Your Phone System is a Marketing Problem
The issue is whether your phone system can drive your business growth. The key is to leverage data to improve your workflows.
According to the AVMA, about 33% of practices have adopted online scheduling as of 2024. That’s a great adoption number and is important for practice growth, especially when you consider that pet owners may book appointments online when the practice is closed. Of course, these practices would never call their online booking software a utility… but what about their phones?
Business still gets won or lost on the phone. Nearly 50% of all visits are scheduled via phone, even in the modern practice.
A modern phone system that leverages AI can become a revenue driver, improve the client experience, and help CSR, Tech, and DVM workflows. To illustrate the point, we will use live clinic data. The data below is from two practices owned by the same DVM in nearby cities.
It’s not realistic to expect zero missed calls, even with AI answering the phone. What matters is whether you know your practice’s missed call rate and use that information to improve workflows and client satisfaction. Reducing missed calls and improving follow-up can earn more revenue.
What’s really concerning is when you consider that about 15% of independent hospitals and 80% of corporate hospitals run ads to get more appointments. Vetcelerator network data shows the average cost per phone call from Google Ads is about $9.73. If these calls go unanswered, you’re losing money you’ve already spent to attract new clients.
At these two locations, about half of missed calls happened before anyone could answer. This can happen for many reasons, like long intro messages, complicated phone menus, or accidental and spam calls. Still, about 20% of these missed calls were from existing clients who could have been called back if the right data were available.
Looking at Location 2, it’s clear they need to review their phone menu. 56% of calls dropped before the phone even rang, and 41% of those callers waited more than 15 seconds before hanging up. If your phone isn’t ringing, you can’t answer it.
Handling phone calls well is important, but clinics are busy, so there’s often little time for training or quality checks. Only about 2% of calls get any quality review, and even clients who want to book appointments sometimes don’t get through. It’s understandable. There’s a lot going on every day. AI can help by making it easier to track and improve phone performance. If you want to improve, you need to measure your results. Start by looking at the big picture, then use AI to highlight the most valuable calls and give targeted feedback.
Across Agents & Specific Calls:
A modern phone system can automatically highlight important details and show a summary in your Practice Management Software before the visit. There’s no need for manual note-taking or relying on team communication. It should capture key owner observations, concerns, and sentiment, supporting your initial assessment before the appointment starts.
5. Know whether your marketing works (or doesn’t)
On ad platforms like Google Ads, conversions are usually counted as completed website forms or phone calls (sometimes only those longer than 60 seconds). But these aren’t always true conversions. They’re just the marketer’s best guess. Even if a call leads to a booked appointment, did the client actually show up? Without phone intelligence and PIMS integration, it’s almost impossible to connect ad activity to real revenue.
Turn Calls Into Growth With Smarter Veterinary Technology
This newsletter focuses on helping veterinary practices improve results through technology. Vetcelerator, which works with hundreds of practices, is excited to partner with VoiceStack as a premium GPO partner. With Vetcelerator’s marketing platform and VoiceStack’s call intelligence, practices can attract more clients, improve conversion rates, and analyze their results.
Want to see how this works for your practice? Visit: https://voicestack.com/company/partners/vetcelerator
Featured Partner Benefits
We partner with industry leaders across multiple sectors, focused on products and services that add real value to veterinary operations.
Customized medications and reliable compounding solutions to support better patient outcomes.
Capture every client call and convert more inquiries Into booked appointments.
Business tools, analytics, and community support to help independent practices grow stronger.
🎉 Featured Customer Success Stories 🎉
We’re excited to celebrate our clinics that have recently opened their doors.✨ Your passion for serving pets, people, and your community is exactly what this work is all about. We’re grateful to support your launch and proud to help bring your vision to life.
The New Kelley Animal Hospital
Dr. Monaghan returned from retirement to meet Birmingham’s growing need for accessible veterinary care. The new hospital offers fair pricing, clear communication, and high-standard treatment for every pet, including anxious or fearful animals.
Queen City Veterinary Clinic
For Dr. Larry and Dr. Heather Keller, owning a veterinary clinic was a lifelong dream. They opened in Cincinnati, building strong early demand through trusted relationships and a mission to care for family, staff, and community.
We design and host hundreds of websites focused on veterinary care. Below are some of our recent launches. Thank you to our clients; we appreciate the opportunity to bring your brands to life.
