In your search for a new veterinary practice management (VPM) software you'll probably have a list of must-haves and an even longer list of features you would love to have. Whilst considering product's features and services normally comes first, you mustn't overlook the company behind the product.
There are a few key things you will want to look for when identifying a good VPM software company:
Do their values match yours? Are they progressive and innovative? Are they willing to listen and help when you are in need?
1. What is the quality of their support helpdesk?
Support services can be packaged in many ways, with a range of restrictions on options, such as:
- Cost: free, paid or dependent on which plan you choose
- Hours: 24/7 or business hours only
- Method of contact: phone, email, live chat and ticket support
- Access levels: unlimited or limited to hours per week
- Responsiveness: immediate, hours or days
- Usefulness: reactive or proactive
- Content: help guides, training videos, live training and more
A good VPM software company will be where and when you need them, they will be easy to contact and will work with you to ensure the problem doesn't occur again.
2. What is their development style?
Not all companies will continue to develop their product and expand it's profile of features. Although you may be interested in a software that meets your needs at this point in time, don't lose track of the bigger picture. You should choose a software company that is willing to grow as you do. Better yet, one that will help you grow.
Some questions you should ask are:
- How frequently are new features released?
- Are they releasing new features and functionality or just small bug fixes?
- Is there a structured beta testing program and release cycle - ensuring that any delays or impact to customers is minimal?
- Are customers well informed of what is changing, why, and how it might impact them?
- Are updates associated with a cost?
3. Responsiveness
Many companies can only be reached through forums, websites and automated communications. There are always situations where you would rather speak to a real person. Take a look at how responsive they are, whether it be their support, accounts, development, sales etc. A responsive company will make your experience as a customer worthwhile and enjoyable.
4. Voice
It is important to ensure that your voice will be heard. A good VPM company will take you as a customer seriously, regardless of how big you and your business are. They will take your ideas and suggestions on board and make improvements on those frequently requested. If there is an issue or bug they will listen to you, and keep you in the loop as it is resolved.
5. Partnerships and integrations
In a veterinary practice, there are multiple machines, tools, and systems that all work independently. In an ideal world, and in the future, all of these tools will work and connect together.
A progressive VPM company will understand the value in your systems working together. They will actively expand their profile of partnerships, allowing their customers the best practice management experience possible.
6. Industry knowledge
You are in the veterinary industry, but is your VPM company too? It is important to ensure the company and team understand the industry they are working in.
Some questions you might consider asking yourself:
- Was the foundation of the tool built by or in consultation with veterinarians?
- Do they have registered vets working on their team?
- Is the software up to scratch with industry standards and regulations?
What now?
Buying software is a long-term purchase. Most clinics stay with the same software package for many years. Therefore, imagine where a software is going to be in 5 years? Will that company be among the innovators making leaps forward in terms of technology and efficiency?
Any smart investor always looks at the long-term gain of their decision. We would encourage you to do the same!
Consider ezyVet - Beautiful Veterinary Software
At ezyVet, we take pride in our mission to "develop and distribute disruptive technology that innovates, automates and changes the Veterinary market globally".
Crafted in consultation with some of the world’s leading vets, we are a passionate team who are focused on delivering excellent outcomes for our customers around the world.
We offer our clients unlimited, free and 24/7 access to our support help-desk. Whether a simple question or an urgent escalation, our customers benefit from phone, email and support ticket portal help at all hours of the day.
ezyVet has an inbuilt feature request forum where you have the power over the future of the product's development. Not only do users have a say in what is being built, but also benefit from free, unlimited and frequent feature releases.
Our passion has always been around developing the best vet software on the market. But we understand that we can't do it all by ourselves! We are consistently releasing new partnerships and integrations through the use of our open API.
Our customers reckon we're pretty good too. Check out some of their testimonials
| "I've spoken with veterinary owners wanting a cloud-based system from end-to-end, and have found our integration with ezyVet to be seamless. The ease of use is the No. 1 characteristic of our solution that veterinarians rave about." — Christina Lavingia, Content Marketing Manager at PayJunction |
If you are looking for a great VPM software company - choose ezyVet.