Veterinarians are switching to mobile point of sale systems: Here's why.

When you own and manage an animal hospital or veterinary practice, your focus needs to be many places at once. Of course, you do everything you can to take excellent care of the pets that are entrusted to you. However, to do that properly, you must also attend to the “business” end of your operations. Incorporating a modern point of sale system equipped with a mobile card reader into your veterinary business is one of the most effective and forward-thinking steps you can take to streamline your operations and increase your cash flow. 

What is a point of sale system?

With cash rapidly fading into obscurity as customers’ preferred way of making payments, businesses of all types can no longer afford to rely solely on an antiquated cash register. Instead, most businesses are now using a point of sale (POS) system. This combination of hardware and software is used to accept credit and debit cards and contactless digital wallet payments. Your POS system, which should also integrate with the other programs you already have in place, is generally made up of the following components.

• POS hardware. This is the brains of your POS system. It syncs with your credit card reader and cash drawer. In recent years, business owners have begun to transition to portable tablet-based systems with touchscreens that are easy and safe for both employees and customers to use.
• POS keyboard. Modern touchscreen-enabled POS systems come with external keyboards for easier data entry. 
• Barcode scanner. Pet-related products are probably one of the mainstays of your veterinary business. However, keeping track of them accurately can be difficult. Incorporating a barcode scanner into your practice lets you catalog each item as it comes into your inventory. When you sell it, your stock count can be automatically updated. You can even set it up so that you  receive an alert when it’s time to reorder.
• Customer facing display. Consumers tend to want to keep an eye on their transaction amounts. This display enables you to give them a preview of the total purchase price. As is the case with any business, transparency is one of the most effective ways to earn your guests’ trust. Questions about price amounts are much better to address at this stage than after the fact.
• Card reader. This add-on device registers and securely communicates the customer’s payment information to the other players in the process. When you get a mobile card reader, it can attach to a smartphone or tablet while simultaneously integrating with the other elements in your POS solution. The result is that you can safely accept payments from anywhere without compromising security or seamless integration with the other parts of your veterinary business.
• Cash drawer. Although you will mostly be accepting credit card payments, you still need a place to securely store your coins and bills. This drawer can be locked by the traditional means or connected to your POS system and opened with a password by authorized personnel.
• Receipt printer. Your POS solution should give you the option of instantly sending receipts to your customers’ email addresses. However, many customers will still request a hard copy. A thermal or dot-matrix external printer is a must if your system does not come with one already installed.

Bringing a modern POS into your clinic or practice can streamline your operations and keep your customers happy so that you can continue to provide your furry and feathered patients with the standard of care they deserve.

Why a mobile POS solution is the right move for your busy clinic or practice.

Every day, your facility is bombarded with a never-ending series of both routine and unpredictable events that a mobile POS solution can help you to juggle. Just a few of the challenges you face regularly include the following:

• Serving a steady stream of customers, answering questions, prescribing medications, and handling payments for examinations and medications.
• Running daily reports of what products have been sold.
• Tracking and dealing with returns or disputes over charges.
• Ordering medications and other pet care items before they run out.

In addition to these benefits, the stationary or mobile POS system at your animal care business can make a huge difference when it comes to your billing.

• Simplification. In an industry where heavy traffic and emergencies are the status quo, you cannot afford to take any more time on your customer billing than necessary. At the same time, you need a process that is simple and creates minimal errors. A mobile POS device gives you the tools you need to automate much of your billing. Best of all, human data entry is kept to a minimum thanks to your barcode scanner, reducing the chances of costly omissions or mistakes.
• Enhanced speed. Your mobile POS solution should integrate seamlessly with your database functions. As a result, your staff will no longer need to manually pore over paper records recounting customers’ past visits. With just a few clicks, their entire history can be displayed, including products they have bought before, and even what they have paid. This capability vastly accelerates your ability to get your bills printed out quickly and accurately every time.
• Space savings. Digital billing technology means that all of your valuable customer information can be stored electronically in the cloud. Consequently, you can say goodbye to filing cabinets stuffed with paper and those endless searches for information. Should the worst happen and your physical building suffers a devastating disaster, your information will remain safe and untouched in its home in the cloud.
• Reduced human error. Automation means little to no data entry by error-prone human fingers. Products and purchase amounts can instead be cataloged with precision. That will make bookkeeping and tax time a breeze.
• Information is accessible from anywhere. Your mobile POS isn’t called “mobile” for no reason. Thanks to its connectivity with your systems and mobile payments hardware’s portability, you can get your hands on reports, analytics, and complete back-office tasks from anywhere. Gone are the days where you need to be at your desk to successfully run your veterinary business.

How the portability of your mobile POS solution can take your animal care to the next level.

Running a prosperous dog, cat, or bird hospital or clinic has traditionally happened within the confines of a brick-and-mortar building. At your facility, you could accumulate all of the expertise and medical equipment required to address the health needs of your four-legged and winged patients.

With mobile POS capabilities, however, you can also choose to take your operations on the road. For instance, you no doubt work with pet owners who have difficulty getting to your facility due to illness or other mobility constraints. Offering to care for their non-human companions at their homes can not only be convenient for your customer, it can also reduce the stress that pets often experience when visiting the vet.

There may have been a time when customers were wary of accepting visits from you in their homes due to the danger of data breaches and other security concerns associated with providing credit card numbers and expiration dates over the phone. However, today’s mobile POS technology removes all of these concerns through its robust security precautions.

Consider how smoothly the transaction will be: First, you provide your gold-standard care to the animal. Then, when it’s time to settle the bill, you simply ask your customer to provide their “smart” credit card or to pay using their iPhone, Android, or wearable device. Your POS card reader will come equipped with near-field communication (NFC) technology that communicates with similar tech in your customer’s card or device. Information is sent securely between the players in the process, leading to a payment that is safely completed in a matter of just two or three seconds. You can send a receipt (as well as care instructions) via email to your customer so that no information is lost and record-keeping on both ends is complete and accurate.

In these difficult times when many animal care providers were unable to provide anything but emergency services for several months, offering mobile payments can be a game-changer. As the effects of the pandemic begin to gradually lift, you may now once again be able to provide direct care at your facility with face-to-face contact with pet parents/human companions. No matter what happens in the months and years to come, having a mobile POS on board can enhance the scope and agility of your offerings.

As a first-class veterinary provider, there is nothing more important to you than providing cutting-edge medical services to your patients backed by business practices that are beyond reproach. With a mobile POS solution added to your systems, you can guarantee your usual high standard of care to your patients while simultaneously upgrading the speed, efficiency, and functionality of your back office. The result will be higher profits, happier staff, and satisfied customers — both human and animal.