The phones are ringing, the lobby is full, and the front desk is juggling walk-ins, discharges, and paperwork. One client is calling for a surgery update, another wants lab results, while others grow anxious about the wait. And your CSRs are the ones carrying it all. It’s a lot.
They’re doing their best, but too often they’re stuck chasing updates and playing phone tag. Clients wait, frustration grows, and techs and doctors get pulled away from patients to share the updates that owners are waiting on.
The real pressure in these moments comes from the breakdowns in communication that leave everyone feeling stretched thin.
Your team needs a simpler way to keep clients updated without interrupting patient care.
Meet Instinct’s Client Chat
Instinct’s Client Chat gives your team a direct, reliable way to connect with pet owners without phone tag, sticky notes, or constant interruptions. Unlike standalone texting services, Client Chat lives inside Instinct EMR—so every message is tied to the patient record and treatment plans, reducing errors and extra steps.
Think of it as texting with a purpose: a simple, secure way to keep clients in the loop while freeing your team to focus on the patients in front of them.
What Makes It Work in Busy Hospitals
1. One Inbox, No Missed Messages
Without a central system, client communication ends up scattered across phones, voicemails, sticky notes, and texts. Client Chat pulls everything into one shared inbox inside the EMR, visible to your whole team.
Many hospitals make it even easier by assigning a Chat Champion—a point person to keep an eye on the inbox, route updates to the right people, and make sure nothing gets overlooked.
2. Alerts That Get Noticed
Your CSRs don’t have time to hunt for alerts buried in tabs or hidden behind windows. With Client Chat, notifications pop up right where they need them—on a designated workstation, front and center. That way, messages are seen immediately, and no one is left wondering if a client got a reply.
CSRs can respond quickly, clients feel reassured instead of left waiting on hold, and your phone lines stay open for the conversations that can’t wait. It also takes the pressure off your team, knowing they won’t miss something important in the shuffle of a busy shift.
3. Professional, Consistent Communication
When responsibility for client messages is spread across the whole team, roles can become unclear and consistency can slip. With Client Chat, permissions stay with the team members most comfortable handling client communication—those who know how to keep messages clear, professional, and consistent, and when to loop in a DVM.
Clients get timely, accurate updates without mixed messages, your staff isn’t second-guessing who should respond, and every conversation is documented right in the record, leading to fewer misunderstandings and stronger client trust.
4. More Than Just Pickups
Client Chat is perfect for “Your pet is ready!” messages. But where it really shines is in all the little updates that mean so much to clients:
- “Great news: Fido’s labs came back normal.”
- “Dr. Lee just finished surgery, and Milo is waking up now.”
- “We’re running about 15 minutes behind. Thanks for your patience!”
These quick touchpoints shorten wait times, make discharges smoother, and prevent the endless game of phone tag that eats up your team’s time. Instead of chasing clients for updates or pulling doctors away from cases, CSRs can send a quick message and move on.
Clients feel cared for, your doctors and techs keep their focus on patients, and everyone breathes a little easier.
5. Photo and Video Updates
Client Chat isn’t just texting. You can now send photos to clients—and receive photos or videos in return.
It’s ideal for those “hard to explain over the phone” moments. A client can snap a quick photo of the skin issue they’re worried about or send a short video of the limp they’re trying to describe. Your team can send a photo of their pet resting comfortably post-op or show what a normal incision should look like.
It cuts down on the back-and-forth and reassures clients that you’re seeing exactly what they’re seeing.
6. A Front Desk Flow That Works
When Client Chat becomes part of the daily routine, communication feels easier for everyone. Messages come in, get triaged, and are logged automatically. CSRs can quickly answer simple questions, techs and DVMs step in when their input is needed, and the whole team stays on the same page.
The front desk feels less frantic and more welcoming and the veterinary team is free to keep the day moving instead of chasing messages.
How Your Team Will Feel the Difference
Client Chat was designed by people who’ve worked in busy ERs and specialty hospitals. We understand what it’s like to juggle emergencies, anxious clients, and a constantly ringing phone. We built Client Chat to give teams communication they can count on.
Sometimes a quick update is all it takes to ease a client’s worry and strengthen their trust in your hospital.
If you’d like to see how it works in practice, we’d love to show you.
Book a personalized demo today and see how Client Chat can take the stress out of client communication.
