On Friday afternoon, the practice's lobby bustles with clients eager to pick up their Fluffys and Spots before the weekend.
Phones are ringing, dogs are barking, and Mr. Jones, Mrs. Smith, and Ms. Brown arrive at a quarter after 5 to reunite with
their furry companions.
Mr. Jones pays for Rover's neuter—and then decides he also needs pet food and a new collar. Sure, you'll draw up another bill
for him. Mrs. Smith needs to know how to give Snowball her insulin injections; you find a technician to demonstrate the procedure
on the tabby. Ms. Brown asks for help hoisting her Labrador—whose fractured leg is now on the mend—into her sport utility
vehicle; you're alongside her in the parking lot, making sure Max doesn't try to leap into the backseat.
Without a plan, end-of-the-day visits from clients can wreak havoc on your carefully planned schedule. Use these six steps
to smooth the pick-up process and prevent backups.
1. Try some teamwork
Good communication helps you avoid most missteps. When your team is on the same page, the day just runs more smoothly, says
Carrie Gaffney, a veterinary assistant at Rock Road Animal Hospital in St. Louis. Don't be the receptionist who needs to call
the manager to settle a payment discrepancy or the technician who doesn't know the payment protocol. One stumble may mean
Mrs. Smith waits an extra 30 minutes for discharge instructions—that's a half-hour for her to contemplate taking Snowball,
her pampered Persian, to the practice down the road.
Safety tip
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Getting your whole team on board also means making sure everyone knows the diets and products you recommend. "Cross training
keeps you from having to get someone else for every little thing," says Mandy Finnell, RVT, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and a technician at Cherokee Animal Clinic in Overland Park, Kan. And empowered team members
who can answer clients' questions free up the doctors' time.
To prepare to answer clients' sometimes tricky queries, the team at Cherokee Animal Clinic plans fun continuing education
sessions. During regular lunch meetings, Finnell says team members talk about the week's good and bad experiences and how
they can improve their practice. They also examine specific issues such as purebred dog predispositions and the importance
of recommending blood work.
2. Prepare for the pickup
It's the Boy Scouts' motto, and it should be yours too: "Be prepared." "A little bit of planning goes a long way," says Pamela
Stevenson, CVPM, a practice management consultant with Veterinary Results Management Inc. in Durham, N.C.
Make sure the doctor's in
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If you know Mr. Johnson plans to pick up Fido at 3 p.m., plan ahead and update the invoice, fill the prescriptions,
collect and wash Fido's stuffed animal and blanket, and remove Fido's catheter. In fact, a receptionist at Cherokee Animal
Clinic reviews the morning's files each afternoon—grooming appointments, surgeries, dental procedures—and prepares food, medication,
exams, report cards, and charges before scheduling discharge times with clients. (Also see "Forecast: Schedule Disrupters
on the Horizon," Pearls of Practice.)
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