You may remember that we ran a big survey here at VetHelpDirect in 2017. If you’ve been following us for a bit longer (and thanks if you have!), you might even remember we did one in 2015. So, you’re probably getting a feel for the pattern – every 2 years, usually in the autumn, we run a big survey. And of course, it being autumn 2019, we’re due the next one – the VetHelpDirect 2019 Communication Survey is now out!

 

What is the survey about?

Essentially, the focus is on how animal owners and vets communicate with each other. Not so much in terms of what you say in the practice, but how do you contact your practice? How would you like to be able to contact them? How should they contact you? How would you like to get news or pet health information from them? 

 

Why do you need to know?

Because the world is changing – incredibly fast – at the moment. Social media platforms come in and out of favour, people move away from traditional media and back again, and of course there are new and exciting technologies, like voice search and teleconsultations, that are starting to emerge. 

For example – the scandals that have hit Facebook recently, how have they affected animal owners’ willingness to use Facebook when their furry friends are ill or hurt? Do people want to use Alexa to ask for help with a poorly pet? And there’s an ongoing debate in the veterinary profession over whether remote consultations and prescribing of medicines by vets (e.g. over a video link) should be permitted – but no-one’s asking what the animal owners think about this!

This is why we run the survey – we really do want to know what you think! 

 

Where’s the money – why are you doing this?

Well, for starters, we’re NOT interested in harvesting your details to sell them on. We’d love it if you subscribed to our newsletter, but you don’t have to – we just want to know what you think. Once the research is complete, we’ll delete all the personal details unless you’ve given us explicit permission to keep them.

We do this because as a company we work with vets practices across the UK and beyond, helping them to reach their clients more effectively. If we know what you want, we can help vets to provide it!

 

What were the results of the last one?

The 2017 results were so surprising that we have submitted them to a Very Revered journal in the veterinary world. We hope that they will agree to publish our findings for everyone to see… Unfortunately, however, we aren’t allowed to share the results publicly until the peer review process is complete. As soon as it is, we’ll definitely want to let everyone know about it!

 

How is this one different from the previous ones?

We’ve made some tweaks to some of the questions – for example, we aren’t including Google+ any more! – and we’ve added new questions on how people would like their vets to use Facebook, and asking why some people don’t follow their vets on social media. We’ve also added a whole new section on new technologies.

 

What’s in it for me?

Well, firstly you get to contribute to the big discussion! 

However, there’s a more concrete incentive – prizes! We’ll be offering £75 of Pets at Home vouchers to one winner, chosen at random. You can opt in to the Prize Draw at the end of the survey; the draw will take place after the survey closes on 20th October 2019.

In addition, for every survey completed, we will make a donation of 25p to StreetVet, a charity that provides veterinary care to animals belonging to the homeless in many of the UK’s larger cities.

 

How can I take part?

Please, please, please, complete the survey HERE!

We’d also love it if you would be able to agree to join a focus group! We’ll be convening one to explore some of the issues in more depth. You can opt in at the end of the survey.

Got any questions? Get in touch with us here!