Digital Practice
With Digital Practice, The Urban Vet adopted a practical WhatsApp workflow to save team time, build client trust, and tighten up cashflow. Keep reading to learn more about how Digital Practice changed the way they work.
The challenge: busy phones, time pressure, and “awkward” payment moments
Like many practices, The Urban Vet was juggling the day-to-day reality of busy phone lines and time-consuming calls that can easily run long.
The team wanted a way to keep communication clear and efficient without sacrificing the client relationship.
At the same time, there were familiar financial friction points:
- Chasing outstanding balances (often because clients simply forgot)
- Taking payment when clients are rushing off (e.g., emergency referral situations)
- Taking deposits, which can feel like a delicate conversation if there’s not an easy system in place to use
And clinically, the practice wanted to support owners with their concerns and questions while avoiding a “come in for everything” approach that can erode client trust.
The solution? Digital Practice as an integrated platform for client comms
The Urban Vet used Digital Practice day-to-day as a central messaging channel for client communication, from updates and questions, to photos, and even post-op checks.
Crucially, it wasn’t “WhatsApp for everything, instantly”. The team set expectations clearly: clients understand they’ll get a response within a couple of hours, rather than an immediate reply.
That single change helped shift interactions away from interrupt-driven phone calls into a workflow that the team could manage calmly and consistently.
Clinical triage that builds trust (and protects the client relationship)
For triage and advice, the practice used messaging to handle “client concerns and advice”, including situations where an owner is anxious and needs reassurance (for example, a client worried about sedation for a cat’s claw clip).
Though there’s always a concern that giving advice remotely might reduce appointments, the practice’s view was clear: prioritise what’s right for the pet and the relationship with the client.
From this approach, The Urban Vet found that trust compounds. If clients feel that they’re being told to book an appointment for every cough or episode of diarrhoea, trust drops.
Instead, the practice preferred to offer sensible at-home guidance and monitoring where appropriate, with a planned touchpoint to check in.
In Founder and Vet, Paul’s own words, “For me that longer term relationship is much, much more important than that short term consultation revenue.”
Messaging also supports practical triage: clients can share photos of issues that are sometimes assessable visually (skin, eyes, ears), potentially saving time for all involved and reducing patient stress while still bringing pets in when uncertainty remains.
Payments that feel easier for clients and that simpler to collect
The Urban Vet has been successfully using payment links after appointments, especially when clients are in a rush (including urgent onward referrals).
Instead of holding up the client at reception, the practice can send a link and the client pays remotely.
Receptionist Lila described it as “much less stressful” than waiting around at reception.
Deposits: “no pushback whatsoever”
Deposits were another key use case at The Urban Vet.
Notably, the practice reported no pushback at all from clients.
Clients increasingly see deposits as normal (similar to other service industries), and even when a deposit was retained after late cancellation, clients were “100% understanding”.
A practical insight from the team: deposits tend to get paid even faster than post-visit links, because clients want to secure the booking.
Outstanding balances: reducing the “verbal hassle”
For debt collection, the practice leaned on a simple but effective behavioural nudge, as they found that many outstanding payments happen simply because someone forgot.
By sending an easy payment link on WhatsApp (without making it a heavy phone conversation), clients often pay quickly.
Product ordering: get paid before stock leaves the shelf
The practice also used WhatsApp for product requests (medications/food they don’t always keep in stock), updating the client, taking payment, and then arranging collection.
Where this became especially valuable was for infrequently used, higher-cost items. The team offered a clear example: ordering a Convenia injection for a large dog that the practice wouldn’t normally stock.
Taking payment in advance helped avoid the historic scenario where a practice orders something, the client doesn’t collect, and the product can’t be returned, creating both revenue loss and frustration.
The operational win: fewer long calls, better handoffs, happier days
From a workflow perspective, messaging helped the team keep communication “to the point”, pass messages to the most relevant person quickly, and avoid the disruption of trying to locate someone mid-phone call.
And while time-saving matters, The Urban Vet highlighted something bigger: day-to-day satisfaction for both team and pet owners, plus stronger relationships that help retain clients over time.
Key takeaways from this case study
The Urban Vet really made Digital Practice work for them and their clients by:
- Setting expectations early (e.g., response within a couple of hours) so messaging stays sustainable.
- Using triage to build trust, not just deflect appointments, giving clear at-home guidance when appropriate and bringing pets in when uncertain.
- Making payments frictionless with links, especially for “in a rush” moments and deposit collection.
- Protecting cashflow on special orders by taking payment before committing stock.
Ready to streamline your client comms too?
If your phone lines are constantly busy, or you’re still chasing payments manually, a WhatsApp-first workflow can make a measurable difference in all aspects of clinical practice.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Digital Practice can help, don’t hesitate to reach out!