“I chose to move to VETLINKSQL last November. I saw it as a modern programme, written in a modern programming language, with the programmer writing the programme still associated with the company (with a bigger team), and fine-tuning issues with the software as they arise. I have not been disappointed with my move to VETLINKSQL, although the learning curve has been steep. I was still using cards for histories until very recently even though I had software. My card record system died under its own weight, and in VETLINKSQL I have found a veterinary software which I can use and perform well in, doing those functions I do and cannot delegate to “the girls” – who use the system far better than I do..... I do a lot of writing of histories from home, early mornings, and find that flexibility, immensely valuable (VETLINKSQL is free to use from anywhere as long as you do not exceed the total number of users concurrently using the software for each licensed clinic). We have learned to append pathology results, and radiographs into the patient database, and I am starting to use the reporting functions, which are far more extensive than I will ever learn to use.

It has helped that VETLINKSQL is a logical programme, which is at least straightforward to learn. Each such programme has its own ethos, and guiding philosophy, and while we have spent a fair bit of time learning what not to do, and what it will not let you do, our nearly 12 month experience of VETLINKSQL is extremely positive. During this time, many calls to the VETLINKSQL support desk have been made, both by Janelle, and by Liz, my Practice Manager. Our experience is that problems are sorted out very quickly, with expertise, and, frankly, keen interest in resolving them. There have been a couple of matters referred to the programmer, and solutions devised. Matters are fixed, not avoided. My view of my computing arrangements runs this way. We are happy with VETLINKSQL as a programme and as a provider. The service desk has worked really well in providing support.

Janelle Beavan: Our clinic had Janelle Beavan, an independent software consultant, assist us on-site. Once VETLINKSQL management were made aware of Janelle, in their usually philosophy of “anything that can assist their clients is a good thing” approach, they were happy to pay for Janelle to travel to their Head Office in New Zealand to up skill and get two days of intensive training “on them”.

Janelle Beavan has been affiliated with this clinic for approximately 2 years, initially to do training on our old system RX Works. Janelle’s training has helped significantly. She can now log onto our server from her home at any time. During our move to VETLINKSQL Janelle was invaluable in making the transition as smooth as possible. Having Janelle’s guidance has allowed my staff to get the most out of both of these programs, thanks to her excellent management skills and expert communication abilities. Janelle has been of immense value to myself as an older practitioner, who is not as technophobic as myself. Janelle has adapted the tools of a modern business system into my practice, and assisted in getting the machinery of the business humming harmoniously. She has helped us in identifying many of these “loose tags” as they have floated to the top during this time, and her computer skills, previous experience as a Practice Manager, and training in the VETLINKSQL software, has resulted in her being able to resolve these issues one by one – the most significant being the stocktake debacle, associated with the electronic stock ordering integration. After a considerable amount of Janelle’s time spent ensuring that the order units and holding descriptions fitted into the required units, and delving into and re-ordering the entire database, the problem is sorted. I have no doubts that her superior skills will continue to benefit many clinics no matter what level of training or assistance they require. I have no doubts that her superior skills will continue to benefit many clinics no matter what level of training or assistance they require. I am happy to provide verbal references for Janelle also. ”

Jeff Titmarsh BVSc
Practice Owner
Raymond Terrace Veterinary Hospital, NSW, Australia

“Ray and I have been involved with VETLINKSQL since April 2011. We have found the software to be very 'user friendly' and can achieve a lot more work efficiently and financially than our old software, RxWorks. We have always struggled with computers as we are not computer literate. The service CFL (VETLINKSQL) has shown us has always been very professional and they are quick to fix our issues and correct our mistakes by logging in (in the beginning they were a lot, but not so many now).

To complement VETLINKSQL we have the services of Janelle Beavan, who provides us with in-house training on this software. CFL have now trained Janelle further (at their cost) once they found that she was keen to assist clinics in the area. We find this a great investment for our business as Janelle has helped us with the setting up of procedures/accounts/SMS/ financials/hotel module which VETLINKSQL offers. Janelle’s skills are a great asset for our business as the jobs DO get done by her and /or she shows me how to do them. We have learnt a lot with both Janelle and the VETLINKSQL support team.

The change-over was a smooth ride and not as stressful as we were imaging. CFL have shown to us that they do care about our business and they do listen to the request for improvements that will help run our business better financially and more efficiently. We would recommend VETLINKSQL to any practice that is considering changing software. Well done guys; we look forward to having many years of continued partnership and support.

To Deven [03 Sept 2011]
Your program is very good, and we are learning more and more. We are glad we changed even though it was a big decision for Ray and I as we are not into computers. It is hard to step outside of the box....... ”

Donna Burton
Practice Manager
Mount Hutton Pet Hospital, Mount Hutton, NSW, Australia

“We reviewed 4 veterinary software programmes when making the switch 5 years ago (including RxWorks). For us VETLINKSQL stood out because of the following:

1. Innovative marketing functions including SMS reminders, integrated website, newsletters etc.
2. The SQL database permitted simultaneous editing of patient histories and bills and allowed end of day cash-up and backups while all users were still using the system.
3. The open source SQL database (without a size limit) meant that there were no licensing costs from the likes of Microsoft in the future and we could run it on a much smaller server (our own hardware).
4. The price presented excellent value for money.
5. Support was prompt and easily accessible with a genuine concern for our business.

We have been very happy with our decision. The system is robust enough to cope with the high demands of our busy hospital with around 12 workstations. We should be considering switching to the multi-core processor version but have not needed to as each version seems to be better “tuned”. Our support remains easily accessible and prompt despite the company being based in New Zealand. The company is innovative and responds to development requests from the consumers as evident by the improvements and new features released with each version. I am sure we are only scratching the surface of the in-built features of VETLINKSQL and the add-on facilities available. I think if a practice were to utilise all of them it would definitely assist in the generation of revenue and the improving of efficiency. Their on-line training resource is excellent and we have found the VETLINKSQL conferences very useful to attend.

All “Thumbs Up” from us if you are considering moving to VETLINKSQL!!.”

Dr Michael Powell, BVSc (Hons)
Practice Owner, Anvet Beenleigh Pet Hospital (www.anvetbeenleigh.com.au) - Website by www.p2plimited.com

“We ran with VETLINKSQL after considerable research and comparisons between other veterinary software programmes. We wanted a simple, cost effective user friendly system and we wanted to be in control of our server. While we wanted something simple to use, we also wanted to make sure that it had “depth” so we could grow into it longer term. We made the move in October 2010 and have been more than happy. The tech support team are accessible, fast, and effective. The programme itself has a host of features which I must admit we haven’t got around to using yet. VETLINKSQL makes accounting and documenting medical records a breeze. The ability to configure your own diary reasons, items, services and just about anything else makes it the perfect workplace companion. You literally get out of it whatever you want or need. It really depends on how much effort you put into setting it up. Our remote desktop connection from home (no extra charges for this) has reduced my time at the office considerably. The initial migration of data from QuickBooks and the in-house training provided by CFL deployment staff was just spot on. We find the diary based accounting system has improved data entry and practice profitability considerably. Most Impressed!”

Paul Clavin
Clavin and Rogers & Associates, Cohuna, VIC, Australia

“I have been using VETLINKSQL now for approximately 4 months (Dec 2010) and am more than happy with the program. It is very user friendly and easy to operate and caters for all my requirements for an equine practice. If I do have any issues with the program there is always someone at the end of the phone to help. The support offered leaves most of the other “Veterinary” software companies for dead. I use the program in the field and am very happy with its’ capabilities. Oh, and another thing - when we wanted to expand and access the program remotely, we thought that we had to purchase a big server to access it. Deven overheard our plight and suggested an innovative product that made our normal PC with Windows 7 into a full server allowing up to 5 concurrent TS access licenses for a mere $200.00, savings us thousands! VETLINKSQL seems to be quite “hardware and network agnostic” and works well without any strict special hardware requirement regime. The staff at CFL really try and work with our hardware people and us to make sure we have a great solution. Nothing is too much trouble for these guys!”

Louise Cosgrove
Exclusively Equine, QLD, Australia

“We have recently moved to VETLINKSQL after comprehensive research followed by demonstrations of the product. We absolutely like this product, especially the diary system. It allows us to us to schedule 12 vets doing small and large animal calls, and a technician, all on one diary, and all visible on one screen. It has an advanced Roster Management System that can cater for all sorts of timetables with easy manual overrides. Calls can easily be moved from vet to vet, and multiple vets doing the same call have linked appointments. The billing process is then very easy. By clicking on an appointment, the billing screen is opened to the right patient on the right day. The colour coding allows us to easily track what calls are waiting, those that are done and what stage of billing each call is at. We even link calls between different diaries so we can view a day’s large animal work in a list view or in the graphical diary view. Staff that are away or doing surgery can be locked from different diaries so they are never double-booked. Our branch practice appointments are easily accessed “live” from the same diary screen; appointments can be made for staff at either clinic from a single location.

Some of our vets on the road also use 3G network cards on their laptops and connect directly to our server - and there are no extra fees for this as long as we don’t exceed the total number of licensed users – this also means after-hours login from home is free as well. Billing can be done at the time of consultation; appointments can be checked and made. We have full functionality via remote connection including making appointments, adding patients and clients and changing stock prices. No synchronisation needs to be performed back at the clinic, leading to huge efficiency within our practice.

SMS messaging between the clinic and remote vets allows for appointment and messages to be sent to vets during the day. Vets are able to respond via SMS if required. The ability to have multiple “stores” within each Branch means that stock can be monitored for each vet car. Stock transfer between the main clinic, branch clinics and cars is so easy. Each job is then booked out from the respective store meaning that stock control can be kept tight for each mobile vet.

We have now discovered that such advanced appointment systems can be implemented easily and soon become the most actively used part of the entire practice management system, as most tasks can be recorded here, and then processes “spawned” to complete and document them efficiently.

We were very happy with the whole data migration and guidance process and the training was excellent. The helpdesk is readily available and very helpful. We would have no hesitation in recommending VETLINKSQL to any sized practice throughout Australia. We have found it to be very powerful and it caters to all of our Mixed Animal Practice needs easily! ”

Dr Duncan Runciman
MAFFRA Veterinary Centre, Victoria, Australia

“After considerable research, several demos, and lots of questions back to CFL, we decided to convert to VETLINKSQL. We’ve been extremely pleased with the decision to partner with CFL (VETLINKSQL) and P2P (WEB Site Concept) with regard to upgrading our practice software. Throughout the whole process we’ve found CFL to be very professional and easy to get along with. We were initially impressed with the new generation look and feel of the software and are appreciating the efficiency and stability of the new software environment. The transition was extremely smooth with the data coming across with a minimal of fuss. The CFL team did a masterful job! Since going live we have appreciated the assistance from all the staff at CFL who have patiently guided us on the new journey. We’ve received excellent support from the help desk who have always provided on the spot solutions and advice to our many queries. As we’ve become more accustomed with the functionality of VETLINKSQL, the staff are enjoying its versatility and embracing the new technology. We are now looking for new ways to improve our systems. We can certainly see the benefits of VETLINKSQL over the short term and look forward making the software work harder for us into the future. ”

Andrew Gooley
Kyabram Veterinary Clinic, VIC, Australia

“We changed over to VETLINKSQL in January 2010 and have no regrets to date. The transition from RxWorks was not without some stumbling blocks but overall the experience was relatively painless. It probably took about a month for all the staff to become comfortable with the different ways of navigating through the programme but all are quite competent now. We are certainly very happy with the level of support given through the transition and since installation. Also the email newsletters are very succinct and useful. The techs who did the installation and reworking of the network found it very easy to deal with VETLINKSQL Staff, which made the whole process much smoother. We are still only scratching the surface of some of the functions but we are finding that the programme works well for both small animals and large animals (mainly dairy) alike. ”

Keith Fletcher
Rochester Veterinary Practice

“VETLINKSQL was implemented into our practice in December 2007 after we reviewed several systems to replace our original system which had served us well until then, but required an upgrade. Throughout the implementation of VETLINKSQL, and in the years to follow, the training and updates have been thorough, timely and comprehensive. Manly Road Veterinary Hospital is a very large practice (50+ staff members) that operates 24/7, and required it’s software to work well consistently. In our experience, the ongoing support of key technicians employed by VETLINKSQL has been prompt and consistently of high standards that exceed other software companies. The updates provided remotely are rarely invasive to our daily operations. We would recommend VETLINKSQL for their support and timely system corrections and updates.”

Christine Kidd
Manly Road Veterinary Hospital

“We have had the VETLINKSQL program installed for three months  (since May 2010) now and find the program an important asset to our practice. After much discussion with other vets regarding software management systems and after discussion with a number of software providers we decided to purchase the VETLINKSQL program. Factors that helped us decide were the favorable pricing, helpful sales and support staff and the program's modern features. The swap over of the data files from our existing old dos program went seamlessly. VETLINKSQL staff are readily available for support and issues have been dealt with very quickly. Features of the program that we love include the appointment diary, sms reminder capability, email marketing ability, ability to add pet photos, ability to attach all X rays (after taking a digital image of a standard Xray) , US images and case pictures to the animal's records. All hard copy reports and anaesthetic and consent forms can easily be scanned in to be in the animal's history thus reducing the need for hard copy storage. Printing up pathology ID labels for specimens and request forms is handy. The staff "notes" feature in the diary means no more post it notes attached to staff corkboards. There has already been an VETLINKSQL version upgrade since our purchase and this has addressed some minor annoyances we had with the initial version. It appears they are constantly looking to improve the software in response to Vet feedback. A recent locum I had employed has done locums world wide and commented that it is the best Veterinary software she has used and is indeed making some enquiries regarding purchasing VETLINKSQL for her new practice. ”

Hi Deven,

This is a quick note to express out thanks with the VETLINKSQL program. We are really happy with the program and how the system operates.

Kind regards,
Brad McPartland
Terrigal Veterinary Hospital

This clinic was previously using software from RxWorks.