"Worth the Investment" at a Cat-only Clinic
Tracy Chapin, Larkspur Cat Clinic 
Phoenix, AZ
"If you get one or two extra visits a month, Vetstreet pays for itself," says Tracy Chapin, CVT, practice manager of Larkspur Cat Clinic, a one-doctor practice located in Phoenix, AZ.
As Tracy explains, Vetstreet brings pet owners to the clinic more often, thanks to its 24/7 communication capabilities: "If a client's cat is sick on Saturday [after the clinic is closed], they can go in to the Pet Portal to request an appointment."
Because Tracy can see that the client was worried enough to get in touch over the weekend, "they've got me calling them back on Monday--and I'm not going to let them let it go!"
"We always say, if you're worried enough to make a call, then the cat needs to come in. And now, with Vetstreet, if you're worried enough to get on the Internet and request an appointment, then the cat needs to come in."
The ability to provide even better health care to the clinic's feline patients is just one of the many reasons Tracy declares Pet Portals to be "worth the investment."
For even more evidence, Tracy looks to the Vet Portal (the clinic's side of Vetstreet). "When I go into the reports, the compliance is right in my face," says Tracy. "It shows that the Vetstreet clients are more active."
Before starting with Vetstreet, Tracy wondered whether the clinic's many retired clients would take advantage of the service. As it turned out, "our senior clients are a lot more savvy than I thought they would be," says Tracy.
"A lot of seniors, that's what they do all day. They're cruising the Internet. Our retired clients are probably the ones who use Vetstreet the most, especially during the daytime hours. The working people get on their Pet Portals in the evening."
Making sure the clinic's Pet Portals displayed only cat-oriented material was also key. "I didn't want a bunch of dog stuff when people logged on," says Tracy. "But that seems to be fine. I certainly haven't had a single complaint about a picture of a dog anywhere."
Vetstreet's services have even brought new clients to the practice. "Every once in a blue moon I'll have a request to get a Pet Portal from someone who isn't a client. And then I'll call them up and say I can't give you a Pet Portal because you're not a client, but why don't you become one!" says Tracy. "I call them back and talk to them, and almost every time they end up coming in."
Tracy also appreciates how the PetNotes tool has simplifed check-ins at the clinic's "huge" boarding facility. "I email clients before they come in and invite them to fill out PetNotes," explains Tracy. "It saves a ton of time, because with boarding check-ins, you never know when they're going to come in--and it's usually at the worst time!"
"PetNotes have ALL the questions that we have on our boarding paper. It's actually even a little more thorough than what we used to have. It saves so much time, especially if they're checking in three or four cats," says Tracy. "It really helps that [PetNotes] are typed, not scribbled by hand!"
Client response has been enthusiastic from the beginning. "They love it! The birthday cards seem to bring it out in people. A lot will write me back and say thank you." Plus, "ever since they've been able to put their own pictures in the Photo Gallery, they've gone hog wild in there," says Tracy.