What to do with downtime

Promote prevention.

Review the pets in your database that don't have reminders (appointments, vaccinations, refills) assigned to them. Encourage these clients to schedule a wellness exam by e-mailing them that preventive care is the most important part of veterinary care.

Follow up. Call or e-mail clients whose pets are on chronic medications and remind them that they need to schedule an examination before you can renew their prescriptions. Contact them at least 30 to 60 days in advance of when the medication is scheduled to run out.

Work on the Web. Besides e-mailing clients about appointments, also send them links to updated portions of your Web site. Be sure to change the information you offer regularly to keep pet owners coming back to your site. 

Generate new clients. Create a care-to-share referral card for clients to pass on to friends and family. Reward new clients and those who referred them with a small gift.

Code it. Set up a recommendation code for all major recommendations: dental procedures, senior programs, wellness checks, and so on. Encourage co-workers to learn and review these codes.

Offer CE. Each week or month, ask a team member do a presentation on a subject of his or her choice: Animal CPR and first aid, helping pets and children get along, or caring for older pets. Or invite an animal rescue group or service dog organization to put on a demonstration. You could even organize an Open House to promote all of these activities and get clients and potential clients excited about their pet community.