Want to Increase Pet Insurance Signups? Follow These 5 Tips
Updated: Oct 27
Accepting pet insurance can be tremendously beneficial to a practice, as it tends to increase client compliance with elective procedures. That being said, many practices miss the opportunity to take full advantage of this revenue-driving option because they don’t take the time to inform and educate clients. Instead, they simply hand out brochures and leave clients to fend for themselves. If you want to see greater adoption of pet insurance, here are a few ways to help your clients understand the benefits and ultimately convince them to buy.
Start Early
The most effective time to have a conversation about pet insurance is at the first visit. This is especially the case for first-time pet owners, as they are often unaware that pet insurance exists or what it can do for them. Additionally, because many first-time visits involve younger pets, they are typically a better candidate for insurance, since they are usually healthy and have not been diagnosed with pre-existing conditions. As such, policies may be more affordable and therefore a more attractive option to the pet owner.
Put Things into Perspective
Most vets approach topics like heartworm or flea and tick prevention as part of a patient’s recommended, ongoing care. Yet, for some reason, they view pet insurance as some type of one-off service. To the contrary, investing in pet insurance is a valuable and effective way to support a pet’s lifelong health. Positioning it in the context of a pet’s anticipated lifetime healthcare costs can dramatically improve the likelihood of client buy-in. In other words, instead of mentioning insurance as an add-on, discuss in detail how it could potentially mitigate future expenses.
Keep It Simple
There are dozens of pet insurance companies out there, and while it’s certainly good to give clients options, offering too many could lead to analysis paralysis. This can leave clients feeling overwhelmed, confused and frustrated, thereby reducing the number of sign-ups. Do some research on behalf of your clients and then narrow down the options to just a few that you recommend. This will save them time, which they’ll appreciate. And a professional recommendation, based on your knowledge and expertise, will give them peace of mind that they’re making the right choice.
Lend a Hand
Signing up for pet insurance isn’t always as straightforward as you may think. The more challenging this process is for clients, the more likely they’ll be to abandon the application and ditch the idea of pet insurance altogether. Offering to guide clients through this process from start to finish will not only improve the odds of successful signup, but it will also demonstrate that you and your staff are willing to go the extra mile in terms of client experience. The best way to do this is to designate someone on your team to become a pet insurance expert.
Lead by Example
A whopping 71% of pet owners say they’d be more likely to purchase pet insurance if they knew their veterinary provider’s team also insured their own pets. Those are some pretty impressive odds if you ask us! If you and/or members of your staff do not currently invest in pet insurance, what kind of message are you sending to your clients? To the contrary, if you’re all onboard, you’ll show your clientele that you practice what you preach, which will help to generate stronger trust and greater compliance.
Whether your clients are unaware of pet insurance or know it exists but are simply confused or overwhelmed by the many policies and options, if you’re not taking the time to educate them, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to generate more revenue for your practice. The five tips listed above should help you drum up more interest and convince your clientele that investing in pet insurance is a must for their animal family member.
Our tips, tricks, and expert advice
Why is it important to keep pet insurance options simple for clients?
Keeping pet insurance options simple avoids overwhelming clients with too many choices, reducing confusion and frustration and increasing sign-ups.
How can veterinary practices assist clients in the pet insurance sign-up process?
Veterinary practices can guide clients through the pet insurance sign-up process, offering assistance from start to finish to simplify the procedure.
How can educating clients about pet insurance generate more revenue for a veterinary practice?
Educating clients about pet insurance can increase their compliance with elective procedures, leading to more revenue for the veterinary practice.
For more practice management tips, tricks, and expert advice, bookmark the DVMelite blog and check back often for fresh content.
