Our Staff Meeting

I thought it might be interesting if I shared some of the things that go on in the management side of Jarrettsville Vet. We have monthly staff meetings to help organize, focus, and tackle new ideas and improevements.

Here was last Mondays agenda and staff notes

I want to spend this whole session on building a more valuable clinic.

Value at JVC means that our customers walk away from our clinic feeling like they got the following;

·         Great service

·         Great customer care

·         Great medical care

·         All of the products that they needed were given to them at departure

·         Fair prices for the goods and services provided

·         Follow through that ensures the care and advice given while at JVC is being given at home

·         Clients should walk away and be able to look back on their experience at JVC and feel that they would be hard pressed to find the equivalent elsewhere.

I will refer to the article “6 ways to toot your own horn” as the reference for the guidance provided.

The first key point raised to provide “value” is 1. Hire the right people. I will answer this point myself. I will state that I take great pride in the statement that I often say out loud to our clients. “I feel that JVC has the best staff of any clinic anywhere.” I would put you guys and your ability and knowledgebase up against anyone anywhere at anytime. That’s how strongly I believe in you all. I hire all of you with the hopes that you will want to be here for many years to come. I want you to all feel respected, appreciated, valued, and paid for your talents. I am here for all of you every step of the way, personally and professionally. All you have to do is find me and ask.  The first point states specifically to pay close attention to the front desk. “they are critical to your efforts to reflect value.”

I want to go over this point and say the following very loud and clear.

·         Please slow waaaaay down in everything that you do and say. Dont pick up the phone and say at light speed, “hellojarrettsvillevetisthisanemeregencyorcanyouhold? You say it so fast its scarey. If I were on the other end of the phone I would say yes. Because my brain isn’t fast enough to process what you said and you scared me into a fast answer. Putting people on hold is rude. It is rude to the person you are helping and rude to the person on the phone. So SLOW DOWN! Be calm, and smile, you can tell when you are smiling, even on the phone. Make everyone feel important.

·         How do I implore the front desk, and every single person up there to quit chatting when there are clients there? It is so rude. My god, I can’t believe that anyone would have to listen to your conversations about your nails, or your last client, or whatever. Please please think about sitting in the doctors office and being ignored.

Point number 2 is to create an unbeatable client experience. The primary points of this are to

1.       Greet clients when they arrive. We are doing a much better job at this then we ever have in the past.

2.       Check back with clients who have to wait in the lobby

3.       Thank clients and tell them that you hope to see them again. It goes a really long way to say hello and goodbye

4.       Say goodbye.

Point number 3, “provide analogies to show your value.” Please see the write up in the column. The author provides an analogy that we spend $150 at the grocery store last week, but you spend this on your dog yearly if they are healthy the rest of the year.

Point number 4, “remember you’re not selling to clients, you are educating them.” bottom line is that we are educators, not sales people. By effectively communicating our patients needs we educate the owners and hopefully make our recommendations seem like a worthwhile beneficial item.

Point number 5 is to ask clients what they want. I think one of our biggest mistakes is to forget what the client came in for. If they came in for itching don’t let them leave with just a dental appointment. Just because you and I don’t know that the dental is way more important than the Frontline, if we don’t address the fleas we won’t see the client back. We have to be respectful of our clients and make them feel that their voice is being heard, and their concerns are being addressed.

Point number 6 “Remember that sometimes it’s not about the price.” The first paragraph of this point says it all. “ when clients complain about the cost of their pets healthcare or ask for a discount, vets assume is because the clients think that the prices are too high, or they don’t have the money. But often, the clients simply didn’t get what they expected for the price they paid. Or they are not able to connect the value they received to the cost they paid. It’s important to articulate the real value of the care you provide to reassure these clients.”