Online booking for veterinary practices: what clients want

Online booking is becoming standard for routine veterinary appointments. Just over a quarter of surveyed pet owners preferred it to booking by phone, according to a 2025 Vetstoria survey. That share rose to almost half among owners under 35 and those living in cities. Where online booking is unavailable, the client has to delay the booking or contact the practice during opening hours.

What clients are asking for

Clients need to see genuine availability and complete the booking on a phone. They also need immediate confirmation, and the ability to change or cancel without calling the practice.

Many booking systems still collect a request rather than reserve a live appointment. The client then waits for the practice to confirm or change it. This is why Lupa's AI receptionist can save vet teams time, and get clients booked in there and then.

Why a difficult booking process damages the client experience

In a UK and Australian survey of 2,000 pet owners, respondents were asked what frustrated them most about a veterinary practice. Difficulty getting an appointment or long waiting times topped the list, named by 19% of respondents. That is more than double the number who cited clinical care or customer service, each named by 8%. The booking process therefore shapes the client's impression of the practice before the consultation starts. How veterinary practices can improve online reviews and build client trust covers the same dynamic from the other side, once that impression has already formed.

Online booking also allows clients to make routine appointments outside phone hours. This is particularly useful for clients who cannot call during the working day.

The features that matter most

Most veterinary practices now offer online booking. The system also needs to handle appointments that are not straightforward routine slots.

Poorly configured systems may offer the wrong duration, clinician or room for the selected appointment type. Reception then has to identify the error and contact the client to rebook.

The system should prevent clients from selecting appointment combinations the practice cannot safely provide. Check whether the system can:

• assign the correct duration, clinician and room to each appointment type
• allow clients to book more than one animal where appropriate
• trigger reminders linked to the confirmed appointment
• redirect urgent or unsuitable cases to the practice immediately

The online and telephone diaries also need to update in real time. If they do not, the same slot can be offered twice. Reception then has to resolve the clash and contact one of the clients. Both booking channels should read from and write to the same live diary.

Getting things right without losing the personal touch

Some practices worry that online booking may reduce personal contact with clients. Survey data suggests online booking saves admin time while maintaining high client satisfaction. A separate survey of 104 veterinary practices already using online booking found that 89% said it freed up between five minutes and two hours of admin time a day. Feedback from more than a million client bookings placed through the same system showed a satisfaction rate of 96%. That time can be used for calls and conversations that need a person.

Online booking should sit alongside the phone rather than replace it. Clients who prefer self-service can book directly, while reception remains available for urgent, complex or sensitive calls. It also cuts the time reception spends fixing unsuitable or duplicate bookings.

Lupa connects appointment type, duration, clinician, room and reminder rules within the same booking workflow. This reduces unsuitable bookings and manual rebooking. Reducing no-shows in a veterinary practice is a natural next read for any practice thinking about the booking experience end to end. To see how Lupa's scheduling and booking tools work together, book a demo.