Marketing 101: Open Letter To New (and Existing) Clients (part 2)March 17, 2014Dear Client,* Welcome to our practice. We are honored that you chose us to help you help your pet. This letter includes our top 10 tips to ensure that we work closely together to keep your pet happy and healthy. 1. As you will quickly figure out, your scheduled appointment time is merely a suggestion. Feel free to ignore it and do as you please. If you are not going to show up, please do not call. Sometimes, we run bets on which client will actually show up. Therefore, calling to inform us of your intentions would totally take the fun out of our day. 2. Give your pet medications as you see fit. We place instruction stickers on them because our label printer is super cool. And don't worry, we understand that when your pet's condition doesn't resolve, it will be our fault, not yours. 3. Verbal abuse is always appreciated. If possible, wait until the waiting room is full. And please be creative in your profanity; we like to expand our vocabulary. 4. Please be as vague as possible when you share information about your pet. Our doctor is psychic and can communicate with your pet, …
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Hit A Home Run With Staff And Clients When You Make A Major PurchaseFebruary 10, 2014 The end of the fiscal year is typically a beneficial time for veterinarians to purchase new technology or equipment because of the tax benefits, but that deduction won’t be worth anything if the equipment or technology isn’t used. Introducing it to team members and clients should not be a scene out of “Field of Dreams”—if you build it, they will come. Instead, hospital owners should look at their goals and decide whether that technology or equipment will help them meet those goals, then provide the proper staff training and market the service to clients. “When hospitals start with clear goals, that is when we see the most success,” explained Mike Erickson, general manager of Cornerstone and Pet Health Network at Idexx Laboratories of Westbrook, Maine. Making a Choice Whether an associate, practice manager or veterinary technician recommends the equipment or the owner decides he or she must have it, the decision to make a major purchase should be a deliberate one, not an emotional one. “You have to determine who you are and what fits with your philosophy. I’ve seen a lot of practices who purchase a piece of equipment such as an ultrasound, …
Scrub in or rub in?January 30, 2014 Dr. John Smith is getting ready for his first surgery of the day. He puts on his cap and mask, adjusts them methodically, and starts to rigorously prepare his hands for surgery. He grabs a brush soaked with chlorhexidine scrub and goes to work, as if it were a ritual: First his fingers, then the palm of each hand, then the back, then his wrists, then his forearms, for a full five minutes, just like he has been doing for the past 15 years as a surgeon. Sounds perfectly acceptable, doesn't it? What Dr. Smith doesn't know is that his surgical scrub routine is actually detrimental to the health of his hands, increases the likelihood of contamination, and puts him at risk of developing occupational dermatitis. Meanwhile, Dr. Denis Verwilghen of Copenhagen, Denmark, is getting ready for his first surgery of the day. He puts on his cap and mask, adjusts them methodically, and starts to rigorously prepare his hands for surgery. He first gently washes his hands with a mild, non-medicated soap, dries them with a non-sterile paper towel, and then meticulously rubs a hydroalcoholic solution on his hands and arms for a couple of minutes — until they are …
Creating The Client Experience For DentistryDecember 30, 2013 Although your team recommends the best medical care for pets, sticker shock may prevent some clients from accepting dental treatments. The average dental case is $427, according to AAHA Veterinary Fee Reference, 8th edition (see Average Dental Case Bills).To get more clients to accept dentistry, we must communicate its value. "Clients want optimal dental care—a higher quality service,” says Ed Eisner, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, at Animal Hospital Specialty Center in Highlands Ranch, Colo. "We must offer competence, service and value for dentistry. When we communicate value, clients will appreciate our dental services, pay their bills, tell friends and return for annual or semiannual dental care.” Here’s how you can create a great experience for dentistry that makes clients smile. Create photo books or slideshows. Most pet owners have never seen an animal’s dental procedure from start to finish. Create dental photo books using websites such as Shutterfly, Walgreens or Costco. Place photo books in each exam room and your lobby. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) offers a book to use in exam room conversations, "Healthy Mouth, Healthy Pet: Why Dental Care Matters” (www.aahanet.org). Jan Bellows, DVM, Dipl. AVDC, of All Pets Dental Clinic in Weston, …
8 Resolutions Every Veterinarian Can DoDecember 30, 2013 If the stats are to be believed, just under half of you will make resolutions this New Year’s. For most of us, it’ll mark yet another year of ineffectual hand-wringing over our many loathsome defects of character. For a significant percentage, however, this might just be the year we tackle them head on! Regardless of your take on the utility-slash-futility of resolving to do anything (much less confronting a to-do list that resembles a communal reflex more than it does a heartfelt willingness to change), it’s also worth mentioning that New Year’s resolutions do more than help us mark time via unimpressive acts of ovine list-making: When taken seriously enough, they’re a great opportunity for reflection, too. Consider this list below, devised primarily by way of veterinary reflection but also in the hope that some of you will feel inspired to take one or more of them on. I certainly hope I do. 1. Lose weight … with your dog. According to a 2012 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38 percent of Americans make weight-related New Year’s resolutions. And given that those who do are more likely to succeed if they have …
Not ALL Of Your Clients Are Crazy!December 12, 2013 It’s easy to dismiss "unusual” clients as "different.” They may have strange requests or describe bizarre signs in their pets. They may seem extravagant or eccentric. But sometimes, just sometimes, their description is perfectly truthful. Such was the case with Ms. Smith, who brought Joshua for a consultation. The 3-year-old male beagle has some strange neurological signs. Or so Ms. Smith said. She had been dismissed as "crazy” by three previous colleagues. Ms. Smith main complaint was that Joshua could not wag or lift his tail. That seemed hardly an issue. But Ms. Smith wasn’t happy with that situation and wanted an explanation. After quizzing the owner at length, a few interesting facts came up: • Joshua sometimes had difficulty urinating and/or defecating. • He occasionally would bite his right hind leg. • At times, he would have tremors "because he is in pain,” the owner insisted. • Despite tramadol and prednisone, and in spite of seeing three different vets, Joshua kept getting worse over time. Ms. Smith became increasingly frustrated that nobody took her seriously. And then we met. Joshua was a happy, healthy, 3-year-old beagle. His physical exam was unremarkable. The neurological exam revealed …
Simple Service Ideas That Enrich Vet Clients’ ExperiencesDecember 4, 2013 Here are simple service ideas that will strengthen client relationships and generate referrals. Wendy S. Meyers Give welcome bags filled with goodies to new clients. Get canvas bags imprinted with your clinic logo, phone number and website (courtesy The Cat Specialist, Castle Rock, Colo.). Stuff bags with slip leashes, pet food measuring cups, magnets, emergency clinic info, and other giveaways Set up new client records during scheduling calls. Imagine a new client visiting with her fussy toddler and Jack Russell tugging at the leash. You hand her a clipboard with a new client registration form. You’ll likely get incomplete and illegible information. Instead, enter her contact information in your practice-management software during the scheduling call. Provide driving directions and offer to contact her previous veterinarian to get medical records before her pet’s visit. If phone lines are ringing and clients are lined up, offer to email her a link to your website where she can complete your new client registration form online. Completing paperwork in advance will let you start the first visit on time rather than having 15 minutes of valuable exam time eaten up with …
A Complete Vet Appointment On WheelsDecember 3, 2013Modern veterinary practice continues to become more centralized and veterinarians have increasingly more options for deciding where the center of their practice resides. Whether you move your practice from room to room or farm to farm, flexibility in workflow and the demand for complete services are undergoing a similar evolution and it is broadening the opportunities for profitable mobile practice. Your goal for any appointment is as close to complete service as possible. This can be difficult under any circumstance, but it’s particularly challenging with mobile services. How does one deliver everything the client and patient need from the confines of a vehicle? Your Goals For many veterinarians who dream of the freedom and independence of mobile practice, answering this question can be the main obstacle to their working on the road. Remember, the goal is a complete appointment. You want to be able to diagnose, treat, prescribe, document, charge and collect payment to the fullest extent possible. To do this you will need quality, easy-to-use equipment and a system of time management. With time and distance you can cover in any one day limited, delivering complete, profitable appointments …
Wellness Plans Allow Vet Clients To Budget For Pets’ Preventive CareDecember 3, 2013 In the minds of most veterinarians there’s a plan for just about every pet they see to ensure that pet’s immediate and long-term medical needs. But the reality, according to proponents of wellness plans, is that those details too often go unrelated to pet owners. "We really do have a full-year plan for their pets in our head,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary medical officer with Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif. "When a pet comes in you look at the age, where they live, and other factors, and you formulate a plan.” It’s a detailed plan, Dr. McConnell said, adding, "But we’re clearly not good an explaining it to clients.” VPI in January launched a wellness service for veterinarians to offer clients called "Preventive & Wellness Services, which McConnell pronounces as "paws.” "We are basically positing ourselves as a silent partner with veterinarians,” McConnell said. She said the service is proving popular, with between 2,000 and 3,000 plans across the U.S. in place through more than 100 practices. Jeffrey S. Klausner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, senior vice president and …
Business Builder: Word Makeovers Can Boost Compliance And Grow RevenueNovember 15, 2013 While consulting at a practice where dental compliance was 17 percent, I shadowed exams to determine why clients weren’t accepting treatment for their pets. The first exam revealed answers. After the veterinarian explained his diagnosis of grade 3 dental disease, he said, "The girls up front will give you an estimate when you check out.” After the client paid, the receptionist said, "Here’s your dental estimate.” The client left without scheduling the procedure. Extreme Makeover A communication makeover would significantly improve client compliance, patient care and hospital revenue. Taking the practice from its current 17 percent dental compliance to the AAHA benchmark of 38 percent 1 could bring $274,561 in additional revenue over the next 12 months (see Table 1). Five communication shortcomings were the cause in this practice. First, employees used the term "estimate” instead of "treatment plan.” Second, treatment plans were handed to clients without interactive conversations. Third, clients received treatment plans in the public lobby. Would you feel comfortable asking medical or financial questions with an audience? Next, front-desk employees gave clients treatment plans. Technicians, who perform dentistry, would be more skilled at explaining treatment plans in exam rooms. …
