How to Choose the Best Software Solution for Your Veterinary Clinic
Today, it has become a difficult job to manage a veterinary clinic without the use of Practice Management Software (PMS). With the help of veterinary computer programs, practice owners organise the clinic’s operations, take care of billing, manage schedules and store the information about patients.
There are at least 100 vendors who provide software solutions for veterinary clinics. Hence, it becomes very difficult for the practice owners to choose the right PMS for their veterinary clinic.
In this article we will share few suggestions on how to choose the best veterinary software for your clinic. We hope this helps you in making the right choice.
Choosing the Best Veterinary Software: A decision that can make or break your veterinary business
Buying a veterinary software means that spending a lot of money in installing the software, getting your staff trained to use the software & streamlining your clinic’s activities to cope with the software. You will get stuck with the solution for a long time if you end up making the wrong decison.
All these efforts will go in vein if you end up unsatisfied with the software after a few days. And many times it becomes a nightmare when you migrate from one software to another because the old data has to be formatted before transferring to the new software and in this process a large chunk of your data may be lost. You may lose a lot of information about your clients & patients during this transition.
Therefore, it becomes very much necessary to do some research about different veterinary software vendors out there & make the right decision.
You can Follow a 5 Step Checklist for Choosing Your Veterinary Software
Step 1: Find out how old is the software?
‘Old is Gold’. Old software companies tend to possess the knowledge of the industry. Veterinary medicine is a niche industry. The procedures followed by veterinarians are very different from the human healthcare industry.
Only a software that has been around for a long time can have the depth of features that veterinarians need. These software have evolved over time by receiving inputs from various veterinarians around the world.
Step 2: When was the latest version of the software released?
Veterinary PMS vendors usually roll out new version of their software in every few (ususally 4-5) years. While launching new version to the market, they float the beta version of the software to veterinary clinics who wish to give it a try.
It isn’t a bad idea to get a subscription of the beta version of the software which comes free of cost. When the new versions of softwares are released, you can see some major upgrade in technology (e.g. transition from server based model to cloud based, change in pricing structure, release of mobile apps, etc.)
It is always advisable to start using a software whose latest version has been released in last 2-3 year.
By doing this, you will get the access to latest technology for your veterinary clinic. Also, your clinic will be saved from any change in technology for a really long time.
Veterinary PMS vendors usually roll out new version of their software in every few (ususally 4-5) years. While launching new version to the market, they float the beta version of the software to veterinary clinics who wish to give it a try.
Step 3: Is it Cloud Based?
Cloud-based softwares are more reliable, pocket friendly & flexible. Most of the veterinary practices are now preferring to adopt cloud based software for their clinic.
Storing your clinic’s data in cloud will reduce your hardware expense and give you more secure data storage.
Another advantage of cloud technology is that, it can be accessed from any location, be it your clinic, client’s location or your own house. Hence, it gives you more flexibility & mobility.
Cloud based subscriptions are easily scalable. For example, if your clinic has 3 veterinarians now & you are planning to bring in 2 more veterinarians to your team, then adding new accounts in your veterinary software system will not be an issue.
If the size of your patient database grows over time, then also adding more storage will be just one phone call away. You can just pay as you grow with cloud based veterinary software.
Step 4: Does it integrate with the Labs you use?
Different veterinary clinics use different reference labs based on the geographical location of the clinic. There would be inhouse labs as well, with which your VPM Software should integrate.
It is advisable to check for the list of integration partners of a veterinary software before selecting it for your clinic. If the lab that you are using is in the list partners, then only you should go for it.
Step 5: Will it help you grow your practice?
Do not buy a veterinary software just because you want to automate the activities of your veterinary clinic. You should also look for the marketing aspects of a veterinary software while choosing it for your clinic.
Check if the software has a robust database for storing your client’s information so that you can leverage it for marketing of your clinic. With VETport, you can send emails, SMS, postcards, book online appointment, offer customer loyalty program, wellness plans, telemedicine and patient portal can helps you deliver a delightful experience to your clients.