Appointments Or Walk-in At Vets...

[Staff'n'Toller]

I find that people mostly just don't want to wait if they have made an appt- fair enough neither do I! Clients are SO happy if they get in within 5 minds of their alotted time. For many many years we have run by 10min appts and in busy times it's not unusual to run 20mins late so my boss has decided to rewrite the appt book to 15mins and it's working extremely well.

I used to work in Dental Specialty and my boss was perpetually 20-30mins late and you would NEVER get in on time, it had to do with starting late every morning and incorrect time alottments. Kids would have regular appts for years so most of them would turn up 20mins late. It was horrid, you'd cross them off the scheduler thinking they were DNA and in they'd walk! Who could blame them really....

[t-time]

The other week I was taking my 8 week old pups to the vets for their chip & checkup. I called prior and made an appointment for the vets' first client in the day so that the surgery was all ultra-clean and had no other patients before my babies.

Because there were 6 babies, we had a one hour time slot which gave plenty of time for babies to be looked at without rushing them, watch them play and all the staff to have a play and a cuddle!

Now THAT'S great service!

[Are You Serious Jo]

A small clinic with one vet might be able to get by with a walk in system for a little while. I'd prefer to have appointments though. From the staff perspective, I've just started work as a vet nurse in a busy hospital and there is no way we could function without appointments. We check the consults for the day and get prepared for them and work surgeries around them as well.

You might find that as the clientele build up walk in is not working because you may end up with more people in the waiting room than can be seen that day.

[Fordogs]

These days I work for a vet that only has walk ins and I hate it, I am constantly apologizing to people for them having to wait a long time. The day is often a complete mess and we regularly have people walking out. We often have breeders come in with litter vaccinations & microchips with no notice, my vet just keeps going at his usual pace. Very annoying. I once had a breeder (new Client come in at 5 o'clock ) with 7 adult dogs for vaccinations 4 people already waiting, (we close at 6 o'clock). I didn't leave that night until 8 pm.

Previously I have only work for vets that have appointments and the day is organized and usually on schedule except for the odd emergency.

Give me appointments any day

[sandra64]

Last time i was at the vet, he was a little ahead of his appointments and i was in there for 45 minutes as megs had gone to sleep on the table(which she always does cause she must think it will all dissappear) If he didnt run appointments i wouldnt have had that luxury of having a good talk with him, but then he is that sort of vet that doesnt rush anything. How on earth could you schedule your operating times if people were just wandering in off the street, If you have 3 or 4 ops each day, you cant be leaving mid op to see patients.

[Starkehre]

I am definitely an appointment type of person, but then I am anally organised

I also loathe to wait. I always try to make my appintments first cab off the rank, amd will wait an extra day or 2 to do so, if there is no urgency of course.

As you say obviously for emergencies it is totally different, but even for semi urgent, my vet will squeeze me in pretty quickly if it is something that I cannot wait for, and I am sure most vets would be the same.

I definitely think appointments are the way to go. and I think it is great that you are asking for opinions.

Best of luck with the clinic. Sounds like a ripper.

Edited December 25, 2009 by dyzney

[JulesP]

Appointments that are on time! My vet has got shocking and I have been waiting 45+ mins lately. Which seemed to be due to people popping in to talk to her! Mainly because I would rather not hang around in a room with sick animals. Mine are usually in for vaccinations.

[stormie]

I'm surprised that the clinic has previously been operating on a walk-in basis for the last 20 years. Mind you, I do wonder if the reason it coped was because it wasn't really that busy, and perhaps that was because those who came in and had to wait, never came back.

The more we think about it and the busier we get, the more we're realising that appointments really are the only way to go. The sign out the front which was put up when they moved in says to phone for an appointment, so most of our new clients are quite a few of our previous clients are starting to book a time. But there are still plenty of others who are just walking in, and on saturdays when it's really busy, makes it quite hard, but atleast we can demonstrate to those who just walked in, why its now essential to make an appointment.

Our previous boss was a shocker for running late. I think he'd just been in the job too long and was a bit over it, but if someone made a 9am appointment and arrived 5 mins earlier, he'd still happily make them wait 15mins or so. I think in his mind, it made the place look busier than what it really was. In reality though, it just made the clients frustrated and the nurses too, who had to cop the humphs from the annoyed clients.

We're going to organise a Meet and Greet BBQ in the new year, just as a bit of a thing to advertise the place is under new management and let the people come by to meet us and see what we're about etc. Would be great if a few DOLers could pop by to come meet us and our doggies!!!

[Bullmastiff Addict]

great to see you and SV are getting busier, i love the fact that you guys are so open to new things.

I voted appointment also, we work on appointment at our clinic, obviously you get a few walks in still, but you deal with them as they come.

[westiemum]

Definitely an appointment girl here for all the reasons people have given, except for emergencies. As I raced Sarah in with what turned out to be HGE, the vet nurse said to one or two people in the waiting room that there would be a delay and they could wait or re-book. I think most people understand if that happens - and like to know the same service will be available for them should it ever happen to them.

Mac is very sociable with other dogs and loves to say hello but that doesn't mean they all love him - so I prefer 'minimal company' in the waiting room.

EFS

Edited December 26, 2009 by westiemum

[Miss B]

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

[Staff'n'Toller]

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

Most of ours who don't turn up have genuinely forgotten (not sure how, but anyway) we usually do a phone call if they are good clients to see if they want to rebook.

[westiemum]

Must admit I find that funny - I've occasionally forgotten appointments with friends, hair appointments - but never a vet appointment! And I don't remember being late either - whereas I've been late for my last two hair appoinments but I've always rung to let my wonderful hair dresser know.

EFS

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

Most of ours who don't turn up have genuinely forgotten (not sure how, but anyway) we usually do a phone call if they are good clients to see if they want to rebook.

Edited December 26, 2009 by westiemum

[Starkehre]

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

That's terrible Miss B, how fristrating for you.

I apologise if this sounds a bit harsh, (and this is not directed at anyone here) but I have always been of the belief that people that are continuously late or even occasionally late are arrogant and lack respect for others... not necessarily consciously. I think it is just plain rude.

Of course there are emergencies etc, and a quick phone call can sort that out.

Admittedly I am probably annoyingly the other way. I always arrive to any appointment at least 10 minutes early. I could not stand to make anyone have to wait for me, especially someone like a vet.

I cannot imagine forgetting any appointment let alone a vet. If you diarise things, be organised, it doesn't happen.

Off my soap box now.

Edited December 26, 2009 by dyzney

[stormie]

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

Ah yep, we get those occasionally too. Or the ones who ask what time you close for surgery and then show up half an hour after that closing time.

[Staff'n'Toller]

We run on appointments, but it's extremely annoying when clients turn up 15+ minutes late (and expect to be seen straight away), or just don't show up at all! Seriously, how hard is it to make a 30-second courtesy call?

Ah yep, we get those occasionally too. Or the ones who ask what time you close for surgery and then show up half an hour after that closing time.

Ahhhh we get those too, I've learned to ask first "is it for an appointment? Last appointment is.......". If they come after closing time "the Vet has left sorry" usually teaches them to turn up on time!!

[Mim]

I can't remember the specific times but my vet has something like 8am-11 is walk in and after that it is by appointment only. I like it this way and usually walk in and the longest we have waited was 25minutes one time, all the other times we have been seen to quite quickly.

[Ons]

when my darling cavalier got very sick when I was on holidays over Christmas five years ago I was daily visiting the vets and it was a walk in time, I didn't like it, would rather make an appointment. They were lovely vets though even though had never used them before.

And when there was no hope for my darling Poppy they made a special appointment for us to bring her in for the last time so we wouldnt' be waiting in the waiting room .