In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need for a seamless software transition, including when to upgrade, essential features to look for, the best questions to ask, change management strategies, and a whole lot more! 🚀
ezyVet helps 2-3 veterinary businesses move to the cloud every week. We have a whole team tasked with helping practice owners manage all the detail, with them at every step of the way. 🪄
Feel free to reach out with any questions. It's a free service with no obligations.
Recognizing the signs of strain is the first step toward elevating your veterinary practice. Investing in a new practice management system isn't just a technological upgrade; it's a strategic move to drive efficiency, foster growth, and ensure your practice remains at the forefront of veterinary care.
Practice management systems have come a long, long way over the years. If you’re operating on a traditional server-based or paper-based system, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’re missing out on a bunch of snazzy features that could help you save bucketloads of time. That includes truly game-changing features, such as automated communication, electronic whiteboards, remote accessibility, software integrations, and more.
Not sure if your system is still fit for purpose? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time to consider upgrading your veterinary software. By investing in a modern and reliable system, you can improve your practice's efficiency and productivity, and provide better care for your patients.
Perhaps the most obvious sign that it’s time for an upgrade is to listen to what people have to say about your current software.
Your people on the front lines - the ones who are interacting with your system every single day - know the software inside out. They’re intimately familiar with all of its little quirks and frustrations, and will be more than happy to give you some honest (often brutally honest!) feedback about it. If you consistently hear concerns or dissatisfaction with your current practice management system, there’s a good chance that you’re due for an upgrade.
Your customers are a valuable source of feedback, too. If your practice management software is damaging the customer experience (due to, say, payment processing issues or forgetting to manually send appointment reminders), you’ll undoubtedly hear all about it. Watch for patterns and be sure to take this feedback into account when shopping around for a new system.
As staffing issues continue to plague the animal healthcare industry, it’s never been more important for veterinary practices to use their resources efficiently. That’s a big ask if you’re working with an outdated system. So, if you find that your practice is experiencing inefficiencies in its day-to-day operations, it may be time to upgrade your veterinary software.
Here are some common signs of operational inefficiencies:
Modern practice management software can automate routine processes, allowing your team to spend more time on patient care and less time on repetitive admin work. Streamlining your daily tasks drives efficiency, enabling your practice to handle more cases without increasing the workload.
The average veterinary practice misses about 10% of all charges. That means there’s a very real risk that you could be leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table every single year.
This can obviously have a major impact on profitability, resourcing, and financial reporting. If you’ve identified a pattern of billing discrepancies in your practice, it might be time to consider a new system.
Some practice management solutions minimize the risk of missed charges by automatically capturing all billable products and services and adding them to the client’s invoice. Not only does this result in increased revenue and a better invoicing experience, but it also helps reduce the manual workload associated with billing processes.
Do your staff have to manually copy data from your practice management software and paste it into other programs? Find yourself frequently Alt-Tabbing between applications? If so, there’s a good chance that it might be time for an upgrade.
Modern practice management systems can integrate with other business tools, allowing you to create a solution tailored to your requirements. Whether you want to link up your diagnostics equipment, payment processes, or accounting software, an integrated solution allows data to flow seamlessly between applications, eliminating redundant data entry and minimizing the risk of human error.
ezyVet integrates with more than 80 of your favorite business tools. Check out the full list here.
Communication issues are another surefire sign that your current practice management system might be getting a little long in the tooth. Paperwork might go missing. Patient progress may not always be clearly communicated between team members. Locating and sharing information, both internally and with customers, might start to feel like a chore.
Here are some other common communication-related symptoms:
Upgrading to a cloud-based practice management solution allows every member to access information in real-time from any internet-connected device. Meanwhile, automated communication can go a long way toward enhancing the customer experience and reducing no-show rates.
Using technology to improve information sharing and strengthen collaboration ultimately leads to greater efficiency, better patient outcomes, and higher customer satisfaction rates.
If your practice is expanding, you might experience some growing pains related to your practice management software.
Outdated software may not be designed to handle the increased volume of data and transactions, resulting in sluggish system performance, delays in patient care, and a dip in client service quality. Depending on your setup, your IT infrastructure might require upgrades, resulting in significant disruption and costly downtime.
In contrast, good cloud-based practice management software is designed to grow seamlessly with you. Move to a bigger location, widen your service offering, or launch a second site - whatever growth looks like to you, the cloud helps keep you agile and ready for future opportunities.
For Robert Lowe, founder of Optivet, England, scalability was one of the key considerations when purchasing a new practice management solution:
“When I was looking for a management software system, it was really important to me that it could grow with us. We're now looking at setting up a second site. It's going to be a very easy operation to be able to just transfer all of our knowledge and information that we have now deployed within ezyVet to a second site.”
Most business decisions should be based on data. However, if you’re operating on an outdated system, getting your hands on that data might be easier said than done. Your reporting capabilities might be limited or manual-intensive, resulting in major data blind spots that make it impossible to make informed business decisions.
If you find yourself making decisions based on gut feelings instead of cold, hard data, it might be time to think about upgrading. Modern practice management software can automate your reporting processes, giving you valuable insight into every area of the business at an incredibly granular level. Leverage this knowledge to make strategic decisions, capitalize on your most profitable products and services, and take your business to the next level.
Practice management software underpins just about every aspect of your clinic. The time-saving potential is enormous - but only if you select the appropriate solution for your needs. So, how do you separate the best from the rest? We’ve rounded up the top seven features to look for when choosing veterinary practice management software:
Perhaps the single most important feature to look for when weighing up your options is that the software makes use of cloud technology.
That’s not just our bias talking. The future of practice management lies in the cloud. It’s cost-effective, wonderfully scalable, and allows for all sorts of dynamic remote working opportunities that simply aren’t possible with a conventional on-premises system. There’s also the techy stuff to consider: the automatic (and free!) software updates, the reduced IT maintenance spend, the automated data backup and disaster recovery systems, and more.
About 75% of practices are still operating on an on-premises solution. But that number’s rapidly dropping as more and more clinics discover the advantages of cloud technology.
If you’re even a little bit curious about the cloud, we encourage you to book a free demo and see what migrating to the cloud could do for your business.
Missed charges and revenue leaks can quickly eat into a veterinary practice’s bottom line.
Toss in some already-slim profit margins and tough economic conditions, and it’s never been more important to ensure your practice is accurately and consistently charging for services rendered.
That’s where automated invoicing comes in.
Ideally, your practice management software should completely automate your invoicing processes. Taking the human factor out of the equation ensures that every service, procedure, medication, and product is automatically recorded and added to the invoice, resulting in fewer errors and improved revenue capture. Some software even allows different products and services to be combined into single billable bundles, which ensures that complex treatments involving multiple products are accurately charged for.
Automatic charge capture is a legitimate game changer and once you’ve experienced it for yourself, there’s no going back. Check out this video to learn more:
One feature that’s an absolute must-have is a digital whiteboard. A digital whiteboard serves as a central hub for sharing information, managing schedules, and enhancing collaboration among staff members, ultimately contributing to better patient care and clinic operations.
Now, if you’re still operating on a trusty old dry-erase whiteboard, a digital whiteboard might sound like an unnecessary luxury. However, digital whiteboards do offer some major advantages, including:
There’s a good chance that you rely on a bunch of different tools and applications to run your business. You’ll want to ensure that all those tools - or, the most important ones, at least - integrate with your prospective practice management software.
Why? It all comes down to efficiency. Sure, you could use all your business tools in isolation and copy and paste data between all your different applications but… would you want to? It’s manual, slow, and prone to human error - all the things that you were trying to escape in the first place.
Integration compatibility, on the other hand, ensures that different software and systems can work seamlessly together. Integrations allow you to combine different tools with your practice management software to create a powerful solution that meets your particular business needs.
For example, ezyVet’s diagnostics integrations (including an industry-leading IDEXX diagnostics experience) allow you to send and receive diagnostic requests, automatically capture charges, and get full visibility of diagnostics results directly within ezyVet. Meanwhile, payment integrations can help you bypass time-consuming payment and reconciliation processes and minimize the risk of human input errors.
ezyVet integrates with more than 80 leading suppliers from across the animal healthcare industry and beyond. For more information, check out our full list of integrations here.
It goes without saying that effective client communication is a critical part of running a successful veterinary practice. Building trust with pet owners, boosting client compliance, driving repeat business - all of those things hinge on your ability to communicate at the right time and with the right people.
Traditionally, providing that level of personal service has been incredibly time-intensive (and expensive!). Thankfully, some modern practice management systems feature powerful communication tools that enable you to automate your communications, create more client touchpoints, and ultimately deliver a more personal experience - all without tying your team to the phone lines for hours on end.
For example, you can configure ezyVet to automatically send communications based on just about any variable you can think of, while pre-configured templates ensure consistency across the business. ezyVet also offers two-way SMS functionality, allowing you to send appointment reminders and receive confirmation directly from within ezyVet.
“One of my favorite features is that we can email and text clients from within ezyVet,” says Kristina Baltutis, veterinarian at Elon Oaks Veterinary Hospital, North Carolina. “We’re very strict on making sure that all of our communications are documented. And the fact that any email or confirmation text I send to a client is documented without me doing any additional work is just super helpful.”
Practice management software isn’t just about handling day-to-day operations. Some software comes with powerful reporting features that can give you insight into the performance of your business and help you understand what’s working - and what isn’t.
Below are some key reporting features to look for:
ezyVet provides 78 reporting options, allowing you to get complete visibility of your finances, clinical history, appointment, inventory, and customer information in a range of different formats. You can even set up ezyVet to automatically generate reports and send them to designated stakeholders as often as you like.
There’s enough to think about in your day-to-day work without worrying about your software, too. Software-related queries can get in the way of important clinical work; in some cases, it can literally be the difference between life and death.
With this in mind, you’re going to want to ensure that your software provider offers quality customer support. And, no, we don’t just mean AI chatbots. Prompt and responsive customer support is essential for resolving issues quickly and allows you to focus on patient care without worrying about software-related disruptions.
Here at ezyVet, we’re proud to be one of the few practice management software providers to offer 24-hour phone-based support, with in-house customer support teams based in New Zealand, the US, and the UK.
About a third of our customer service agents come from a veterinary background, giving our support team a unique understanding of the real-world challenges of our customers.
Choosing the right practice management software for your veterinary clinic is a significant decision that can impact your clinic's efficiency, patient care, and overall success. Take your time to thoroughly research and assess your options. Consult with your team, request demonstrations, and consider your clinic's specific needs and budget.
By making an informed decision and selecting the software that best aligns with your clinic's requirements, you'll be well on your way to enhancing patient care, improving your workflow, and achieving your clinic's goals.
In the previous chapter, we mentioned that cloud-based technology is the way to go when it comes to modern practice management systems. In this section, we’ll discuss what the cloud actually is, how it works, and the game-changing impact it's having on animal hospitals all around the world.
The term "cloud" in the context of technology refers to cloud computing, which is a model for delivering and accessing computing resources over the internet.
When something is stored, managed, or processed in the cloud, it simply means that it’s happening on an internet-connected server rather than locally on your device or an on-premises server. This provides several advantages, including scalability, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to access resources from virtually anywhere with an internet connection.
Cloud services come in all shapes and sizes, from basic data storage and networking solutions, to complex machine learning and artificial intelligence applications. Some common examples of cloud services you’ve probably encountered include Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and Slack.
The cloud represents a paradigm shift in the way computing resources are provisioned and accessed. Today, only about 25% of veterinary practices use cloud-based practice management software to power their businesses. But that number is rapidly rising as more practices discover the game-changing potential of cloud technology.
Cloud-based software, also known as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), is a software delivery model where the software is hosted by a third-party provider and accessed by users over the internet. Unlike traditional software that you install on your computer or server, cloud-based software runs on servers managed by a third-party provider.
For practice managers and owners considering the leap, the cloud offers unprecedented flexibility, accessibility, and efficiency in managing veterinary practices. With real-time collaboration, enhanced data security, and streamlined workflows, the cloud empowers veterinary teams to deliver top-notch patient care while optimizing the overall efficiency of your practice. Below are some of the key benefits of investing in the cloud.
One of the key advantages of the cloud is accessibility. Cloud veterinary software puts all of your practice’s data at your fingertips, enabling you and your team to access the system from any device with an Internet connection, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
This is particularly useful for practices with multiple locations, as it allows everyone to access the same system and share data in real-time. It also opens up all sorts of remote work opportunities, providing you with the flexibility to manage your practice, access patient information, and carry out administrative tasks from wherever life takes you.
The result? A more versatile solution, happier staff, and greater continuity of care across the practice.
There are significant costs associated with traditional on-premises practice management systems. In addition to the steep initial setup costs - the cost of a server-based hardware environment for a new clinic is typically around $20,000-$30,000 - there are also ongoing expenses to consider. Often, you’ll need to work with an external IT services provider to perform maintenance or roll out system upgrades.
Cloud vet clinic software is typically much more cost-effective, both in the short and long term. Unlike server-based systems, cloud-based veterinary practice management solutions require no significant upfront hardware investment as the provider is responsible for deployment, maintenance, and upgrade costs. Most cloud veterinary solutions use a subscription model, which makes it easy to predict operational costs and budget accordingly.
Your tech needs change as your business grows. A system that might be a good fit today might not be suitable for your veterinary practice a few years down the track.
With cloud-based vet software, you don’t have to spend hours (or even days!) overhauling your infrastructure as you would with a traditional server-based system. Instead, cloud veterinary software uses third-party cloud providers like Amazon Web Services to supply IT resources on demand, allowing you to effortlessly scale up your operations as needed.
Whether you’re starting a new clinic, adding more users, or expanding to an additional site, cloud veterinary software grows seamlessly with your practice, making it an ideal option for aspiring clinics with future expansion plans.
Software companies regularly release updates (at least, they should!) to make their products better. That’s a good thing, of course, but implementing these updates can be tricky in a time-sensitive vertical like the veterinary space, where any downtime can potentially impact patient health.
Whereas server-based systems typically require you to manually install the latest patches, cloud veterinary software offers automatic upgrades that are carefully designed to minimize disruption and keep your business ticking over smoothly. This ensures that your practice always has access to the latest features and quality-of-life upgrades without interfering with your usual day-to-day processes.
A robust backup system is a must when you’re dealing with large volumes of sensitive data. If something goes horribly wrong (say, system failure, malware infection, or a natural disaster), you can safely revert your system to its former state, hopefully with minimal disruption to your day-to-day processes.
Cloud-based veterinary software excels in this regard. Backups are generated automatically on a regular basis and stored off-site, which reduces the risk of large-scale data loss. In addition, the distributed nature of cloud-based resources means that even if one server goes down, you probably won’t notice a thing. Your data will still be safe and you’ll still be able to access your software.
A common misconception is that moving to the cloud could jeopardize data security. On the surface, these concerns are understandable - after all, if your practice management system is Internet-based, it stands to reason that your information would be more vulnerable to cyberattacks than it would on your own local devices and servers.
In reality, cloud-based veterinary software tends to be more secure than on-premises solutions. Cybersecurity is complex and ever-evolving, and most businesses will struggle to stay one step ahead of today’s sophisticated threats. Cloud-based software providers take responsibility for security management, using a range of powerful technologies to comply with widely accepted security standards and mitigate the risk of data compromise.
ezyVet stores your data in the Amazon AWS cloud. The service is so secure that it’s trusted by some of the biggest organizations in the world, including banks, NASA, the US government, and a whole lot more.
When you start shopping around, every software company you talk to (yes, including us!) will want to give you a demo of their product so that you can see it in action. You’ll be walked through the key features of the product while the salesperson asks you about your major pain points and, naturally, how their software can help you solve them.
It’ll probably be a nice polished pitch, but let’s face it - that doesn’t really help you make an informed decision, does it?
Instead, we suggest going into every demo with a clear list of questions to ask and things you want to see. This will help you get a more objective view of the software (not just a highlight reel of what the salesperson wants you to see!) and make it easier to compare products.
Transitioning to a new practice management system requires a clear understanding of how it will impact your day-to-day operations.
Ask for a detailed demonstration of key workflows, such as appointment scheduling, patient records management, and billing. Does the process seem straightforward? How does it stack up against your current software? Is it easier or more difficult to complete the workflow in this software compared with other software you’ve seen?
Getting a firsthand look at the software’s functionality will give you good insight into how it aligns with the needs of your practice and, ultimately, whether it will make life better or worse for your frontline teams.
Efficient diagnostic processes are vital. During the demo, inquire about the time it takes for a diagnostic request to be submitted and for results to be received from your in-house analyzer.
Why is this an important question?
Well, while just about every practice management system offers integrations with all the major diagnostics providers, not all integrations are created equal. The software’s ability to communicate effectively with a diagnostics provider can have a massive impact on the time it takes to submit requests and receive results. Some systems might be able to submit a diagnostic request in a few seconds; for others, the process might take five minutes or even longer.
You can’t just copy and paste data from one practice management software to another. Each system has its own way of storing and handling data, which means that all of your historical data will need to be meticulously converted before it’s compatible with your new system. As you might imagine, this can be a complex process with zero room for error.
With this in mind, it’s important to discuss the data migration process. Ask for a detailed breakdown of the process, including who’s responsible for migrating data and how the integrity of the data is verified.
There’s always going to be a bit of a learning curve involved with transitioning to a new practice management system. The steepness of that curve depends heavily on how much guidance and support you receive during the onboarding process.
To ensure a smooth transition, seek clarity on the onboarding process, including whether on-site assistance is provided, the extent of staff training, and the level of support offered during the configuration phase.
Understanding the time investment is critical. It's not just about the initial onboarding; it's about grasping the full scope of time commitments required for a smooth implementation and continued use of the software.
Ask about what you need to do to get both your IT infrastructure and your team ready for the new system.
Is extensive training required ahead of the transition?
How much downtime should I expect? How long will it take my team to feel confident with the software?
Post-sales support is a key consideration in ensuring the long-term success of your practice management system.
Inquire about the structure of post-sales support, the available channels for seeking assistance (e.g., phone, email, chat, documentation, and consultation), and whether there are additional costs associated with ongoing support, updates, or training.
Unless you want to spend a lot of time copying and pasting data between all of your various business applications, it’s important that your veterinary software plays nicely with other systems.
Ask about the software's ability to integrate with all the business tools you frequently use in your veterinary practice, such as accounting software, controlled drug management tools, payment providers, digital imaging, and so on.
A robust partner ecosystem allows data to flow seamlessly between your practice management software and other important business tools. This helps drive efficiency by minimizing double handling of data and reducing the risk of human input errors.
Efficiency is key in a veterinary practice, and a good practice management system should help you save considerable amounts of time. Be specific here. You know what the biggest time sinks are in your business, so be sure to ask how the software can help you save time on those particular tasks.
Beyond saving time, your practice management system also should positively impact your clinic's financial health. Inquire about specific ways the software contributes to revenue generation or financial improvement, such as automatic invoicing features, reporting tools, and wellness plan functionality.
Price discussions usually take place later in the sales process, but it doesn’t hurt to start thinking about your budget during the demo.
Rather than focusing on the sticker price, consider the ROI and long-term value of the software. What does the price include? Request a detailed breakdown of the costs, including any hidden or additional fees. Seek clarification on what features or services are included in the base cost and whether there are additional costs related to data conversion or specific functionalities.
Change is an inevitable part of growth and progress. As veterinary professionals, adapting to new technologies is crucial for delivering optimal patient care as well as achieving long-term business success. At the same time, change can be difficult. The decision to transition to a new practice management software can be daunting - especially for members of the team who have been using the same system for years and may be accustomed to a certain way of doing things.
A successful transition begins with effective communication.
Don’t just announce the change; engage staff in a conversation about it. As with any organizational change, it’s important to articulate why the change is happening and how it will positively affect the team in the long term.
Start with the big-picture narrative. Talk through the reasons for the change, the major challenges with your current system, and the benefits of the new software. Clearly explain how the new software will improve efficiency and patient care, and most importantly, how it will make life easier for staff.
While highlighting the advantages of the software is key to getting buy-in, it’s also important to be realistic. Acknowledge that, yes, you probably will run into some challenges while everyone gets up to speed with the new system. Even in the early stages, you’ll probably have a pretty good idea of what’s going to cause the most friction, so get those pain points out in the open. Setting expectations at the start helps reduce frustration and friction that may arise from unexpected hurdles further down the track.
Keep the lines of communication open throughout the process and encourage the team to ask questions and express their concerns. When team members feel well-informed and supported, it makes it easier for the entire practice to navigate changes successfully.
To maximize your chances of a smooth transition, your team will need to know their way around the core features of the software before it’s deployed.
Good practice management software providers should provide comprehensive training resources to help you and your team get up to speed on the software. Give staff scheduled time to absorb the training materials and urge them to take part in any interactive sessions that the software company offers. Consider hosting your own internal Q&A sessions to further upskill your team on the features and processes that are most important to your practice.
Actively engaging in the onboarding process helps boost confidence among team members (confidence in both the software’s capabilities and their own technical skills) and reduces resistance stemming from fear of the unknown.
Engaged teams are more likely to invest time and effort into making a new system successful. When team members are well-informed and actively engaged in the transition process, they are more likely to contribute positively, share insights, and actively participate in training and implementation.
There’s a good chance that your team will have some strong opinions about the transition. Listen to them. Some of it might be harsh or even unfounded, but emotional responses to change are just as valid (and perhaps even more important to deal with) as the more technical concerns.
So, rather than shutting down criticism of your new software, give employees an outlet. Be empathetic. Provide clear feedback channels (a simple shared whiteboard for staff to write questions on works wonders!), and acknowledge concerns and frustrations openly. Use the feedback to make necessary adjustments, improve the training program, and address any challenges that arise during the implementation process.
Maintaining open dialogue helps foster understanding right from the start and encourages your team to build toward a shared vision for the future.
Change isn’t easy, so take the time to celebrate the small victories and successes during the transition. Acknowledge the efforts of the team and highlight positive outcomes resulting from the new software. Keep a stockpile of little incentives and rewards within arm’s reach, and dish them out liberally in the lead-up to go-live day to celebrate the progress of your team.
Identify and empower individuals who are supportive of the change. These “champions” are usually individuals who have a positive attitude and are open to learning and adapting to the new practice management system. They’re your go-getters - tech-savvy early adopters who are interested in taking on additional responsibilities related to the transition.
There are also ways to inject some fun into the experience. For example, bingo cards featuring different achievements (e.g., “Made my first appointment,” “Survived the first day,” or “Forgot my password”) with prizes for completing a line can be an easy way to drive engagement and lighten the mood.
By the time your go-live day rolls around, your team should have a pretty good grasp of the software features they use to perform their core job function.
But there’s a lot to learn beyond the basics. Mastering the minutiae of the software, the niche functions, the lesser-used settings, the deep customization options - that takes time.
Reassure your team that they do not need to know all the ins and outs of the software on day one. Learning is a process, and any software company worth its salt should provide you with comprehensive post-implementation support to help you resolve any queries you might have in the days and weeks ahead.
Support channels might include phone, email, chat, video guides, or self-service documentation. Ensure that your team knows where these support resources are located and when to access them.
Steering your team through the transition to new practice management software requires a strategic and people-centric approach. By prioritizing open communication, encouraging engagement in training programs, and celebrating success milestones, you can pave the way for a smoother journey for both your people and your business.
Remember that a successful transition involves not just the technical aspects but also the human side of change. By taking a thoughtful and supportive approach, you can help your veterinary team adapt to the new practice management software with confidence.
We’re going to go out on a limb and say that IT hardware maintenance probably isn’t at the top of your list of priorities as a veterinary professional. And it shouldn’t have to be. For many clinics, that’s one of the key advantages of moving to a cloud-based practice management system - hardware becomes the responsibility of the cloud service provider.
However, there are still a few things to consider from an IT point of view before making the switch to the cloud:
For the uninitiated, “the cloud” is just a fanciful way of describing the huge network of remote servers that are accessed over the internet to store, manage, and process data. Cloud-based services, then, are services that are delivered via the internet rather than hosted on a local server.
With this in mind, you’re going to need to invest in a sturdy internet connection with sufficient bandwidth to support all your devices before you can think about moving to the cloud. Even the very best solutions will ultimately deliver an underwhelming experience if your connection can’t handle the volume of data being sent to and from the cloud.
Bandwidth requirements will vary from practice to practice. As a general rule of thumb, small practices should aim for minimum download speeds of 20 Mbps, while large practices should have download speeds of at least 50 Mbps.
While a cloud-based system reduces the need for expensive on-premises server hardware, you’ll still need to have reasonably modern devices to leverage the cloud effectively. You need to ensure that all computers and devices used to access the cloud-based system are up-to-date, have the necessary specifications, and are compatible with the cloud provider's software and hardware requirements.
Because cloud-based practice management systems can be accessed from a huge range of devices, you have a lot of flexibility in terms of what your hardware environment looks like. Your front desk teams might require fixed stations with multiple large monitors, while your veterinarians and vet techs might like the flexibility to move around the practice and record clinical notes on tablets and iPads. Similarly, an all-in-one touchscreen computer might be useful for your practice manager to track staff movement and patient progress.
If you’re investing in new hardware, look for devices with the following minimum requirements:
Remember that you generally get what you pay for when it comes to IT hardware. You might have to pay a bit more upfront for modern, high-spec devices, but the business advantages - workflow efficiency, ease of use, futureproofing, etc. - tend to far outweigh the costs in the long term.
Check out this guide for more information about ezyVet’s hardware requirements.
In addition to bandwidth, you’ll also need to consider what type of internet connection you’ll use to run your practice.
On paper, a wired connection is better for running a veterinary practice as it provides a more stable and reliable connection compared to Wi-Fi. A wired connection, which uses ethernet cables, offers faster and more consistent data transfer speeds and is less susceptible to interference or signal degradation from other devices.
However, To complement your wired connection, you’ll also want a strong Wi-Fi network to meet evolving demand as the nature of veterinary work continues to become more dynamic. Wi-Fi allows your staff to work from mobile devices or laptops from different locations within the clinic and provides more flexibility in terms of device placement and movement.
Depending on the size and layout of your clinic, you might find it useful to invest in a Wi-Fi router that’s capable of handling both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. A 2.4 GHz connection provides greater coverage but delivers slower speeds, while a 5 GHz connection provides faster speeds at a shorter range.
Powerful, cost-effective, and wonderfully versatile, the cloud has potential to revolutionize veterinary practices of all sizes. With careful planning and consideration, you can make the transition to a cloud-based system with confidence and reap the benefits of modern technology.
If you made it this far - congratulations! You’re officially equipped with all the tools you’ll need for a seamless shift to a cloud-based practice management system.
Remember, this isn’t just about software. It’s about future-proofing your practice and ultimately unlocking a better way of doing business.
So, take these insights, turn them into action, and let's catapult your practice into the cloud-based future. Charge ahead, strive to be the leader in your field, and don’t settle for just keeping up with change - define it.
Best of luck on your transformational journey!
ezyVet helps 2-3 veterinary businesses move to the cloud every week. We have a whole team tasked with helping practice owners manage all the detail, with them at every step of the way. 🦶
Feel free to reach out with any questions. It's a free service with no obligations.