2026 Veterinary Goal Planning: How Smart Clinic Software and Mobile Apps Will Drive Growth in a Down Market

Why practices using Chckvet are outperforming industry trends—and how your clinic can do the same next year.

Across the veterinary industry, practices are entering 2026 facing a challenging reality: visits are down, costs are up, and client hesitation is rising. According to national data, veterinary visits are down 3% year-over-year as of September 2025 .

But while the industry contracts, Chckvet users are growing—and the data proves it.

If 2025 felt unpredictable, 2026 is the year to focus on what you can control: ✔️ better client communication ✔️ access to care ✔️ workflow efficiency ✔️ retention and reactivation

And that starts with rethinking your veterinary clinic software, especially the tools that influence client behavior—your pet app, pet portal app, veterinary mobile apps, and your overall tech ecosystem.

Why 2026 Goals Must Include a Shift Toward Modern Veterinary Software Programs

Legacy systems aren’t built for today’s client expectations. You cannot hit your 2026 productivity, revenue, or growth goals using outdated or fragmented tools.

Practices still using separate vet apps, intake tools, reminder platforms, and outdated portals experience:

• Lost appointments due to friction

• Slow or incomplete follow-through

• Overdue patient backlogs

• Overwhelmed staff

• Lower revenue per patient

• Slower new client growth

Meanwhile, practices that consolidate technology into a single best veterinary software platform—like Chckvet—see measurable increases in visits, revenue, and retention.

Data-Backed Proof: Chckvet Users Are Defying Industry Decline

📈 +5% Visit Growth Across All Users

While visits fell nationwide by 3%, Chckvet practices grew visits by +5% .

🔥 +29% Visit Growth for Super Users

Practices that fully adopt the platform—real-time booking, digital forms, reminders, messaging, and the pet app—see +29% visit growth, including some practices achieving +46% year-over-year increases .

💰 +10% Average Revenue Growth

All Chckvet users saw +10% average revenue growth, even in a declining market. Super users grew revenue 30%, with some near 50% YoY .

These results are not a fluke. They’re the direct outcome of using veterinary mobile software to remove friction from the client experience.

2026 Goal #1: Increase Access to Care with 24/7 Online Booking

Clients want convenience—and when you give it to them, they book more often.

Chckvet super users average:

• 191 online bookings per month (25% of all bookings)

• 101 after-hours bookings between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m.

This alone recovers hundreds of appointments each year that would otherwise be lost.

Action for 2026:

✔️ Make after-hours access part of your growth strategy ✔️ Move booking into your pet app or pet vet app ✔️ Promote “24/7 scheduling” as a differentiator in your market

2026 Goal #2: Reduce Overdue and Lapsed Patients

Super users saw a 28% reduction in overdue patients, while partial users saw almost no change .

This is driven by:

• Automated reminders

• In-app notifications

• Personalized two-way texting

• Smart segmentation

• Digital continuity tools

Action for 2026:

✔️ Build a monthly reactivation system using your veterinary apps ✔️ Use automated workflows to reduce overdue care ✔️ Track overdue trends monthly, not yearly

2026 Goal #3: Increase Per-Visit Revenue With Better In-Room Conversations

Chckvet users saw 5–9% increases in per-visit spend, and super users saw 19–27% increases .

Why? Because digital forms and smoother intake give teams more time with clients during the appointment.

Super users average:

• 92 digital forms per month (vs. 31 for standard users)

When clients complete forms before arrival, the entire appointment is more meaningful.

Action for 2026:

✔️ Require pre-visit digital forms ✔️ Use intake data to personalize recommendations ✔️ Track conversions on key services (dentals, labs, preventives)

2026 Goal #4: Strengthen Local Visibility With More Reviews

Review generation is no longer optional—it is one of the strongest drivers of discoverability.

Chckvet users generate:

4.5× more Google reviews than non-users

And according to Sterling Sky research, 49% of local SEO ranking influence is tied to review signals (quoted in the white paper) .

Action for 2026: ✔️ Integrate review requests into your pet portal app ✔️ Automate review prompts after every visit ✔️ Track review growth monthly as a KPI

2026 Goal #5: Consolidate Your Tech Stack Into One Best-In-Class Veterinary Clinic Software Platform

Full adopters of Chckvet—those who consolidate booking, reminders, forms, reviews, messaging, and workflows—experience exponential results:

Super user advantages:

• Faster revenue growth

• Higher per-visit revenue

• More bookings

• More after-hours access

• Stronger compliance

• Better overdue patient recovery

• Stronger retention

Partial adoption = partial results. Full adoption = transformational results.

Action for 2026:

✔️ Audit every tool you're paying for ✔️ Eliminate duplicated systems ✔️ Move to one unified veterinary clinic software platform ✔️ Use the pet app as your primary communication hub

Why Chckvet Is the Best Veterinary Software to Build Your 2026 Success Plan

Chckvet is not “another vet app.” It is a modern, mobile-first operating system designed to meet the real needs of today’s veterinary teams and pet owners.

With Chckvet, practices get:

• Real-time scheduling

• Unified pet app + pet portal

• Two-way messaging

• AI-powered triage

• Digital forms that write into the PIMS

• Analytics and goal tracking

• Integrated review generation

• Forward-booking tools

• Industry-leading client engagement

If your 2026 goals include efficiency, higher retention, more revenue, less stress, or fewer overdue clients… Chckvet is the platform that will get you there.

The white paper proves it. The data proves it. Your team will feel it. Your clients will notice it.

Make 2026 Your Most Efficient, Most Connected, and Most Profitable Year Yet

The veterinary practices thriving today aren’t just lucky—they’re using the right technology.

2026 belongs to the practices that: ✨ embrace mobile-first veterinary apps ✨ streamline workflows ✨ meet clients where they are ✨ consolidate tools ✨ strengthen digital engagement

Chckvet gives you the technology foundation to achieve all of it.