Avoid the Hassle of the Overdue Flu and Tet Vaccine - Digital Practice Reminders in Equine Practice
By David Harris BVSc FHEA MRCVS
How many of your clients have been caught out by the FEI’s change in vaccine protocol? For that matter, how many of your clients have missed boosters by a day or two, resulting in stress all round? And how many of your staff have been “asked” (with varying degrees of menace or incentivisation) to backdate a passport?
Unlike the situation for most small animal clients, a single day out on a horse’s flu vaccine can total the rider’s plans for the season.
So let’s turn the question around:
How do you remind your equine clients that their boosters are due?
Yes, it is their responsibility. But there are so many ways to make it easy for them.
Here’s some quotes from horse owners this year.
“We have very nearly had a disaster due to family illness - I was not sufficiently organised to check the dates and my grandchildren are only able to go to camp because we can fit in the second vaccine the day before camp starts. So saved by 24 hours! Our vets always used to remind us, now they don’t, but I really wish they did!”
“We recently missed our annual vaccine for our horse by three days, as a result we’ve had to restart the vaccine programme, with an initial injection followed by two boosters. During this time we are restricted in where we can take them and what competitions we can enter. It’s so frustrating. I get a call from my garage when my MOT is due, and I always book it in with them. It builds customer loyalty. I’m much less likely to change vets if we are working together for the health and well-being of our horses.”
“Life is so busy and the rules are so strict, I need reminders to make sure my ponies are up to date - I have had disappointed children for camp and I don’t want a repeat of that. Any vet practice who can help me remember makes a massive difference!”
This is a situation where the Digital Practice reminder system really comes into its own.
You can schedule reminders well in advance, pulling out of the PMS when their next vaccine is due - and then get a reminder sent a couple of weeks before.
A client who is reminded is a client who isn’t angry and frustrated because they can’t compete, or their children can’t go to Pony Club.
Our small animal colleagues have been doing this for years - so why not roll it out in the most user friendly way possible, with a direct message to their phone? Whether on WhatsApp, text, or Facebook Messenger, our clients nowadays rely on their phones for reminders and even payments - so why not leverage that!