more convenient to them. Online booking frees up your staff’s time and reduces admin, improving in-practice efficiency and allowing time to be spent on other tasks. 

Taking online payments 

Once you’re taking online bookings, the next step is to enable the patient to pay online at the same time. By taking a small deposit at the point of booking, or even paying for the treatment if appropriate, you provide a huge incentive for clients to turn up to their appointment, and this is becoming common practise in order to reduce no-shows. You can still allow for clients to make changes to their appointments up until a certain time ahead of their appointment without foregoing their deposit or payment, and consumers are now quite used to this. Assisi allows you to send a payment link to your client, so they can click and pay online at a time to suit them.

Offer a reward scheme 

Letting clients know that you appreciate their reliability and loyalty with a reward scheme will make them feel valued and discourage no-shows. Consider incentivising clients to keep their appointments with a loyalty scheme, perhaps offering a small discount to those who consistently keep their appointments and arrive on time. When clients feel valued, they are considerably less likely to become a no-show, and with Assisi, the potentially complex job of applying the rules and managing membership can be completely automated.

Follow up on any no-shows

Should a client fail to attend an appointment, it’s important to get in touch with them a short while after the missed appointment time. Send a gentle reminder via text or email with a polite message about the missed appointment and encouraging them to contact you right away to reschedule. If you have a policy of charging for no-shows, remind them of the terms.

No-shows and DNAs waste everyone’s time, so it’s in everyone’s interests to reduce them and improve the efficiency of your veterinary clinic. Assisi is designed to improve the way you run your practice, and utilising its features will help you to significantly reduce no-shows. 

Book a demo now with a member of our team to see how our veterinary practice management software can help boost your productivity and grow your business.