How do I collect email addresses from my clients?

DVMs and Practice Managers ask me this question all the time. Usually in frustration I’m told:

“We’ve tried it and we can’t get email addresses.”
“Our clients don’t want us to email them.”
“The staff feel awkward asking for email addresses.”

All of these statements are true if you understand the context in which many of us are asking for and collecting email addresses.

I want to suggest that thinking a bit about why, when and where we ask and who does the asking makes a lot of difference. In fact I know some practices that report that greater than 95% of people they ask will share their email addresses. So I thought I’d lay out the two ways that I’ve come to understand that clinics try and collect email addresses.

Email Collection Scenario One: Collect Emails at Sign-In

Here’s how this goes:

A helpful team member we’ll call Shannon greets Mrs. Jones who’s brought her boston terrier, Skipper, in for his annual wellness exam.

Shannon: “It’s nice to see you Mrs. Jones — hi Skipper! Don’t you look frisky! You’re here for your checkup?”

Mrs. Jones: “That’s right – I had to bribe Skipper to get here but he’ll do anything for treats.”

Shannon: “Well — we’ll take care of you Skipper. Don’t you worry. The doctor will be ready to see you in just a few minutes. Now, we’re just updating our records. You’re still at 53 Northcrest Road?”

Mrs. Jones: “That’s right.”

Shannon: “OK, great. And, I notice that we don’t have your email address on file. Can I get a good email address for you?”

Mrs. Jones: “Uh – No – I’d prefer not.”

Shannon: “OK then, no problem. Just have a seat and we’ll have Skipper in as soon as possible.”

The result? The clinic doesn’t have the client’s email address and the client is left wondering what the clinic wanted the address for in the first place.

Let’s look at an alternative.

Email Collection Scenario Two: Ask for the email in context as part of the visit…

In this scenario we don’t ask for the email address until it’s connected to the reason why we’re asking for it. Also, we’re going to let the expert, the DVM ask for the address. Here’s how this plays out:

During the examination Dr. Smith addresses dental care. It’s hard to deal with in the short 20-minute appointment and he knows Mrs. Jones won’t likely agree to a prophy right away.

Dr. Smith: “So, Skipper is looking pretty good but I’m still a bit concerned about his teeth. If we can get in there to do a cleaning, Skipper will have healthier gums and better breath. Even more importantly, we can minimize any tooth pain and avoid the risk of heart disease. I know you’ll want to think about it but it is important. To help, I’m going to send you an article that talks about the link between clean teeth and heart disease in dogs. I’ve started sending out this information by email because I can send the most current information and don’t have to worry about keeping photocopies. I notice that I don’t have your email address – can I get that please? “

Mrs. Jones: “Certainly – use my home email address: iloveskipper@email.com. I’ll give that information a good read. Thank you.”

So let’s compare these side-by-side:

Even if it isn’t the DVM/RVT who ultimately presses “send” on an email a subtle shift in how you try and collect email addresses can make all the difference.

What have you done in your practice around email collection that’s worked particularly well? We’d love to hear about it.