How You Can Build Client Relationships with Social MediaApril 10, 2015Social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or any of the many social media platforms, people (including your clients) are using them to interact with their friends and family about their daily lives, including their pets. How can your veterinary practice start using social media to interact with existing clients and develop new client relationships? Reasons to Use Social Media to Build Relationships According to Forbes, whether it’s the medical, financial and automotive industries, more and more companies are using social media to let people “share their story” and gain feedback from their customers. This helps them better understand their customers. When it comes to building relationships with clients, Diane Rayfield, founder of Chicago, Ill.-based full-service social media agency Harp Social, explained that social media is the perfect tool to accomplish this. “If a vet office or an animal hospital was to use social media, there would be different benefits they could gain from that,” Rayfield said. “One would be to develop relationships with their current clientele as well as gain awareness with new or potential audiences. They can also gain trust and authority using social media.” While there are numerous social media platforms, …
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Is Your Office Culture Negatively Affecting Your Well-Being?April 8, 2015Most of us spend the bulk of our waking hours at work. So, it’s important that we feel respected, supported and appreciated in our work environment. However, numerous studies show that’s not the case for the majority of employees in today’s workforce. Work-related stress can be a significant cause of mental and physical illness. And, it’s linked to costly problems like absenteeism and employee turnover. Veterinarians in practice are expected to excel in an incredible array of stressful demands. Demands that begin with educational standards prior to admission to a veterinary college, which continue to escalate throughout multiple years of medical training and then mushroom with entrance into the profession. Finally, we have begun to recognize the reality of potential effects of high-stress levels veterinarians face by juggling a variety of non-negotiable responsibilities. For example: Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of a broad variety of medical knowledge across multiple species; Keeping clients happy; Dealing with conflicting ethical issues; Hiring, training and maintaining a highly qualified staff. Sadly, tragic consequences for several well-known colleagues have resulted in numerous studies and articles focusing on mental health issues experienced by a large number of veterinarians. Terms we see in …
The 2015 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest Now Accepting Entries!March 26, 2015Entries are being accepted for Veterinary Practice News' 10th annual radiograph contest, "They Ate WHAT?" Pet health insurer Trupanion of Seattle is sponsoring the contest. The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes. First prize is $1,500; second prize, $1,000; third prize, $500. Shawn Messonnier, DVM, Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, Plano, Texas Kermit the frog was the 2014 "They Ate What?!" Radiograph Contest winner. More than 30 small ornamental rocks were found inside Kermit, but were removed without complications. Entries must be submitted electronically by June 30. Clinics that don't have digital radiography may submit digital photos of their qualifying films. Email radiographs to VPNeditor@luminamedia.com or use our online submission form. The submission must include the submitter's name, clinic address, a telephone number and a short explanation of the case, including outcome. Photographs of the pet and removed items may also be sent, as in the case of last year's third-place winner, the dog that ate 43 ½ socks. The photo of the socks paired nicely with the X-ray. Entries become the property of Lumina Media, the parent company of Veterinary Practice News, which reserves the right to use …
Try to Look at Dentistry From the Client’s SideMarch 11, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Imagine you’re a dog owner and visit the veterinarian for your dog’s annual checkup. You spend $208 for an exam, vaccines and diagnostic tests.1 During the exam, the doctor diagnoses your dog with grade 2 dental disease and recommends treatment. A technician gives you an estimate for $427.1 You’re facing a total of $635 in veterinary care—when you assumed your dog just needed an exam, vaccines and heartworm/tick and intestinal parasite tests. Not surprisingly, 34 percent of pet owners say their veterinary bills are higher than they expected, according to the Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study.2 Veterinarians often diagnose dental disease during routine exams because 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats age 3 and older have dental disease, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society.3 Your team’s ability to confidently explain the dental diagnosis, treatment and fees will determine whether pets get needed medical care. To take a fresh approach to client communication, look at dentistry from the client’s side of the exam table. Here are common client reactions when hearing dental recommendations and how to respond: “Sure, my pet has bad breath. That’s normal.” Teach pet owners …
7 Things That Will Kill Your Employee's MotivationMarch 9, 2015Almost every new employee brings a high degree of motivation to: Be the best they can be Contribute to your practice Learn new skills Get along with other employees Remain with your practice for the long haul “I Love My Job.” The challenge for practice leaders is to build on that initial motivation, and to create an environment where motivation grows deeper. Eventually, a sense of motivation can blossom into an attitude of loyalty and commitment. This reminds me of a scene at the altar of a wedding I once heard about. When the groom started patting his pockets as though looking for something, his best man asked, “Did you forget the ring?” The groom worriedly answered, “No, I think I’ve lost my enthusiasm.” Looking back on 36 years of leadership in veterinary practices makes me wish I had researched and written this article many years ago. No, I didn’t make all the mistakes all the time, but my leadership could have been better, especially in the area of keeping team members motivated. A lot gets written about how to motivate employees. But what about the flip side; things that kill motivation like weeds choke out a vegetable garden? Killer …
Is There a Practical Way to Write an Emergency Action Plan for a Natural Disaster?February 13, 2015“What would you do to continue practicing veterinary medicine, to continue paying your staff, and to communicate with your clients?" asks the "Disaster Preparedness for Veterinary Practices," an AVMA Publication. "If you do not prepare now for what you will do in a disaster, then the disaster will dictate the outcome of your business — possibly the outcome of your life.” The image of Noah’s Ark is often used by veterinary and other animal-based businesses. It makes a good analogy for the value of a written natural disaster plan. A good plan definitely has the potential to save a business when faced with a natural event of disastrous proportions. Understandably, the thought of crafting a written emergency action plan to cover potential challenges caused by a natural disaster might seem as unnerving as manually building a huge boat. Think of the plan as an addition to the line of defensive measures you already use to protect your practice from all sorts of threats. The good news is there are numerous resources online to help you develop a plan that uniquely fits your circumstances. Before looking at some of those resources, imagine landmarks on a map. Each landmark can help you …
Why You Should Take Your Client’s Temperature TooFebruary 12, 2015We’re used to taking the temperature of our patient, and even when we need a little help steadying the front end of the animal, we know our way around the back end pretty well. But what about our client’s “temperature?" Well, it’s the emotional “temperature.” Clients who are laid back, easy to get along with, friendly, and pays their bill could be understood as having a “low” temperature, and are not much cause for concern for either party. But clients with “high” temperatures are those ones we have to watch. They can be heated up for any number of reasons, which displays itself as any number of emotions such as anger, disappointment, grief, concern, highly attached … well you probably get the point, the ones we lump into the “high-maintenance” category. They may not be our favorite type of client to interact with, but because they make up a large number of our cases each day, knowing how to interact with these clients will certainly help us get through the day. The first step is simply to “take” their temperatures. It’s not difficult; typically within minutes, you can tell how hot they are by their words, actions, persona, demeanor, non-verbal …
How to Help Clients say Goodbye to Dying PetsJanuary 23, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Saying goodbye to beloved pets is an emotional and difficult decision for owners. Your team’s compassion and kindness can bring comfort to grieving clients. Remember, half of what you care for is on the other end of the leash—people. Here are ways to create comforting goodbyes: Offer a quality-of-life consultation. If the client is unsure about euthanasia, schedule a 30-minute consultation. The veterinarian will perform a comprehensive assessment of the patient, including its ability to move comfortably, eat, drink, urinate and defecate. Getting expert medical advice helps clients make rational, rather than emotional, decisions. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (www.aplb.org) offers resources, including a quality of life scale. Wendy S. Myers Make clients more comfortable through the use of cushy seating, soft lighting, relaxing sounds and tissues. Also allow them ample time for last moments with their pets. Schedule enough time. For attended euthanasias, conduct procedures during low-traffic times, such as the beginning or end of the day. Allow at least 40 minutes, giving clients ample time to say goodbye. If a client prefers not to be present, plan for 30 minutes to admit …
Why 2015 Should be a Good Financial Year for VeterinariansJanuary 22, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News This year is the time to “put up hay,” according to one economist who keeps a close watch on the fiscal health of the veterinary world. Michael R. Dicks, Ph.D., director of the Veterinary Economics Division at the American Veterinary Medical Association in Schaumburg, Ill., advises practice managers to pay down debt and increase reserves in 2015. Many indications show that this year is shaping up to be a good one for most industries, including veterinary, Dicks and other financial experts say. “The U.S. economy will continue to grow this year at a rate greater than in 2014,” Dicks said. “This should increase the demand for veterinary services, and veterinarians should see an increased number of new clients or visits by old clients.” Since 2008, the U.S. economy has struggled through a slow recovery and veterinarians, like other service providers, have struggled as well. Therefore, an upbeat forecast may be welcome news for operations that have treaded water over the last six years. The bullish outlook for veterinarians is buoyed by positive indications for the nation’s overall economy in 2015. The U.S. gross domestic product is forecast to grow …
Is Your Practice Prepared for a Natural Disaster?January 15, 2015Just before sundown on November 15, 1989, Mother Nature was making it clear that trouble was on the way as wind, rain and lightning strikes steadily intensified. The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings for a wide swath of North Alabama, placing our practice in the center of potential tornado touchdowns. As the sole owner of the practice at the time, I suddenly realized how unprepared I was to protect the lives of my staff, the pets housed in our kennel and, heaven forbid, how to function and offer services in the days ahead if we took a direct hit. Fortunately, for us, the direct hit missed our location that night, although we did experience some minor flooding. Instead the tornado touched down in nearby Huntsville, Ala where 21 people lost their lives and $100 million of property damage occurred.1 Does Your Practice Have a Plan of Action In Case of a Natural Disaster? It’s so easy to overlook something as important as a plan of action for an event that may never happen. Most of us convince ourselves that we have a plan “in our head” about what we’d do if we were ever faced with devastation from …