VetHelpDirect Video Consultation Platform FAQs:
Questions about signing up
(For UK Practices)
Clients book a video consultation appointment with you via the VetHelpDirect Video Consultation website, you can set your availability. You will be notified when a client makes an appointment.
When you have an appointment via video, simply, go to your online account, select the relevant appointment and click ‘Start video call’.
How does the VetHelpDirect Video Consultation Platform work for clients?
- Clients visit the VetHelpDirect video consultation platform
- Clients register their pets and link their profile to your practice.
- The client will make a payment in advance of the appointment (unless it’s a free-of-charge appointment)
What does it cost for vets?
To use the Video Platform the practice is part of the VetHelpDirect package subscription at £99 per month, plus £19 per branch. Are you an existing client? Contact us for preferential rates.
What are the transaction fees?
We deduct 1.4% of revenue collected by the platform plus 20p before reimbursing the practice at the end of the month, this is to cover the platform charges.
Why do you charge more for branches?
The system works from our directory so there is a small extra charge for each extra location. This applies to new clients only as existing clients already pay for this. Video consultations are unlimited once the practice is signed up
Is the Directory/ video platform a rolling contract? How much notice do you have to give to be able to exit it?
There is a one month rolling contract period so you can cancel at any time and don’t have to pay again. You can cancel at any time during the free period with no obligation to continue
What does it cost for clients?
Appointments can be charged at your normal rate, a discounted rate or even as part of a health plan, it’s entirely in your hands.
When is the money paid for the appointment reimbursed
The billing relationship remains between the Vet Practice and the Vet owner and individual VAT invoices can be downloaded via the platform dashboard to either email on to owners or upload to your accounting system
Payments from Pet owners will be collected, via Stripe, at the time of booking an appointment
Once a month, VHD will remit all payments received on to the Vet Practice together with a remittance report showing a full breakdown of each individual transaction
VHD’s platform processing fee of 1.4% of revenue collected by the platform plus 20p, will be deducted from this remittance and our invoice will be included with the remittance report
How is the VAT handled
The invoice between the Vet Practice and the Owner will include standard rate VAT at 20%, so the payment collected will include VAT
This should be accounted for in full by the Vet Practice as sales income with VAT on that income
VHD’s invoice to the Vet Practice for a small percentage of the consultation fee will also have VAT added
This should be accounted for by the Vet practice as a bill from a supplier with VAT on expenses
VHD’s retention from the onward remittance to the Vet Practice will therefore be the difference between the gross sales income and the gross bill, which equates to 1.4% of the Gross amount collected from the Pet Owner plus 20p per transaction.
There are multiple video platforms available, why sign up to this one?
This one collects payments and books appointments and provides a trusted user experience rather than something that is repurposed for vets
Why should they use this system and not just skype or Whatsapp?
- Skype means owners have access to ‘skype name’ (or number if Whatsapp) and they can then call at any time rather than being restricted to a set time.
- Easier (less clunky) payment system
- Appointments can be booked
- Professional purpose built user experience
Running the platform
How can I let my clients know that I am offering video consultations?
We can provide you with a badge for your website which you can link to the platform.
We have some social media posts and images you can use on Facebook.
We can create and send an email campaign to inform your clients of this service. We charge £75 per email for the first 1000 recipients. To send to more than 1000, there is a fee of £10 per extra 1000.
If there is any additional marketing support you would like to promote the service, please
Do clients get reminders?
Yes they get an email reminder of the appointment 30min before
Are video consultations scheduled for a particular time of day?
It is entirely up to you. You can restrict video consultants to a certain time of day or offer them throughout the day. The consulting vet simply accepts the video consultation appointment from the VetHelpDirect Video Consultation Platform instead of calling the client from the waiting room.
Can we set our own costs for appointments?
Yes you can set a standard price for standard appointments available via online booking. To offer an appointment such as a follow up at a lower cost the client can be invited by a private link by the practice admin
How do I change my password
To change your password please log out, and click the ‘Forgot password’ link, you will receive a ‘reset password’ link sent by email.
Can you log in to a single account for vet and practice admin permissions?
For our initial version of the platform built for Coronavirus this is not possible. Our roadmap includes this feature and it should be ready around mid May time. On the current platform if you need to operate as a vet (holding appointments) and a practice admin (booking appointments) we suggest you login to both profiles using different web browsers eg. Safari and Chrome for each profile.
What happens if appointments are missed by clients
If clients miss appointments you can either invite them to a free appointment at another time or refund them in the practice. At the end of the month you will receive the consultation fee they originally paid
How to manage video consultations?
During Coronavirus we are recommending that vets charge the normal price, hold all face to face interactions and payment via video and then transfer animals if necessary with a minimum of human contact
Do clients have to pay via the platform or can they pay by other methods?
If preferred practices can send out free appointments and then collect payment by phone
Technical questions
How can I access technical support if needed?
The VetHelpDirect team will be on hand to help with any questions you may have.
What type of equipment do clients/ vets need?
Short answer – relatively up to date smartphone for clients, laptop that is not ancient!
Long answer – Windows 10
-
- Chrome (latest release version), Firefox (latest release version) and Microsoft Edge (v79 or later)
- MacOS 10.14.4 or later
- Chrome (latest release version), Safari or Firefox (latest release version)
- iOS 12.2 or later
- Safari
- Android (recent version)
- Google Chrome for Android (latest release version), Firefox for Android (latest release version)
- Other browsers (e.g. Samsung ‘Internet’ app) may work, but are not supported
What bandwidth do we require?
The recommended minimum dedicated bandwidth is 350kb/s
When will it be compatible with Vetstoria?
This is on our roadmap and will be available Mid-May – June
For the moment you just book out appointments for telemedicine on the pms and then make them available through our platform either as public or private appointments
Is it compatible with webx and rd?
It will work with Vetstoria by Mid-May early June and we plan to get it working directly with those PMS as soon as possible so that Vetstoria is optional.