Letter Etiquette

It is extremely important that staff members have excellent writing skills. Chapter 14 reviews the importance of completing medical records in a professional, legible manner. Team members must be able to verbally communicate procedures with clients, along with writing professional, educational, and clear discharge instructions for owners. The goal of written communications is to prevent miscommunications before they occur, prevent the owner from asking the same questions several times, and represent the business, ultimately increasing sales and professional services.

Team members must be able to write effective letters for different aspects of the practice. Collections letters, vaccine reaction letters, and letters of acclimation are just few letters that a doctor may request. Pets that have had a severe vaccine reaction in the past may have been advised to withhold vaccinations in the future. A letter may be required by the city or county as to why the client is not in compliance with the law. Airlines may require a letter of acclimation, indicating that a pet is healthy enough to fly at temperatures below 40° F or higher than 80° F. It is important to only state the facts; do not embellish to make the letter longer.

Letters should include the date, the client’s name, the pet’s name, and the doctor’s name. The pet’s species, gender, and whether it has been altered may need to be added depending on the letter. The problem needs to be addressed, along with the resolution. The doctor can then sign the letter. Letters should be kept short and to the point.

Email Etiquette

Correspondence by email is becoming a popular choice of communication for clients. Email etiquette is just as important as letter writing and verbal skills. It must always be remembered that email can go anywhere, to anyone. Therefore emails should be kept short and sweet. If a consultation is needed, the client should be advised to make an appointment with a veterinarian to discuss the case. Clients may take suggestions in email as insults, starting a terrible line of communications. Emotions cannot be read in email; therefore a face-to-face visit is much more beneficial. On the business side of email, clients are not charged for the time the team or a veterinarian spends responding to emails.

Reminders and Recall Systems

Many software programs can automatically generate reminders and recalls for the veterinary team. Smaller practices may handwrite reminders on a monthly basis. Reminders are simply that; they remind owners that pets are due for a procedure. Practices may elect to send out reminders for a variety of services, including yearly exams and/or vaccines (based on the current vaccination protocol), heartworm testing, and/or a fecal analysis (depending on the location of the practice in the United States). Practices may also send out reminders for yearly laboratory work, including testing for hypothyroidism, phenobarbital levels, or bile acids for patients that are on long-term medications that may have potential side effects if not monitored closely. From a marketing perspective, hospitals may send out reminders for senior care exams or dental month (see Chapter 10). Communications can also be sent to remind clients to refill their pets’ medication, including heartworm preventive and medications that treat hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, seizures, and/or allergies (Figures 11-3 and 11-4).

Reminders must be clear, concise, and to the point. If a client makes an appointment for an exam, the reminder must clearly indicate that necessity; otherwise a client may walk into the practice without an appointment for an examination. Grammar and spelling must be correct, and the message must be inviting. A simple reminder can help maintain the relationship that the practice has worked hard to establish with a client.

Reminder cards can be ordered from a variety of software companies or supply houses. Some systems may require a specific type of card to fit system or printer requirements; however, a variety of choices are available to choose from. Dogs, cats, puppies, and horses posing in different outfits and performing different tricks should grab a client’s attention. Chapter 10 includes more helpful reminder ideas. Manufacturers also supply reminders for their particular product or service. Merial, Novartis, and Pfizer supply reminders for their vaccines, heartworm preventives, and products.

Reminders can also come in the form of phone calls. Clients should be called the day before their appointments to remind them of surgical procedures or appointments that have been scheduled. Clients can be reminded of the surgical protocol to follow at that time as well. Those whose pets are due for yearly exams, lab work, and vaccinations should also be called as a friendly reminder. If a client needs to reschedule his or her appointment, it can be done at that time, allowing the team to fill the appointment spot with another patient.

Reminder systems (whether manual or automatic) must be programmed to remove patients once they have died. It is emotionally distressing for a client to receive a reminder for a pet that has died, especially if the loss occurred at the veterinary hospital. It is not uncommon for a pet to suddenly die at home and for the owner not to inform the hospital of the death until receiving an appointment reminder. Team members should be empathetic, apologize, and guarantee that the owner will not receive another reminder.

In today’s high-tech world, veterinary practices can send reminders by email, text messages, and cell phones. This is a relatively inexpensive way to connect with clients and remind them of services that are due for their pets. Computer software systems can be programmed to send either printed cards or email reminders, allowing many reminders to be sent at once. Follow-up reminders can then be generated for those who did not respond to the initial notice.

Recalls are lists that are generated by veterinary software systems to remind staff to call certain clients to check on patients (Figure 11-5). Recalls can be created for surgical patients, pets that have received vaccines, or any patient that has been in the hospital for a period of time. Software systems allow team members to set a specific number of days for the recall to be generated. Certain charged services can also be linked to a recall generator, thereby creating a recall each time one of those services is entered. Each day, reception teams can print lists and call clients to see how patients are progressing. This is a great time to ensure that the client was satisfied with the services and answer any remaining questions. If the client has any concerns or the pet has not progressed as expected, an appointment can be made with a specific doctor to recheck the patient. Always document in the record the telephone conversation and how the pet is recovering. This allows team members to follow the case if the client needs to return for a recheck.

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