The client is king

Imagine going to a restaurant where the maitre d' welcomes you with a big smile, addresses you by name, then shows you to your favorite table. At that moment, you feel like a king, and you'll probably return for more great service.

Success starts with service

How is your hospital like that restaurant? A veterinary practice also is a service-oriented business. That means customers choose, or choose not, to patronize your hospital based on the service you provide. Offer clients royal treatment, and they'll reward you with their business and their referrals.

The fact is, to succeed in this competitive market, veterinary teams must recognize that clients are doing them the favors—not the other way around. Implement the following service strategies to make your clients feel like royalty.

Give clients what they want

When was the last time you conducted a client satisfaction survey? When was the last time your entire staff sat down to discuss clients' comments? When was the last time your team changed or introduced a policy based on clients' requests?

First impressions Ill never forget

To provide exceptional service, you must know what your clients want from your team. How do you know? Ask them!

Consider compiling a complete list of hospital services—not just the ones you offer, but everything you've heard or read that other hospitals offer. For example, include extended hours, pet pick-up and delivery, grooming, emergency care, pet adoption services, behavior counseling, puppy and kitten wellness programs, and pet insurance.

Then distribute the list to your clients, and ask them to rate each service. When the results come in, put the most requested services in place right away!

Be there when it matters most

Roll out the red carpet

Treat your clients and their pets as special guests from the moment they walk through your door. Here's how:

• Hail clients' arrival. Receptionists: You need to be so excited when you welcome clients that you practically get up and hug them—well, at least the pets should get a hug. Everyone in the practice needs to address clients by name, acknowledge their pets, maintain eye contact, and offer a warm smile—that's how you'll make each client feel like your most important client.

• Give them a hand. If a client struggles to handle her pet while filling out the necessary paperwork, offer to hold the pet until she finishes. Some practices even limit the number of chairs behind the reception desk to keep team members on their feet—and face to face with clients.

• Provide comfortable accommodations. Process pet owners' paperwork efficiently, invite them to take a seat, and let them know approximately how long it will be before the doctor can see them. When appropriate, offer them a beverage as well as reading material on wellness and preventive care. In our reception area, clients also can watch educational videotapes or Discovery's Animal Planet channel.

• Don't make them wait. Implement a system to make sure doctors and technical staff know when clients are waiting. For example, at my hospital, the receptionist puts the client's chart in the exam-room door pocket, tells me that my next client has arrived, and calls the technician.

After finishing pre-exam duties, the technician lets me know the client is waiting, even if I'm with another client. Some doctors don't want to be interrupted during an exam, but I insist on it. Why? I behave differently when I know a client is waiting than when I think I have 20 minutes to spare.

• Make a personal connection. Every team member can help gather such important personal details about clients as their kids' names and birthdays, family illnesses, recent surgeries, and so on. Write those details in clients' files, and on subsequent office visits, use the notes to make a personal connection with pet owners.

You'll wow clients when you say "Sally's birthday is next week—wish her a happy birthday for us!" Our clients can't believe we "remember" these tidbits, and they appreciate our interest in their families.

• Leave clients with a great impression. Make sure clients understand your payment policies up front, review the charges, and discuss any special instructions or lab results. You never want a client to leave feeling confused, overwhelmed, or worse, ripped off. And if you let pet owners leave without understanding what services you provided, they may not fully appreciate those services' value.

Another tip: Always offer to help clients to their cars, and keep an umbrella handy so team members can shield clients from the rain. This extra service may seem small, but too many hospitals pour on the charm during admission—and leave clients feeling deserted at discharge.

Continue the courtship

If you forget about pet owners as soon as they walk out the door, they'll inevitably forget about you. Instead, continue to make clients feel special even after they leave.

• Follow up. Our strict callback policy generates tons of goodwill for our hospital. Doctors review their cases on a daily basis and keep a log of clients they need to contact. Your computer system also may provide such a list. We include clients whose pets underwent anesthetic procedures, new clients, and clients who hospitalized ill pets.

Pet owners love this demonstration of care and concern. In fact, one of my longtime clients, a physician, marvels at my dedication and jokes that he hopes that his clients never find out that I personally call to check on my patients after they visit.

• Send the unexpected. We not only send cards and birthday coupons to our clients and patients on their special days, we also send birthday cards to our clients from their pets. You can imagine the points we score! Ask your team to brainstorm ideas for surprising your clients with small, thoughtful gestures. Then share those ideas at your next staff meeting. The small things you do can make a big difference.

• Celebrate the holidays. Be creative! For example, we tie red ribbons around dog biscuits and cat treats at Christmas and offer them to our patients. And the vaccination reminders we send near the holidays offer clients a $5 discount. You can program holiday discounts into your computer system, giving clients a break when they're likely to be strapped for cash.

• Keep clients in the loop. Even brief contact helps solidify the relationship between you and your clients and keeps you fresh in their minds. For example, send your clients a letter or an e-mail to let them know about a new drug or procedure. Don't have clients' e-mail addresses? Gather them on your new-client form, or provide a sign-up sheet in your reception area. Promotions also are a great way to let them know you care about their pets' health.

Making clients feel like royalty takes time, planning, care, and concern. But the resulting goodwill keeps clients coming back—and drives the practice's success.

Jeff Werber, DVM, an author and media consultant, owns Century Veterinary Group, a small animal practice in Los Angeles. Steven May, Dr. Werber's former practice manager, is vice president of corporate marketing for Veterinary Centers of America. They will present, "Treating Your Clients as Golden," at Firstline Live in Orlando, Fla.; Irvine, Calif.; and Dallas. Call (800) 255-6864, ext. 6 for details.