email vs snail mail

Re: email vs snail mail

Wren — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:10:45 GMT

A lot of my equine clients communicate with me via text which makes life easier and means that my mobile doesn't keep ringing at inconvenient times. We send out paper vaccination reminders. I'm trying to come up with a way of distributing information that is both cheap and actually gets to clients. We are running an equine dental promotion but to send details of this out is very tricky. Getting the PMS to run me a list of addresses for all active equine clients produces enough names to keep a member of staff stuffing envelopes for a couple of days solid and costs a fortune in postage, yet putting a promotional sticker on vacc reminders (quick and virtually free) only reaches 1/12 clients each month.

I think having an email list would be an excellent idea and our FB page works quite well - that goes directly TO the client (and is free), whereas if you put the information on your webpage they have to come to you to look for it.

Re: email vs snail mail

Amanda Nicholls — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:28:58 GMT

We ask clients what their preferred contact method is when they register and ask if they are happy to be contacted by telephone for reminders. Apart from a few clients that do no want to be contacted by any method, we have found calling clients to book appointments very effective. We also send a text reminder the day before the appointment and send text updates on in patients. We have a lot of communication via email with the clients, some email us for repeat prescriptions and to book appointments.

Re: email vs snail mail

Rob Loxley — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:21:33 GMT

Fax for lab reports (are these old-fashioned or 'electronic communication'?), though when the PMS will retrieve them electronically via VetXML then we'll likely move to that.

Snail mail for reminders, though the PMS will do email or SMS.

Anyone keeping clients updated on inpatients by SMS rather than phonecall?

Do we need to be asking clients permission before sending them 'marketing' info/offers?

Re: email vs snail mail

Mark Hedberg — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:36:44 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

Email for labs and so on, of course.

But never emails or "texts" to clients, apart from the very few who have actually requested it. My client relations are built on not pestering my clients and I have a reputation to keep up.

[/quote]

I think that's fair; a question asking "would you like a reminder of your next appointment?" and if the answer's no, leave it be. I'm not a fan of snowing people under with mail drops; they make terrible toilet paper.

Re: email vs snail mail

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:16:43 GMT

Email for labs and so on, of course.

But never emails or "texts" to clients, apart from the very few who have actually requested it. My client relations are built on not pestering my clients and I have a reputation to keep up.

Re: email vs snail mail

Laurence Webb — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:03:20 GMT

We use a mixture of communication methods depending on the reason for communicating to clients. We sent reminders by post, text and email.

Our preference would be to send as much as possible by email as it's free. Texts cost 10p whilst posted reminders cost stamps, paper and envelopes (we don't use pre-printed postcards as we send newsletters and other information out with booster reminders).

I generally feel that posted reminders are more reliable than the other methods as people seldom move house but change emails and mobiles frequently (or just don't bother checking their emails) but the time and expense saved by using these methods is great - it's all done with the push of a button at a fraction of the cost. Emails should also become more reliable as increasing numbers of banks, credit cards etc use them to send bills and statements.

We have just started emailing out promotions to clients (eg if we're having an arthritis awareness month). As it's free it's easy to do. As these sorts of things get a low uptake it would be cost probibitive to send them out by mail

All lab results are emailed to us - it's easier to check for new results and you can cut and paste results straight into records - but we still get faxed copies as well. We could probably get rid of them but we had some issues with the email provider mysteriously emptying out the in-box so a back-up system is nice

Re: email vs snail mail

Alan Tevendale — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:06:21 GMT

We are in the process of changing our practice computer system over to one that will allow us to use email and text systems to send booster reminders etc. We already communicate with clients by email in some cases and have a system on our website that allows clients to email us - quick easy replies. The website is also undergoing refurbishment and one of our nurses is about to start running a facebook page for us.

Many of the labs now send emails as a preference for reporting lab results - with the right computer system in place this can be linked directly onto the clients file.

All helps to save lots of time.