Today’s pet owners expect answers when they need them, not just during regular business hours, which seem to be dwindling year over year. But for many veterinary practices, the phones go quiet at closing, and with that silence comes uncertainty for your clients and your practice. When clients can’t reach you, they don’t want to wait until morning for an answer. They turn to Google, online forums, big-box pharmacy customer service, or the nearest ER—places that don't know their pet and do nothing to reinforce the trusted relationship you’ve worked hard to build with your client.

And that relationship is slipping. Only 49 percent of pet owners aged 28 to 48 say their family veterinarian is their first stop for pet health advice. That means younger pet owners often see their vet as one of many resources, not the resource. This makes practices more vulnerable to outside influence and competition, especially from 24/7 digital alternatives. Today’s pet owners want to feel supported around the clock; when they’re not, they look elsewhere.

Availability and responsiveness play a huge role in whether pet owners see you as their first stop. If you're not available after hours or hard to reach during the day, clients are less likely to consider you their go-to expert, which means they’re more likely to go where the immediate answers are, even if that means sacrificing quality or continuity of care.

Veterinary practices hoping to build long-term loyalty with pet owners need to meet them where they are, on their schedule, with reliable access to answers and support, even outside regular hours.

Practices that expand access, especially after hours, can reclaim their role as the primary trusted source of pet care information and deepen client loyalty.

The hidden cost of being “closed” after hours is hard to quantify, but substantial. It’s not just about the emergencies you didn’t treat, or the prescription refills you didn’t authorize. It’s about all the moments clients needed your guidance and couldn’t reach you, so they found help somewhere else. When pet parents are tired of leaving voicemails or nervously waiting for a call back, they stop calling. That doesn’t mean their concerns disappear; it means your role as their primary resource begins to slip.

At the same time, the burden of being "always available" often falls on the shoulders of veterinarians or a few dedicated team members, leading to stress, burnout, and resentment. After a full day of appointments and cases, no one should have to spend their evening or weekend fielding panicked messages or waking up to a backlog of voicemails that demand immediate attention.

Offering after-hours triage is how you actively show clients that your support doesn’t stop at closing time, and how you stay their first call, no matter the hour. Having credentialed veterinary technicians handle your after-hours calls means your clients receive the same compassionate, reliable care they expect during the day. Every conversation follows your protocols. Every decision supports your medical standards. Your clients remain connected to you, even when the clinic is closed, and you and your team get to truly unplug, knowing that nothing important is slipping through the cracks.

Your front desk isn’t overwhelmed with frantic, angry voicemails the next morning. There’s no pileup of urgent callbacks. There’s no guessing whether a client went to urgent care or an emergency clinic. There’s just a smooth transition into a new day, with clients who still see you as their go-to expert, because that’s exactly who you are, even after hours.

With GuardianVets Vet Triage, after-hours doesn’t mean out of touch. Our credentialed technicians become an extension of your team, answering calls, triaging client concerns, booking appointments, and handling prescription refills using your pre-set protocols. You keep your clients, revenue, and peace of mind while ensuring superior round-the-clock care.

 

By: Meghan Bingham

More than twenty-five years ago, Meghan started a summer job at her neighborhood vet and fell in love with veterinary medicine! She worked her way from Kennel to Technician to Receptionist and eventually settled in as Practice Manager, where she developed the business from one to a 12-doctor practice!

After feeling like she had grown as much as she could there, she transitioned to a Senior Operations Manager position, where she helped 25 Emergency, Urgent, and General Practices reach their full potential.

Meghan thinks she’s found her dream job with Granite Peak Associated because she gets to help improve processes for the people who help pets and help set practices up for success!

Meghan earned her BA in Communications in 2003 but stuck with vet med. She was elected one of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association’s Emerging Leaders and earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Management Certification in 2017. She served two terms on the VHMA Board of Directors and is currently the Houston Veterinary Practice Managers Alliance President. Meghan is an avid reader, and last year, she read 54 books (for fun!). Thanks to her firefighter husband and eleven-year-old son, she knows way too much about soccer and LEGO®.