Connect with clients faster. Keep them longer.

Make your website a powerful client communication tool.
By Rob McAllister

Part 2: Use you website to keep clients coming back.

My previous post discussed the importance of having a good website for your veterinary practice, and helping prospective clients find you online through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Once prospective clients find you online, however, your web site must make a great first impression, with a strong design, helpful information, and ease of use. Your home page is like a job interview: Prospective clients will evaluate your business based on how professional your site is.

An effective website can help your clinic communicate effectively and efficiently with new and current customers. This can save money as well as generate revenue. An effective site can help reduce the time your staff spends on basic information requests. Increasing service awareness and increasing compliance can directly increase revenues. Furthermore, you can reduce costs by eliminating other forms of marketing and advertising and using online reminders, blog postings, and online newsletters instead, via your website.

At PetWise we understand that your customer relationships make your business a success. Establishing a good rapport with customers is essential, and our websites help maintain that rapport in the digital world, through a number of advanced yet cost-effective features, including:

• Integration with AVImark software to display pet health information and reminders online
• Facilitating online appointment and boarding requests
• Email reminders and birthday notices
• Clinic blogs and other community pages
• Online newsletters and client education materials

In addition, PetWise websites don't bounce your clients from place; we keep your clients on your site to create a contiguous user experience that maintains your dialogue with your client. PetWise websites create an environment where you and your clients interact, without getting in the middle of the conversation. As you attract new customers to a website where they are welcomed and engaged, your business will grow.

For more information about how PetWise site services can help your practice, visit http://www.petwisewebsites.com/ .

Rob McAllister is senior director of special projects and McAllister Software Systems. He can be reached at robm@avimark.net .

Connect with clients faster. Keep them longer.

Make your web site a powerful client communication tool.
By Rob McAllister

Part 1: Use your web site to attract new clients.

These days it's rare to find someone who isn't online for some reason- searching for information, shopping, playing games, socializing, or doing business. Given the breath of the Internet and the diversity of its use, there is absolutely no excuse not to have a good web site for your veterinary practice.

If you are still wondering whether a good web site can do anything for your business, take a look at the results of a recent study conducted by Georgia Tech: Nearly 85% of all U.S. households have Internet access, and more than 90% of users say they find business and services through Internet search engines.

In another words, 76.5% of your community's population turns to the Internet to find veterinary services. That makes the Yellow Pages a bit outdated.

But, it's not enough to just have a web site. In order for your web site to be useful, your potential clients need to be able to find you online. You can help your web site "get found" more easily through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is today's version of techno-magic: You hire an SEO expert, they work their "magic" behind the scenes, and you're suddenly number one on Google.

At PetWise, we understand SEO, and we've built our PetWise web site services with SEO in mind. Our content management system takes some of the power from the SEO magicians and puts it in your hands, at a very cost-effective price. That frees you up to do what you do best- practice medicine.

For more information about how PetWise web site services can help your practice, visit http://www.petwisewebsites.com/ .

Rob McAllister is senior director of special projects and McAllister Software Systems. He can be reached at robm@avimark.net .

Looking back on 2009, and ahead to 2010

Use AVImark to track your dollars and cents.
By Barbara Betsch

It's time to make your New Year's Resolution! And the best place to start is with a snapshot of last year's productivity.

AVImark's reports help you view multiple aspects of your business, helping you better understand your transactions during 2009. Some great reporting options include:

• The Period Totals Report shows a condensed financial overview. Different aspects of the year are represented in this report, such as average invoice total for specific time periods, state and local taxes, total payments received by type, and the totals for the provides production (paid and unpaid charges on posted accounting).
• The Inventory Report shows stock value which is the on-hand quantity multiplied by the average cost of an item. To find the value at the end of the year or the beginning of business on the first working day of the New Year. ( You can't go back and print this report for a date in the past, as AVImark does not store past on-hand quantities.) This report also shows other information about your inventory items, including unit and package costs and selling price. If your fiscal year does not follow the calendar, you can select your fiscal year starting date in the Advanced Options of Hospital Setup.
• The Transaction Summary Report lists quantitative data about the codes that are entered into medical history and then posted to accounting. Details such as income generated, usage expense, and the percentage that each code contributed to its category total can be located on this report.

As your trusted partner, committed to your success, we want to help you use these reports so you can develop a better understanding of where you have been, where you stand and where you want to go.

Please contact our technical support for any assistance or additional questions.

Barbare Betsch is an AVImark/MSS senior technician at MSS and is full of resolutions for 2010. You can reach Barbara at barbarab@avimark.net .