Lobby Dashboard FAQ

Research in service psychology shows that uncertainty makes waiting feel significantly longer than the actual time elapsed. When clients don't know how long they'll wait, their anxiety increases and time perception distorts^[1].

Wait time displays address two critical psychological factors:

• Uncertain waits feel longer: Studies show that uncertain waits can feel up to 36% longer than waits with known durations
• Informed waits reduce anxiety: When clients know the expected wait, they can mentally prepare and settle in, reducing stress hormones and improving their overall experience

The display doesn't actually reduce medical wait times—it reduces perceived wait time by eliminating the anxiety of uncertainty.

This is a common concern that research disproves. Studies of emergency departments and service centers show that transparency about long waits actually reduces complaints, not increases them^[2].

Here's why:

• People get angry at surprises, not facts: Clients become upset when they discover they've been waiting 45 minutes without being told. They're less upset when they knew it would be 45 minutes from the start.
• Transparency builds trust: When you openly display wait times, clients perceive your practice as honest and professional, even during busy periods.
• Expectation management: Clients who see a 60-minute wait can make informed decisions—grab coffee, run an errand, or mentally prepare. Clients who expect 10 minutes and wait 60 leave negative reviews.

The data is clear: transparent communication about delays leads to higher satisfaction scores than hiding the information.

Busy emergency veterinary practices report this question being asked 40-60 times per shift. That's:

• One interruption every 6-8 minutes during a 6-hour busy period
• Breaking staff focus repeatedly (23 minutes to refocus after each interruption^[3])
• Preventing staff from focusing on critical tasks like triage assessment, phone calls, and emergency coordination

A wait time display answers this question automatically, all day, every day, without interrupting your staff's workflow.

Yes. If you have any TV or monitor with an HDMI input, it will work. You'll need:

• An internet-connected device (Roku, Fire Stick, Chromecast, or even an old laptop)
• The device plugged into your TV's HDMI port
• A web browser to access the dashboard URL

Total setup time: 5 minutes. No technical expertise required.

Depends on your plan:

Professional Plan ($99/mo): Manual updates via simple web dashboard on any device. Staff can update wait times in 10 seconds from their phone, tablet, or computer.

Premium Plan ($199/mo): Automatic updates from your practice management system (ezyVet, Pulse, Cornerstone). Wait times update in real-time based on actual queue data—no manual entry required.

The dashboard displays:

• Current status: Patients waiting, patients being seen, veterinarians available
• Wait times: Average wait for urgent vs. critical cases
• Wellness tips: Rotating pet health tips to educate while clients wait
• Satisfaction score: Your practice's client satisfaction rating (optional)
• Patients helped today: Counter showing how many pets you've treated

All content is customizable to match your practice's priorities and brand.

Yes. You can customize:

• Practice name and logo
• Color scheme to match your branding
• Which metrics to display
• Wellness tip content and rotation frequency
• Time zone and language

For multi-location practices, each location can have its own customized dashboard.

The free trial includes full access to either the Professional or Premium plan:

• Complete dashboard setup
• Custom branding with your practice name and colors
• All features unlocked (manual updates on Professional, PMS integration on Premium)
• Email support
• No credit card required to start
• No obligation to continue after 30 days

You choose which plan to trial based on whether you want manual updates or PMS integration.

Professional ($99/month):

• Manual wait time updates via web dashboard
• Perfect for practices that want simple, quick updates
• Staff updates wait times in 10 seconds from any device
• All other features included (wellness tips, status metrics, etc.)

Premium ($199/month):

• Automatic real-time updates from your PMS (ezyVet, Pulse, Cornerstone)
• Wait times update automatically based on actual queue data
• Business analytics dashboard for practice management
• Advanced KPIs and trend analysis
• Zero manual work—everything updates automatically

Multi-location pricing:

• Professional: $99/mo for first location, +$75/mo per additional location
• Premium: $199/mo for first location, +$125/mo per additional location

Each location gets its own customized dashboard with separate branding, wait times, and content. Centralized management dashboard available to view all locations simultaneously.

One-time setup fee: $500 base, tiered for multi-location deployments.

Present it as an investment in client experience and staff efficiency:

Measurable Benefits:

• Reduces front desk interruptions by 40-50 repetitive questions per shift
• Improves client satisfaction scores (transparency correlates with higher ratings^[2])
• Modern, professional appearance that signals quality care
• Passive client education through wellness tips

Low Risk:

• 30-day free trial with no credit card required
• No long-term contract—cancel anytime
• Uses existing TV/monitor—no hardware purchase needed
• 5-minute setup—minimal time investment

The cost is roughly equivalent to 4-5 hours of front desk labor per month, while saving dozens of hours in reduced interruptions.

The dashboard requires internet connectivity to display. If your internet goes down:

• The display will show the last cached data
• A "connection lost" indicator appears to alert staff
• Once internet is restored, the dashboard automatically reconnects and updates

For critical operations, we recommend having a backup internet connection (mobile hotspot as backup).

Premium plan includes automatic integration with:

• ezyVet
• Pulse
• Cornerstone

Using a different PMS? Contact us about custom integrations.

Yes. You can display the same dashboard on multiple screens in different areas:

• Main lobby waiting area
• Exam room hallway
• Isolation ward waiting area
• Staff break room

Each screen just needs its own streaming device pointed to your dashboard URL. No additional cost for multiple displays at the same location.

All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. The dashboard displays only aggregate information—no patient names, medical details, or personally identifiable information. Wait time calculations are based on anonymized queue data.

For PMS integrations, we use read-only API access with minimum necessary permissions. Your practice management data remains secure in your PMS.

The opposite is true. Research shows that clients are more tolerant of delays when they understand why they're happening^[1].

When your dashboard shows "12 patients waiting, 3 veterinarians available," clients understand you're busy because you're helping many pets—not because your practice is inefficient. This context transforms frustration into patience.

Additionally, busy practices are perceived as successful practices. Clients interpret high patient volume as a signal of quality care.

First, define "embarrassingly long." Emergency veterinary medicine inherently involves unpredictable wait times—this is expected and understood by clients seeking emergency care.

That said, if your wait times are genuinely problematic:

• The dashboard reveals the problem you already have. Clients are experiencing those waits whether you display them or not. Hiding the information doesn't reduce actual wait times—it just makes clients angrier when they discover how long they've been waiting.
• Transparency motivates operational improvements. When wait times are visible, practice managers can identify patterns, adjust staffing, and optimize workflows.
• Context matters. Showing "90 minute wait for urgent care" alongside "15 patients waiting, 2 vets available" helps clients understand the situation rather than assuming incompetence.

If wait times are truly unmanageable, that's an operational issue requiring staffing or process changes—not a transparency problem.

Small practices benefit even more than large ones:

• Small teams = greater interruption impact: When you only have 1-2 front desk staff, every interruption is more disruptive.
• Client expectations don't scale: Clients at small practices expect the same professional experience as large practices. A modern wait time display levels the playing field.
• Low cost, high impact: At $99-199/month, this is one of the most affordable ways to modernize your client experience.

The 30-day free trial lets you test with zero financial risk.