Time is one of the most valuable resources in a veterinary practice. Every minute spent on redundant tasks, inefficient workflows, or chasing down missing information is time that could be spent delivering better patient care, increasing revenue, or simply reducing stress for your team.
Yet, many practices unknowingly waste hours each day on avoidable inefficiencies. If your team is constantly scrambling, feeling overwhelmed, or struggling to keep up, it’s time to look at where those lost hours are going.
Here are the biggest time-wasting culprits in veterinary practices - and, more importantly, how to fix them.
Key takeaways
Eliminate inefficiencies by upgrading your practice management software and automating repetitive tasks.
Streamline billing and payments with integrated invoicing, digital payment options, and upfront cost estimates.
Reduce wasted time by centralizing records and investing in reliable technology.
1. The never-ending paper trail
Still handwriting records or digging through filing cabinets for patient histories? Paper-based processes are slow, prone to human error, and a huge time sink. Misplaced files, illegible handwriting, and duplicate paperwork create unnecessary delays. Plus, paper records are difficult to share and can be lost or damaged.
The fix
Go digital: Transitioning to a cloud-based practice management system allows you to completely digitize your processes and eliminate outdated paper-based workflows. All your daily tasks - medical records, invoices, scheduling, client communication, and more - are centralized under one easy-to-use platform, so you don’t have to spend precious time flipping through folders or sticky notes.
2. Manual data entry
If your team is entering the same client details into multiple systems - or worse, retyping handwritten notes - you’re wasting valuable time. Every redundant keystroke adds up, creating inefficiencies and increasing the risk of errors. Manual data entry slows down check-ins, treatment notes, invoicing, and even inventory management. Staff frustration grows when they spend more time inputting data than assisting patients. An integrated system eliminates the need for duplicate work and keeps everything up to date in real time.
The fix
Use standardized templates: Instead of typing out the same details for every patient visit, use standardized templates to enable staff to quickly record clinical information. This not only speeds up data entry but also ensures consistency and accuracy across records. Templates can be customized for different appointment types, reducing repetitive work while maintaining high-quality documentation.
Integrate your software: If your practice management software isn’t integrated with your other tools (diagnostic, payment processing, inventory, and others), your team often ends up entering the same data multiple times across different platforms. Eliminate this issue by ensuring your practice management software integrates with your other systems.
3. Poor scheduling and appointment management
When scheduling isn’t optimized, your team spends more time scrambling to keep up rather than delivering high-quality patient care. Instead of an efficient flow of patients, you get bottlenecks, stressed-out staff, and frustrated clients wondering why they’re still in the waiting room.
So, where does it all go wrong?
One major culprit is double bookings - fitting too many patients into the same time slot, which leads to delays and overworked staff. On the flip side, poorly spaced appointments can create gaps in the schedule, leaving your team idle and reducing overall efficiency. No-shows are another problem, creating unexpected downtime while revenue disappears.
Then there are the last-minute emergencies - urgent cases that need immediate attention but aren’t accounted for in the schedule. Without buffer time built into the day, these cases throw everything off, pushing back appointments and leading to longer wait times. Last-minute rescheduling only adds to the confusion, with underutilized time slots and a front desk team scrambling to rearrange the day.
Long wait times, rushed consultations, and rescheduled appointments can lead to frustrated pet owners who may take their business elsewhere.
The fix
Automate reminders. No-shows are a huge problem for efficiency and revenue. Implement text and email reminders to ensure clients don’t forget their appointments. Vello, a client engagement platform that integrates natively with ezyVet, is an effective way to send automated communication, improve pet owner compliance, and reduce no-show rates.
Offer online booking. Giving clients the ability to book or reschedule appointments online saves your staff from unnecessary phone calls and admin work.
4. Disjointed billing and payment processes
Billing inefficiencies don’t just affect cash flow - they slow down your entire practice. If invoices aren’t generated immediately or payments require manual processing, front desk staff are left juggling paperwork instead of focusing on clients.
One of the most common bottlenecks is delayed invoicing, where charges aren’t immediately recorded, leading to slower payments and potential revenue loss. If staff have to manually enter each service, medication, or procedure at checkout, clients end up waiting longer than necessary to pay. This creates congestion at the front desk, especially during peak hours, and leaves both customers and staff feeling frustrated.
Another common issue is chasing overdue payments. If your practice lacks a structured payment follow-up system, outstanding invoices pile up, consuming valuable admin time. Staff are forced to make repeated calls or send reminders, taking them away from other essential tasks. Without clear payment policies and automated reminders, unpaid balances can easily slip through the cracks, affecting the financial health of the business.
The fix
Use automatic charge capture: Some practice management systems - including ezyVet! - use billing triggers to automatically capture billable products and services and add them to the client’s invoice. This prevents delays and makes the checkout process seamless for both staff and clients. You can even add billing triggers to your Product Bundles to simplify complex billing procedures and ensure that treatments involving multiple products or groups of products are accurately charged for.
Offer payment options: Another key solution is offering multiple payment options, such as contactless payments, mobile payments, and online billing. The easier it is for clients to pay, the faster transactions happen, reducing congestion at reception. Additionally, setting up automated payment reminders via text or email helps reduce overdue balances without requiring manual follow-ups from staff.
5. Inefficient inventory management
It’s no secret that a mismanaged inventory can be a serious time sink. Searching for missing supplies, manually counting stock, and scrambling for last-minute orders pull staff away from more valuable tasks.
Many practices take a reactive approach to inventory, placing orders only when they run out of something. This results in frequent stockouts, last-minute rush orders, and, ironically, overstocking of other items.
The fix:
Automate reordering. The best way to eliminate inventory chaos is to automate reordering. A modern practice management system with built-in inventory tracking can monitor stock levels in real time and notify you when it’s time to reorder. Instead of guessing how much you need, your system ensures you always have the right amount on hand, reducing last-minute orders and preventing costly overstocking.
Barcode scanner: Ditch the clipboard and embrace real-time inventory tracking with barcode scanners. ezyVet Scan uses your device’s camera to scan product barcodes. All inventory changes submitted in the app are instantly updated in ezyVet across all devices, eliminating the manual processes associated with third-party apps and barcode scanners.
Check out this guide for more information on how to improve your inventory management processes!
Conclusion
Many veterinary practices are losing valuable time every single day due to inefficiencies. Whether it’s outdated processes, poor inventory control, or slow technology, these issues compound over time, draining productivity and profitability.
The good news? Most of these problems can be resolved by investing in a better practice management system. Book a FREE demo to find out how ezyVet can help you save time, automate repetitive tasks, and drive efficiency across every aspect of your practice.