Did you see the June The New York Times article about pet insurance being the latest work perk? It’s true, pet parents are starting to care more about whether or not they can afford healthcare for their furry family members, and it’s time to start talking about it at your practice.

Most pet parents decide to invest in pet health insurance in case of emergencies or severe medical conditions that could happen, not necessarily to help with yearly wellness check-ups and examinations. That’s why it’s important that they be educated on the practice level about how pet health insurance wellness plans can play a significant role in a pet’s annual exams, possibly preventing any major medical conditions from being undiagnosed until it’s too late.  

If your practice is still unsure about whether to promote pet health insurance, you may run into a few false facts during your research. The truth is, pet health insurance is beneficial to your practice, your clients and most importantly, your patients. Here’s the truth behind three misconceptions about pet health insurance.

One of the primary reasons clients don’t visit you as often as they should is because of cost. If you ask a majority of pet parents, they’d say that they say that they typically spend at least $100 for each visit. For people who have a large disposable income, that’s not much, but for the majority of the population, $100 needs to be budgeted into their monthly expenses. The trouble is, it’s hard to budget for unexpected expenses for pets. And if that pet parent hasn’t taken in their pet for a while, chances are additional services will need to be performed too. That’s why pet insurance is so important. Pet insurance can help with financial assistance in an emergency situation and provides relief where pet parents can focus on the health of their pet rather than the cost of a procedure.

Lack of communication can destroy any relationship you have with clients, even clients who you may consider loyal. If you are not actively communicating with a client while their pet is at your practice, it could be hurting you.

Take my friend Dan for instance. He is an older gentleman who recently lost his 14 year old chihuahua. Him and his wife finally decided to open their heart and adopt another dog. Of course, with any young pet adoption, the right thing to do is to make sure they’re spayed or neutered.

Believe it or not, a handful of great practices are struggling with the same issues your practice may be struggling with. One of the main issues is how to get clients back in the door. My vet tech friend recently explained their situation perfectly. New clients are very excited and engaged, and their older, most loyal clients always return. It’s the clients that fall in the middle they’re struggling to reach.  

So, what exactly is preventing these clients from walking back into your practice? We’ve identified five issues that could be deterring clients from returning.