Customer Service – EasyDVM Practice Management Blog

Why do my veterinary clients do less when I talk more?

by easyDVM

Starting a new veterinary practice involves lots of decisions and lots of work. What type of building is best? Which location is perfect? Is cloud veterinary software better than a program on your own server? One of the most time-consuming but critical elements to creating a successful practice is forming sold veterinarian/client/patient relationships. These relationships are key to the best care for your patients, as well as follow through on the part of their owners.

While most veterinary doctors think that lengthy explanations spur their clients to follow through on their guidance, research tells us that is not the case at all. In fact, research has shown that the more a veterinarian talks, the less likely compliance will follow. Specifically, the more we deliberate about a decision, the less likely we are to make a decision at all. Decisions are made emotionally. So, how do you ensure that your clients follow through for healthier pets?

How do People Make Veterinary Decisions?

Knowing what we do about clients tuning out long-winded veterinarian guidance, it points out that their decision-making process differs from what is expected. In fact, most people make decisions about their pets based on emotions rather than logic. Given how much people love their pets, this is likely understandable.

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So, veterinary practices need to be cognizant of emotional elements of the veterinary-client relationship, like these:

First impressions – The initial meeting of a client is crucial. While you are examining their beloved pet, they are sizing you up at the same time. Your bedside manner cannot be understated in terms of importance.
Comfort level – When clients are comfortable with your care and your advice, they will listen to your guidance. Building that trust level is a key point.
Appreciation – Clients should be appreciated and thanked for their business.
Compliments – When a client follows the veterinary advice that your practice gives them, they should be complimented for the follow through and taking such great care of their pets.

How Can You Improve Compliance?

Improving compliance is central to growing your veterinary practice. The more clients comply with your advice, the healthier their pets will be. This will certainly lead to better relationships between the practice and the clients. And, great relationships lead to greater loyalty and more referral patients. Luckily, user-friendly web based veterinary practice management software can enhance compliance, solidify relationships, and boost your veterinary practice.

Here are some far-reaching measures that your practice can set up using veterinary software to ensure maximum compliance and client happiness:

Take an assessment of current compliance: Don’t estimate, as you’ll often guess that the level is higher than it really is. Communicate with the client and ask!
Get the whole team involved: Established follow up procedures on veterinary guidance free up your time to focus on patients in front of you.
Set improvement goals: Decide as a team on goals for compliance and put one of the team members in charge of the process improvements.
Measure results: Using web-based veterinary software makes it simpler for the team to track communications with clients and track results in better compliance. Sometimes, clients just need a reminder!
Celebrate: When compliance increases due to the work of the team, it’s time to celebrate! Maybe order lunch for the office or buy them each a small gift to motivate continued focus on the health and happiness of patients.

Successful veterinary practices are a combination of animal loving doctors and support staffs that want the best for their patients. To make sure that your practice builds great relationships with client pet owners and grows financially, you need great veterinary software that is user friendly.

5 Great Incentive Programs for Veterinary Employees

by easyDVM

Incentive programs are a great way to motivate employees. But it can be hard to dream up a good incentive program. What you create may not engage your employees like you hoped, or they may have unforeseen consequences.

Constructing a great incentive program requires thinking intelligently about what your employees want and what your practice needs. Every practice will find that different incentive programs work for them, but here are a few ideas on how to motivate your employees to go the extra mile for the people and animals they serve.

1) Incentivizing Working Late or Weekends

It’s a rare employee who’s excited to come in to work on a weekend, or second or third shift. But especially if your veterinary practice provides emergency services, you may not be able to afford to let employees be choosy about the hours they work.

Forcing your employees to work undesirable shifts may hurt morale and reduce the pool of potential job applicants over time. But by offering your employees a little extra money for choosing to work at (comparatively) odd hours, you’ll see more employees eager to take these hours — which will improve the service you provide your clients.

2) Offering a “Beware” Bonus

One of the most common uses for an incentive program is to increase the number of examinations done. But this can be tricky: If you’re not careful, you may see an uptick in unnecessary examinations and procedures as your staff rush to take advantage of the incentive. Your bottom line may improve for a while, but your clients will definitely notice over time and react negatively.

But there are some preventative procedures, like dental examinations, that your staff should be doing with every animal that comes in for a check-up. By offering a “beware bonus” that incentivizes routine tests and exams that your staff may not be doing, you’ll dramatically improve the service you provide.

3) Implementing an Overtime Bonus

Some employees love the chance to take overtime. Others hate it — and because it’s voluntary, you may have a hard time getting your staff to work these extra hours in a pinch. By paying a little extra to employees who choose to work overtime, you’ll encourage more employees to consider the possibility who might otherwise pass it up.

4) Incentivizing Growth

Some practices incentivize referrals — and to be sure, referrals can be a great way to grow a business. But a practice that focuses too much on bringing in new clients without retaining the old ones can suffer.

When incentivizing growth, make it clear what your staff needs to do: Bring in new clients, provide excellent service to existing ones, and encourage clients to schedule check-up and follow-up appointments. By rewarding staff with a percentage of the practice’s growth every year, you’ll see your staff take an active interest in your practice’s well-being.

5) Creating Negative Incentives

Penalizing employee misbehavior, like tardiness or absenteeism, is risky territory. By disincentivizing too many behaviors or making the penalties too severe, you may see employee morale take a serious hit. And if an employee’s behavior is problematic enough that you’re considering docking their pay or removing some other bonus, there’s a strong case to be made that you should be considering firing the employee.

But one of the strongest arguments to be made for a negative incentive “program” is that your employees will sit up and take notice. They may yawn through a meeting about the importance of certain procedures, but if they know they’ll be penalized for not meeting your standards, they’ll pay more attention.

Creating a great incentive program can grow your practice and improve your service. By encouraging your staff to behave in certain ways, you’ll increase motivation and morale, and turn your practice into the thriving place you want it to be.

EasyDVM Practice Software is a cloud-based veterinary practice management software system. We pride ourselves in offering a system that is user-friendly, easy to learn for new team members, full-featured and elegant in its simplicity. Best of all, all devices, multiple users, all your clients and patients, always affordable..

Technology and the Decline of Veterinary Business

by Hunter Little

Scrolling through Facebook one Sunday afternoon – as one tends to do when avoiding work that needs to be done – I came across a shared photo that piqued my interest. It was a photo of a non-descript whiteboard with some statements written down regarding different major industries and companies that had changed the paradigm of those industries; companies like Apple, Air BnB, and Uber, that had utilized technology to carve out their place in the market and ultimately create their own success. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am not one to go seeking wisdom amongst the annals and back-pages of Facebook. I think that if there is any place where you are likely to find actual “fake news”, chances are it will be on Facebook. But this photo – whose original source I couldn’t trace, as it had been shared numerous times and therefore forces me to simply paraphrase rather than share here without proper credit to the author – actually made me stop and think about the implications of its content. In essence, the photo – and the whiteboard it contained – said this:

‘Amazon did not kill the retail industry. The retail industry killed the retail industry with bad customer service.’

‘Uber did not kill the taxi industry. The taxi industry killed the taxi industry through fare control and limiting the number of taxis.’

‘Netflix did not kill Blockbuster and the film rental industry. Blockbuster killed Blockbuster through ridiculous late fees.’

There were more examples included, but I think you get the idea. After listing all of these different industries and the companies that disrupted those industries, there were two remaining sentences on the whiteboard, both written in a bold typeface and underlined for emphasis. They read:

‘Technology by itself is not the real disrupter…’

‘Being non-customer centric is the biggest threat to any business.’

Now, we can sit and argue all day about whether the retail industry or the taxi industry are actually dead, but that would be missing the whole point. What should really be the focus of our discussion is the nature of technology in business. More specifically, how the implementation of technology can fundamentally change not only your stance within an industry but also your relationship with customers and the nature of customer service. As the whiteboard said, it is not technology that is the real disrupter. Rather, it is businesses becoming non-customer centric that is the real threat. Businesses that lose sight of the customer and their relationship to the customer ultimately stand to lose the most. Whether you provide a service, a product, etc., the customer should always factor directly into that business equation you have constructed.

I think the overwhelming selling point for some time has been how technology can be incorporated to streamline a veterinary business model or make a veterinary clinic more efficient in how it runs and sells. But what about the customer? Yes, by utilizing technology in some form or another, you can deliver veterinary services to them faster, increase the total number of customers you can handle at one time, etc. There are myriad examples of that relationship between technology and growth. But what about the relationship between technology and the customer/customer service? Big companies like Uber, Apple, and Amazon disrupted their industries and rose to the top by implementing technology not for technology’s sake, but by using technology to distribute a service or product in an entirely customer-centric format. What I’m ultimately trying to do here is change the way we approach technology from a veterinary business standpoint. Let’s not ignore all of the ways technology can improve a veterinary hospital and how it operates internally. But let’s shift our paradigm slightly, and begin to approach technology from a customer-centric angle. When we look at new technology, the thought shouldn’t only be “How will this new technology help my practice grow?” What should be included in our thought process is “How does this technology make me more customer-centric?” Or, “How could this technology improve my customer’s experience?”

As I’ve said on this blog in the past, it is always good to take some time to take stock of your place in the world; to take stock of where your business stands and review where adjustments could be made. A certain level of self-awareness as it relates to business can make all the difference. So, in that vein of thought, I think it is high time we take that approach to technology and business. Take the time to assess how you can become more customer-centric. Perhaps, the answers might surprise you.

Indirect Veterinary Customer Service: Technology and the Employee-Customer Dynamic

by Hunter Little

I’ve got to say, I am really proud of the title of this blog. If nothing else, I’ve managed to make something that is, at its core, a very simple concept and transform it into a seemingly complicated theory (there is always something humorous about over-complicating simple ideas). When I say “Indirect Customer Service”, what I’m really referring to is the notion of improving customer service by improving other aspects of your business that do not directly deal with customer service. That is to say, addressing customer service indirectly by addressing other areas of your business. Also included in the title is this notion of the employee-customer dynamic, or more specifically, the daily interactions that occur between employees and customers (we can even include employee-to-employee and customer-to-customer interactions).

My theory is quite simple, and is ultimately based on a few basic observations within the workplace. By implementing a few key technological improvements into the lives of employees (with the idea being that these technological installments are meant to make the employees’ work easier), the employees would ultimately be happier and more productive (I promise, this is not some kind of pseudo-communist plot). This direct influence on employees has indirect benefits for customer service. A happier employee is bound to have a pleasant interaction with the customer. If you have ever been introduced to any kind of behavioral-based psychology, then you know that people oftentimes direct emotions at outlets other than the source of their emotions. Thus, an employee that is, for example, stressed out about the complicated process for inputing a new client’s medical history into the medical records database may be more likely to imbue that employee-client interaction with their negative emotions regarding their practice software. The client ends up being the recipient of an employee’s frustration, and thus has a negative customer service experience. Yet, this negative experience had nothing to do with the client. Thus, because we failed to directly address a problem or inefficiency within the workflow dynamic (or the workplace as it applies to the employees), we have indirectly influenced our customer service.

This notion of indirect customer service was one of the driving factors behind the creation of EasyDVM veterinary practice software in the first place. We wanted to create something that was entirely based on a customer-centric model, emphasizing the importance of customer service before anything else. This means that, when we began designing the software, we designed it through trial and error, utilizing the input of our employees throughout the creation process. It is easy to design a software platform that is aesthetically pleasing and loaded with tons of features. but none of that matters if your employees can’t use it. Functionality and ease-of-use became imperative to the creative process behind EasyDVM veterinary practice management software. What I ultimately found was how this indirectly affected customer service. If employees are happy, then clients are happy. It may sound simple or a little overreaching, but I challenge you to try it. Like I have done before, I challenge you to put customer service at the forefront of your business, and see what changes come with that new approach.

Taking Time to Find Perspective: A Veterinary Client’s Point of View

by Hunter Little

Back in April of 2015, the periodical Veterinary Economics ran a survey asking pet owners why they left their former veterinary practice for a new one. The responses covered a wide range of topics, from post-euthanasia horror stories to rambunctious dogs running loose through the hallways of an undisclosed practice. As I read these reader responses, I was left with the impression that these seemed rather far-fetched stories. What I mean by ‘far-fetched’ is, if I were reading these as a veterinarian, my thoughts after reading might best be summed up as, “Those stories could never happen in my practice!” And sure, it’s only natural to assume that your practice is a well-oiled machine, efficient in treatment and outstanding in customer service. But then I got to thinking: how often does one consider their practice from a client’s perspective?

Now, you may think this is a ridiculous question. “Of course I do”, you might say. “Customer service is of the utmost priority at my practice.” But that’s not really the focus, at least not directly. Taking a moment to step back and consider your practice from the client’s perspective means taking stock in both the macro and the micro; seeing both the big picture and the minutiae. From this perspective, you must go beyond the basics – like greeting clients as they walk in the door (although that is nevertheless important) – and try to see what the client sees. For instance, what is your post-euthanasia protocol? If it’s anything like one client had to experience before they left their old practice – “One morning I sat next to a couple and their dog in the waiting room. They were called into an exam room, then emerged several minutes later crying and carrying the euthanized dog in a black garbage bag.” ¹– then you have clearly not taken the time to consider things from the client perspective. Another example might be cleaning stray hairs off the exam table in-between exams, or knowing when to bend the rules to accommodate potential special needs for clients.

Another way of understanding this may be to consider tapping into the client perspective as a way of redefining customer service. We look to customer service as a means of understanding how we actively shape a client’s experience into a positive one. But that understanding places the emphasis solely on the caregiver-to-client relationship. What about the client-to-caregiver or client-to-practice relationship? What about the protocols and routines you currently have in place within your practice that don’t necessarily take the client into account, yet may directly or indirectly affect them? I’m not suggesting some radical shift in how we look at or define customer service within the veterinary realm. Rather, I’m suggesting we take time to gain a little perspective, step into the client’s shoes and see how they view your practice. Raise these questions at your next staff meeting and see where the dialogue goes. Perhaps previously unforeseen problems or challenges will arise, or, at the very least, your employees and co-workers will gain a fresh, nuanced perspective on how they interact with clients. At the end of the day, engaging with the client perspective – trying to see what the client sees – is a lesson in the little things, the subtle nuances that make your practice unique. Your client may never notice these little things, but it can mean all the difference when it comes to making your practice a comfortable space for your clients and their pets.
¹ Veterinary Economics. April, 2015

The Do’s And Don’ts of Writing Veterinary Sympathy Cards

by Hunter Little

Differentiation within the veterinary industry can be seemingly hard to come by. Besides the traditional aesthetic indicators, like a unique interior/exterior design for your practice or a website that really stands out, veterinarians are all looking to provide the same kind of invaluable medical care for pets of all shapes and sizes. But finding a way to really stand out in the industry in an impactful manner without relying purely on those formerly-mentioned aesthetics is easier than you might think.

Veterinary sympathy cards, also known as condolence cards, are a uniquely personal aspect of veterinary customer service that can be easily overlooked but invaluable if done right and respectfully. Not only does it bring comfort to a grieving client, but sympathy cards have the potential to build customer loyalty by showing that your practice cares about the client as a person throughout the arc of veterinary care, even when there may no longer be a pet to care for. By sending a client a sympathy card, you- as a veterinarian- are recognizing and validating the unique and special bond shared between the client and their pet.

As positive and powerful as veterinary sympathy cards can be, there are a few steadfast do’s and don’ts you should be aware of that can make the difference between a personalized and heartfelt note of sympathy and a mechanical, almost-automated response.

The Do’s

Always use the pet’s name.
Be brief. A few meaningful, heartfelt sentences can make a world of difference.
If possible, include a favorite personal memory of the pet. This reinforces the personal nature of the message and lets the client know that you and your staff cared for/remember the pet as a part of the family.
Similarly, try to reference a positive trait about the pet. This, like a personal memory, demonstrates a personal relationship with the pet that a client might relate to.
If possible, include a picture of the pet. This is another special touch that can further personalize the card.
Make sure that each and every vet and staff member signs the sympathy card before it is sent. This is often an overlooked detail that helps a grieving client know that the entire practice shares in their grief and cares deeply about their pet.

The Don’ts

Do not be long winded in your condolences. A grieving client simply wants to be comforted and know that you care.
Never refer to the client’s pet as “your cat”, “your dog”, or “your pet”.
Do your best to avoid using one phrase or message for every card. Sympathy cards can be easily found and purchased online, but try to avoid those that contain the same pre-written response for every card.
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s an important reminder nevertheless. Do not send the sympathy card attached to any kind of advertisement, invoice, etc. Even though sympathy cards help to build client loyalty, they are not a business opportunity.

If you’re having trouble finding inspiration or the right words to say, here are a few phrasing suggestions that might help:

“Best friends come in all breeds. (Pet’s Name) energy lit up any room he/she entered. May (Pet’s Name) memory continue to light up your heart with love and joy during this difficult time.”
“We are all so sorry for the loss of your sweet boy/girl, (Pet’s Name). He/she was a beautiful (species) and clearly a much-loved member of your family; we know he/she will be forever missed.”
“As you grieve, know that we are remembering you and your family and honoring the memory of (Pet’s Name). Sent with love and remembrance, our hearts go out to you and your family in this time of sorrow.”
“Losing a true friend is never easy. (Pet’s name) brought such joy and happiness to our staff, as we know he/she did to your family. Our sincerest condolences are with you and your family.”

When the Veterinary Client is Stressed

by Sam D Meisler DVM

In veterinary practices, we deal with a multitude of situations in which the client is stressed. How we deal with this anxious client up front often determines whether the overall experience for both the client and the pet is a happy one. In the October 2015 Harvard Business Review article, When The Customer Is Stressed, authors Leonard L. Berry, Scott W. Davis, and Jody Wilmet, use the example of the human oncology patient as their subject in looking at this situation. They explain that in dealing with “high-emotion services” — those services related to major life events like birth, death, health care issues, airline travel, etc — intense feelings are elicited for a variety of reasons. In the veterinary practice, those reasons include a lack of familiarity with our services, a lack of control over how those services are delivered, major consequences if the services are performed incorrectly, the complexity of the service, and sometimes in cases of chronic illness, the long duration of the services to be performed.

How we deal with the stressed veterinary client will ultimately govern the outcome of our patient’s care and well-being. According to the authors, the first step is to identify emotional triggers. In veterinary practice, this could be the discussion of finances in the exam room, the point where the pet is taken to the back and left at the practice for work-up procedures, or even when the pet is sent home with vague instructions on what to do next. The important point here is to ask your clients about their worst fears and worst experiences in a veterinary hospital.

The second step is to prepare the client for what will happen before these emotional triggers occur. Before you take the pet out of the exam room for diagnostics, explain to the client what you will be doing. For long term conditions like skin allergies, go over with the client what to expect in the future. Is your treatment a cure or is it maintenance treatment for allergies? Go over long term treatment plans. Prior to the dental or surgery procedure, go over with the client all the steps that will occur. Even better, show them where it will happen. Tell them that you will go over finances before committing them to any services.

And communicate with care. Most of our communication as human beings is through primarily what our body language is showing, followed by our tonality and lastly by our actual word content. Make sure your body language and voice tone are nurturing, compassionate and unhurried. Monitor the client for those unexpected emotional or anxiety triggers by asking them if things are going ok. Don’t assume that all is well, ask.

Step three is to enhance the veterinary client’s control. Involve the client in any and all decision-making about their pet. When the pet is discharged, the client should not feel abandoned by their veterinary team. Discharge instructions must be very clear on what to do if complications arise or if things do not go as expected. Would it really hurt to give out your cell phone number? Call clients with results from diagnostics as soon as possible; and do not ever over-promise and under-deliver. As the gap increases between when you said you were going to call and when you actually call about results, anxiety will rise exponentially.

And finally, hire the right people and teach them well. You need empathetic, non-domineering, nurturing individuals who can communicate well. Teach your veterinary team how to listen, how to make a client feel in control, how to hold a client’s hand through the process of diagnosing and treating their ill pet. The Cleveland Clinic has two videos about empathy: Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care and Patients: Afraid and Vulnerable. Model the behavior you expect from your team. Show them what you expect. Meet regularly. Go over client complaints as a group. Complaints are a well of anxiety or emotional triggers gone awry. Ask how could we have done better and not who is responsible for this fiasco.