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“The payoff can be enormous,” she
says. You may find yourself struggling to keep up with demand rather than worry- ing about a midwinter lull.
Work from home yields 500% return.
Problem: You need to generate more business during slow periods, but your practice’s best salesperson wants to cut back her hours so she can spend more time with her two young children. Solution: You agree on a work-at-
home arrangement that fits her schedule as well as those of your clients. She is able to call clients after hours and on week- ends, when they are most reachable. Result: More than a 500% return on
your investment, higher compliance, and one happy and fulfilled working mom. “Janne, one of our receptionists, came to us with the idea,” explains Char Cooper, practice manager of Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex in Des Moines, Iowa. “She makes the calls from home on the days she’s not working here and gets paid the same hourly wage.” Cooper provides Janne with a list of past-due clients. She makes most of her calls between 5 and 7 p.m. and on Saturdays. “It works out perfectly for her because she can be right at home and needs the extra income. It’s great for us because she’s actually talking to clients instead of leaving a lot of messages. She dials *67 [before placing a call] so that our clients think she’s calling from our hospital. “This personal contact makes the dif-
ference,” says Cooper. “Janne knows how the practice works and can sell our other services. She might say, ‘I notice that Buddy hasn’t been groomed for 3 months. Would you like to bring him in and have him groomed and have his vaccinations brought up to date at the same time?’ She might also ask, ‘Do you have any other animals at home?’ Then, she can quickly check to see if they’re due within 30 days. If so, she says,
Trends magazine, November/December 2010
More Tips from Your Peers… Here and at the new Trends Today website
These tips are lifted from the new Trends Today website. Read more tips and success stories, or post your own at Share Your Stories at
www.trends.aahanet.org.
In November, for Thanksgiving, we send out thank-you cards signed by our doctors and staff to our general practice clients. We have used slower times to institute cross-training within the hospital. We also take advantage of
this time to clean and do some hospital maintenance and remodeling. We generally have our management retreat during this time as well. We also encourage staff to take furlough or “mental health” days off without pay during slower times.
This is sometimes difficult to schedule because you can’t have half of your staff gone on the same day. We still manage to make it work, and it seems to boost morale for the staff too. Cindy Hauser, CVT, VTS (ECC), Manager of Operations, Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, Wheat Ridge, Colo..
If we have days that aren’t busy, we have lists already prepared of past-due clients. Because this is a team practice, everyone gets involved. The technicians have their list, and the receptionists have their list. Then, they start making phone calls. We also have a simple form that details the disposition of each phone call, whether the client scheduled a visit or if the phone was disconnected. This also helps us learn if clients have moved or their pet has died. If their pet has died, we encourage them
to visit our website and put a photo of their pet on Rainbow Bridge and to tell others why that animal was important to them. Our clients really appreciate that. Char Cooper, Practice Manager, Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex, Des Moines, Iowa
Hold a team meeting and brainstorm with the group (e.g., What are your interests? What would you like to learn more about? What needs could you fill that you are not currently filling?). Here’s the process for the meeting. First, brainstorm. Come up with a long list of ideas — just throw
them out until you have a whole bunch. Your list might include behavior, hospice, birds, geriatric care, fish, house calls or pocket pets… whatever, but do not filter at this point. Just write down ALL the ideas, and take some time for this. Don’t cut it short! Then, have the group choose up to three ideas to focus on. Discuss whether you need to attend some CE
to learn more, how you’ll notify clients (and potential clients) about your new focus and other factors that will help you implement these new areas. Also, use downtimes to involve your staff in community service. Because word of mouth is the number
one way people find a vet, imagine the reaction when a technician or vet shows up to help out on a com- munity service project, saying, “Our practice allows us to take a few hours of work time to help out here.” Think beyond pet-related projects! For example, I volunteer to help out during evening English classes for non-English speakers. Carin Smith, DVM, Veterinary Practice Consultant, Smith Veterinary Consulting and Publishing, Peshastin, Wash.
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