The first phone call with a new client sets the tone for everything that follows. A pet owner who just moved to town, or whose previous vet retired, is deciding whether your practice is the one they trust with their animal. That call is where they form their first impression, and it is where your front desk gathers the details that make the first appointment run smoothly.
A structured onboarding call does two jobs at once. It collects the medical and logistical information your team needs before the pet walks through the door, and it reassures the owner that they picked the right clinic. When these calls are rushed or inconsistent, records go missing, vaccination gaps surface at the worst moment, and the first visit stalls while staff scramble for history that should have been on file.
This guide walks through what to cover, in the order that tends to work best on a live call. Treat it as a checklist your front desk can keep near the phone.
Why the onboarding call matters more than it looks
New clients rarely give a practice a second chance after a bad first experience. If the phone rings out, or the owner gets bounced between voicemail and a callback that never comes, they will often try the next clinic on their search results. Abandoned calls are a known way practices lose prospective clients to nearby competitors, and the owner usually never tells you why they went elsewhere.
The onboarding call is also the cheapest moment to catch problems. Confirming that records are on the way, or that a rabies vaccine is overdue, is a two-minute conversation on the phone. Discovering the same thing in the exam room, with a nervous dog on the table and a full waiting room outside, costs everyone time.
The core checklist
Below is the information worth capturing on every new-client call. You will not always get all of it in one conversation, and that is fine. Flag what is missing and follow up before the first visit.
1. Owner and contact details
Start with the basics, and confirm spelling as you go.
- Full name and preferred name
- Best phone number and whether text reminders are welcome
- Email for records and appointment confirmations
- Home address, especially if you offer any mobile or house-call services
- Preferred contact method and best times to reach them
2. Pet profile
Get a clear picture of the animal before anyone examines it.
- Species, breed, and approximate age or date of birth
- Sex and whether spayed or neutered
- Microchip number, if one exists
- Current weight, if the owner knows it
- Known behavioral notes (fear of strangers, muzzle history, reactivity to other animals)
That last point matters for staff safety and for scheduling. A dog that panics around other dogs may need the first slot of the morning rather than a busy midday appointment.
3. Records transfer from the previous vet
This is the step most likely to slip, so handle it directly on the call.
Ask for the name and phone number of the previous clinic, then explain who will request the records. Many owners assume the old clinic sends everything automatically, and it rarely does. Decide on the call whether your team will fax or email the request, or whether the owner will authorize the transfer themselves. Note the date you expect the records to arrive, and set a reminder to chase them if they do not.
If the owner is switching because of a move, ask whether they have any paper records or a discharge summary at home. A photo of a vaccination card texted to the front desk can fill the gap until the full file arrives.
4. Vaccination and medical history
Even before official records land, the owner can usually tell you the essentials.
- Core vaccines and rough dates (rabies, distemper, and for dogs, the combination shots)
- Any known chronic conditions or ongoing medications
- Recent surgeries or hospitalizations
- Allergies or past reactions to medication
- Parasite prevention currently in use (heartworm, flea, and tick products)
Write down what the owner says and mark it as unconfirmed until the transferred records verify it. Verbal history is a starting point, not a substitute for the file.
5. Insurance and payment
If the pet is insured, capture the provider and policy number now so billing does not hold up the visit later. Explain how your practice handles claims, since some clinics submit on the owner's behalf and others provide paperwork for the owner to file. This is also the moment to be clear about payment expectations and any deposit policy for the first appointment, so nobody is surprised at checkout.
6. First-visit preparation
Close the call by setting the owner up to succeed on the day.
- Confirm the appointment date, time, and which veterinarian they will see
- Explain what to bring: current medications, a stool sample if you want one, and any records they hold
- Give parking and entrance directions, especially if your building is hard to find
- Note fasting instructions if bloodwork is likely
- Ask whether the pet travels well, and suggest a carrier or a calm-down plan for anxious animals
A short recap of these points at the end of the call prevents most day-of confusion. Owners remember far less of a phone call than we assume, so a follow-up text or email summarizing the same details is worth the extra minute.
Handling the call volume
A thorough onboarding call takes time, and front desks are busy. The same staff member fielding onboarding questions is also checking in patients, answering billing calls, and calming a lobby. During peak hours, new-client calls are the ones most likely to hit a busy signal or roll to voicemail, which is exactly when a prospective client is most likely to move on.
Some practices handle this by booking a dedicated onboarding call-back slot, so the intake conversation happens when a staff member can give it full attention. Others use an answering service or an AI voice receptionist to catch overflow calls when the front desk is swamped. Tools like Answara are one option here: they can pick up when your team cannot and gather contact and pet details for staff to follow up on. Whatever method you choose, the goal is making sure a new client who calls actually reaches someone.
FAQ
How long should a new-client onboarding call take?
Plan for eight to twelve minutes if you are collecting full history and records information. Calls run shorter when the owner has their previous clinic's details handy and longer when you are working through a complicated medical history. Booking a dedicated slot for these conversations keeps them from getting squeezed into a thirty-second gap between check-ins.
What if the owner does not have their previous vet's records?
Collect the verbal history, mark it as unconfirmed, and get the previous clinic's name and number so your team can request the file directly. A texted photo of a vaccination card is a useful stopgap. Never treat verbal vaccine history as verified until the records back it up, particularly for rabies, which carries legal reporting requirements in most areas.
Should we collect payment or deposit information during the onboarding call?
Discuss payment expectations and any deposit policy on the call so the owner is not surprised at checkout. Whether you take a deposit up front depends on your practice's policy. The point is transparency before the visit, not collecting a card number over the phone unless your systems handle that securely.
How do we reduce missed new-client calls?
Look at when your abandoned calls cluster, which is usually during lunch and the late-afternoon rush. Options include a dedicated call-back window, cross-training staff to cover phones during peaks, or an answering service that captures details when the desk is full. Start by measuring how many new-client calls currently go unanswered, since most practices underestimate it.
Putting the checklist to work
Print the six steps above and keep them by the phone for a week. Track which fields your team consistently forgets to ask about, then tighten the script around those gaps. Within a few weeks you will have onboarding calls that feed clean records into the first appointment, and new clients who feel like your practice had its act together from the moment they called.