Does billing slow you down?

18.05.2016 I work hard for my money, and I believe that if you want my money then it is down for you to be queueing up to take it from me. Yet often it is me doing the queueing or the waiting for businesses whether that is a supermarket, a restaurant or a doctor. Maybe I value my time, or maybe I am doing you a favour in using your business, or maybe I am just made to expect high service the same way I’d pay instantly checking out online. Yet you keep me waiting, you take my time, not because you are delivering a service or value to me but because you are slow taking my money. Unless you are a specialist god I am not forced to use your business, and I do and will leave my basket and go elsewhere… Last week I actually saved myself 15 euros doing this when I found the same product cheaper 2 stores down because I was ignored waiting at a till. So why would it be any different for a vet practice? Often appointments are late and you are waiting ages, then you have your time with the vet, and then you have to wait again to pay whilst the vet does their billing and notes. Whilst clients can understand being late because of an emergency, should we really be telling them that our time is more important than theirs by keeping them waiting to pay? When you have good systems in place things run smoothly and create a good experience – and sometimes I think people that design such systems need to be made to use them in the real world for themselves. Would you actually believe it if I told you that there were practice management systems out there that actually force you to write up all your notes before they will let you release the client to pay? Talk about an incentive to skimp on your notes – client waiting vs detailed notes – most people I know would go for minimising the notes they record especially when they are doing it 6 times an hour. Saves time now but on future visits may cause you more headache trying to work out what was and wasn’t said or done. Anyways, there are better practice management systems available then those that force you to do this. Provet cloud is one of these – and gives you flexibility in how you use it. Being able to prepare the invoice and discharge the client allows you to then complete your notes in the gap before the next client. After all, it doesn’t matter what you can do, at the end of the day customer service is what is going differentiate you from the other 10 practices in the area…