Beat the Voicemail Vortex and Reduce Call Volume with SMS Voice Note

Because Voicemail is Overdue for a Makeover
A 2019 study of 13 billion monthly phone calls showed that consumers only pick up 48% of the calls they receive. This isn’t news to veterinary professionals, who struggle with seemingly endless cycles of voicemail and phone tag with clients.
Learn how Hospital Manager and longtime VetTools user Katy Joyce, CVT, had a “Eureka!” moment and came up with an innovative VetTools solution for this challenge. 
Dog appearing to speak on a telephone receiver

Reduce Call Volume and Sidestep the Voicemail Vortex with Voice Note by SMS

Because Voicemail is Overdue for a Makeover
A 2019 study of 13 billion monthly phone calls showed that consumers only pick up 48% of the calls they receive. This isn’t news to veterinary professionals, who struggle with seemingly endless cycles of voicemail and phone tag with clients.
Learn how Hospital Manager and longtime VetTools user Katy Joyce, CVT, had a “Eureka!” moment and came up with an innovative VetTools solution for this challenge. 
Katy Joyce photo

Meet Katy Joyce, CVT: VetTools superuser and idea machine.

Hospital Manager Katy is the inspiration behind your newest essential tool - SMS Voice Note - which will save you loads of time and give phone tag the kick in the pants it deserves.

A mom’s clever adaptation.

Katy noticed that her daughter’s generation rarely uses the phone as a traditional – dare we say old school? – phone.
Like any wily parent seeking serenity (or at least sanity), Katy realized if she wanted to be heard, she needed to adapt her communication to be in sync with her daughter’s habits. She ditched traditional voicemail and began using her cell phone to record and send voice messages by SMS.
Because SMS voice messages show up and play right there in her texting app, Katy’s daughter can easily see and listen to voice messages from her mom. Serenity achieved!
Tuxedo kitten with vintage phone

Katy’s “ah-ha!” moment.

Katy told us, “I thought about how awesome it would be to do the same with clients, without sharing my personal phone number. They NEVER listen to their long voicemails, carefully left by one of our medical professionals.”
“Instead, they see they received a call, see the voicemail, ignore it and call us back – inevitably when the doctor has then moved on to another call or patient, necessitating yet another phone call.”
We call this phenomenon the voicemail vortex.

Sound familiar? This all-too-common pattern results in wasted time, higher call volume, and a frustrating experience for both your practice and your clients.

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Katy’s VetTools Solution:

Send a recorded voice note by SMS along with some intro text asking clients to LISTEN first -- and THEN call if directed or if they have questions.

SMS Voice Note is here.

Now you can use VetTools to record and send voice messages to clients by SMS!
Simply record your message right in your VetTools texting interface, type or use a pre-written template (ours or yours) to quickly instruct the recipient to listen, then send.
Your clients do not need a special app to receive your voice notes or text with your practice. Everything appears right in their regular texting app!
Dog playing on yoga mat with owner
Because SMS Voice Note appears and can be accessed right within your clients’ texting apps, it scores incredibly high for both visibility and convenience.
While voicemails exist in a communication vacuum, SMS Voice Notes appear right within your text message threads with your clients, offering them helpful context for better comprehension and historical reference.
Aside from the simple (but profound) annoyance of having to actually retrieve voicemails, another reason they’re so often ignored is their long, rambling nature; they can’t be skimmed for brevity. SMS Voice Note allows you to record your message to your liking so it’s clear and succinct, then send it only when you’re satisfied.

Use SMS Voice Note at your practice or on the go!

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You may be thinking, what’s the big deal? My phone can already do this.

Well, sure, so can ours. But here’s where the VetTools magic kicks in for veterinary professionals! With SMS Voice Note you and your approved team members can:

✔ Enjoy the flexibility of recording and sending voice notes using your computers or mobile phones.

✔ Appreciate the peace of mind of not sharing your personal contact info. Your practice appears as the text sender.

✔ Benefit from the efficiency and transparency of a centralized message center for your practice.

The results are in.

Katy has taken to this new tool of hers like a Lab to sticks, and is loving it just as much.
“No more… I did not get your voicemail. No more… Mailbox is full. BAM! Now I can send a voice note with important medical information and have it be heard. The client actually LISTENS to my message and makes an informed call for follow up if needed.”
Yessssss! The voicemail vortex is no match for you, Katy.

A perfect fit.

SMS Voice Note will help you save time and pave the way for better, faster, more pleasant phone interactions with your clients.
And since we’re always looking for ways to help you communicate with your clients more efficiently, effectively, and meaningfully, this antidote to the time-sucking, phone line-hogging, frustration-inducing (not that we have strong feelings or anything) voicemail vortex fits right in with that goal.
SMS Voice Note is included with both the VetTools Messaging and VetTools Clients Engaged plans.
Dog with puzzle

Need help, or maybe you'd like to learn more?
Contact us at 800-454-0576 or Support@VINpractice.com.

We're listening.

We’re so grateful to users like Katy who let us know when they have suggestions, ideas, and yes, even critiques (she said bravely) about VetTools.
We record all suggestions and revisit them regularly to see if we can make them happen, so please! — get in touch if you have anything to share with us.
Cat Chalkboard Thank You

Thanks again for another great VetTools suggestion, Katy! We think your fellow VetTools users will likely want to thank you, too.

Carrie Christner - VIN Practice Communications Outreach, Engagement, & Content Manager
About the Author: As a former Hospital Manager, Carrie has a long and affectionate history with the veterinary world and is now our resident multimedia content, outreach, and engagement maven. (And she’s on a personal crusade to bring back the word “maven”, apparently).
Carrie creates word, image, and video content for both us and our users, and has her busy paws in our outreach and awareness campaigns for pet owners, user engagement, branding, and marketing. Having joined the team in 2011, she’s loved watching the VetTools platform bloom over the years to meet the needs of today’s busy veterinary professionals.
Carrie is all about strengthening the relationship between pet owners and their veterinary team, her philosophy being that this results in happier veterinary professionals and pet owners, and healthier pets.