Why do callers hang up on hold at my vet clinic?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
Callers hang up on hold at a vet clinic because they are worried, they don't know how long the wait will be, and another clinic is one search away. The front desk put them on hold for a good reason: someone was standing at the counter. The cure is to answer the call properly the first time, not to shorten the hold music.
Why is hold worse at a vet clinic than elsewhere?
Hold is worse at a vet clinic because the caller is often anxious about an animal, not shopping at leisure. A minute of silence feels long when a pet is unwell. A person who would wait for a restaurant table will not wait for a clinic that sounds too busy for them.
The desk is not at fault. Saying "can you hold?" is the polite way to manage two people at once. The trouble is that it serves the client in the room and leaves the client on the line with nothing.
What did the caller on hold actually want?
A caller on hold at a vet clinic usually wanted one of a short list of things, and few of them need a trained receptionist's full attention. Listen to a day of calls and sort them.
- An appointment, new or rescheduled.
- Your hours, your address or whether you see a certain kind of animal.
- A refill request or a message for the doctor.
- A question about a visit already booked.
- Something urgent that needs a person now.
How do you stop putting callers on hold?
You stop putting callers on hold by having a second answerer, not a faster first one. That can be a staff member on phones only during peaks, an answering service that takes messages, or an AI receptionist that handles the routine calls at once and passes the rest to your team.
How does Margin handle hold at a vet clinic?
Margin's AI receptionist, Mia, never puts anyone on hold. When the desk is with a client, the call goes to her. She answers the question or books the visit, and takes the details for anything the team must decide. An urgent call is passed straight to your team.
If a caller still hangs up, they get a text from the clinic within a minute, once carriers have approved the clinic's texting number. The portal shows who hung up and what each one was sent.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Mia, the AI receptionist, on every call
- Missed calls texted back within a minute
- Booking onto your calendar
- Your portal: every call, text and booking
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for vet clinicsSee the portal with a sample business
Related questions
How long will a pet owner wait on hold for a vet clinic?
There is no honest single figure, and it varies by clinic and by why they called. The useful test is your own phone system's report of callers who hung up while holding at your vet clinic, counted over a normal week.
Does hold music or a message help at a vet clinic?
A message that tells the caller what to do in an emergency and offers a text or callback is better than music at a vet clinic. It still leaves them waiting. Answering the call is the real fix.
Can a vet clinic offer a callback instead of hold?
Yes, and it is kinder than hold, provided someone at the vet clinic really calls back soon. A callback list that waits until the end of the day turns into phone tag, so decide who owns it.