Three Tips from the Veterinary Hospital Manager's Association Conference

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking for a Leadership Conference of the Veterinary Hospital Manager's Association. If you were in the audience for that event, thank you, thank you for such a wonderful day! I had such fun with all of you and Moxie and Tonks enjoyed their trip to Pensacola Beach.

As usual, I learn as much from the audience as they learn from me and I thought I'd pass on two of the best tips that were shared by attendees and one that was shared with them by me. We're talking about encouraging your team with rave reviews, a step to take before hiring anyone new, and a tip to help your team elevate their customer service language. 

A Twist on Sharing Reviews 

One of the attendees (I wish I had gotten her name) shared that when her hospital gets positive reviews online, she will call the author of the review and ask to interview them on Zoom. While on Zoom she can clarify names of team member's that helped them, etc. and she captures them sharing their story on video. During team meetings she shares the videos with her staff. This is such a great example of taking something you may already do and "kicking it up a notch!" - Fantastic Idea! 

Before You Hire Anyone Else

During a rotating concurrent session I was seated at my trade show booth and had the honor of listening to Kristen Norris fro Rowdy Paws Pet Lodge give her presentation on how she hired many people at once and kept all but one of them. It was excellent and I'm hoping to have her on my forthcoming podcast (stay tuned!) so you can hear the whole story. In the meantime, let me share one of her tips. She had her current staff go through their job descriptions and discuss what was currently relevant and what was no longer relevant. That way, before she hired another person, she knew she had up-to-date and relevant job descriptions. Brilliant! 

Say This, Not That

While I was speaking we played a game called "Say This, Not That" where I shouted out words or phrases team members might use such as "No problem," "We can't do that," or "Absolutely I can help you with that" and they were to raise a green flag for positive words/phrases and red flags for words/phrases that aren't customer service friendly. It's a fun and engaging way to get your team members to practice new vocabulary and instigate a discussion of why some words/phrases are best replaced with something else. Try it with your team! 

As always, when I hear helpful tips I like to share them with you! Let me know if that was some news you could use! 

Donna Cutting, CSP is available to speak in-person or virtually for your association or team event. Reach out  to [email protected] to explore the possibilities.