|
|
VMC School of Veterinary Practice Managment
|
|
Our Next Session is scheduled for
May 18-22, 2009
Attendance is limited.
Click for More Information
|
|
Upcoming Seminars
|
|
It's What's Up Front That Counts... And More!
-
1/11/09 - Lexington, KY
-
2/1/09 - Des Moines, IA
-
2/22/09 - Orlando, FL
-
3/15/09 - Richmond, VA
-
3/29/09 - Chicago, IL
-
4/1/09 - Carmel, IN
-
5/3/09 - Charlotte, NC
-
6/7/09 - El Paso, TX
-
6/14/09 - Dallas, TX
-
7/12/09 - Portland, OR
Smart Moves For Technicians
-
2/8/09 - Charlotte, NC
-
3/15/09 - Atlanta, GA
-
4/5/09 - Santa Clara, CA
-
5/17/09 - Denver, CO
Principles of Veterinary Practice Management
-
12/7/08 - Seattle, WA
-
1/11/09 - San Jose, CA
-
2/18/09 - Denver, CO
-
3/25/09 - Philadelphia, PA
-
4/15/09 - Fullerton, CA
-
5/31/09 - Atlanta, GA
-
6/17/09 - Indianapolis, IN
HR Boot Camp
NEW! Financial Boot Camp
-
1/7-8/09 - Baltimore, MD
-
3/4-5/09 - Chicago, IL
-
4/29-30/09 - San Francisco, CA
|
|
To Contact Us:
|
|
VMC, Inc.
30792 Southview Drive
Suite 200
Evergreen, CO 80439
Phone: 303-674-8169
Fax: 303-670-3899
email:
vmc@vmc-inc.com
Website:
www.vmc-inc.com
|
|
|
|
News from VMC, Inc.
|
|
How is your practice doing? During CVC West in
San Diego I asked that question to a group of veterinarians
and practice managers. Less than 10% of the group
said their practice was doing the same or worse than
last year; the other 90% said they were doing better
than last year. I think the progressive practices
are doing well. They are not accepting the fact that
there is an economic slowdown and they are doing very
well. In fact, they are doing better than last year.
I do acknowledge that you may have to work harder
and be a little more conscientious - thus the
importance of this month's newsletter. Let's see
what we can do to enhance your practice and bring it
to a new level.
Mark Opperman
President, VMC Inc.
Let us hear from you - tell us what you'd like to see
in future issues. You can contact us at
vmc@vmc-inc.com
|
|
Protect Yourself From Wage & Hour Claims
by Sheila Grosdidier, BS, RVT
It is important to ensure that, as an employer, you
are paying your employees for all hours worked each
pay period. One of the issues that wage and hour
has is employees 'working off the clock'. This can
occur in several ways.
One is a situation where the employer expects work to
be completed by an hourly employee and when the work
is not done, the employee takes it home to complete
it. When the employee brings the completed project
back to the clinic they do not record the hours worked
at home on their time card. The employee may be afraid
to make their supervisor aware that they needed the
extra time to complete the project, the employee may
think that they are doing a kind service to the
employer, or the employer may have a 'Do Not Work at
Home" policy. Remember, it does not matter where
the work is done or whether the employee had approval
to do it. If the employee did any work, the time spent
doing this work must be paid by the employer.
Another example of times when an employee might 'work
off the clock' is after they clock out for the day or
for lunch. Another employee asks the first employee to
help with something. The employee spends a few minutes
unloading inventory, explaining an invoice or helping
in some other way, but is not paid for these few
minutes. Often, an employee is interrupted during
their lunch to answer the phone or answer someone's
work questions. Remember, when an employee has clocked
out for lunch or at the end of the day, they are off
work.
Many times the employer is unaware that employees have
worked 'off the clock' until they are involved in a
Wage and Hour audit and it is brought to their
attention. A suggestion made by Business and Legal
Resources to help employers protect themselves from
future wage claims and to encourage employees to note
all the hours that they worked is to include a note at
the bottom of each time card that says:
"This is all the hours I worked this week".
All time cards should be signed by the employee to
affirm this statement.
Another suggestion made by Business and Legal Resources is to
include a note on each pay stub such as "If there
are any questions or concerns about the amount of pay
or hours worked, contact __________".
Employers should have an area away from the work stations for
employees to take their lunch and breaks. Ensure that
employees are uninterrupted during the lunch. Once an
employee has signed out for the night, they should
leave the building. But, if you do request assistance
after the employee is off the clock, be sure to pay
them for that time.
|
|
Enhancing Your Practice
by Mark Opperman, CVPM
This time of year is a great time to sit back and evaluate
your practice. What things are you doing well? What
can you do better? What do you want to do that is new
and different? Let's start off with your web
site. Are you proud of your web site? Is it portraying
your practice in a positive and professional manner?
I look at many web sites and, to be honest, most of
them do not impress me. Does your web site have a
virtual tour on it? Has it been upgraded recently or
do you have a doctor or two on it that have not been
with you for years? Today, web sites are not an option
- they are mandatory. People moving into your
area are checking out your web site. Applicants are
checking you out on the web before they even come in
and apply. You need to have a web site as
professional and up-to-date as your practice. It
should be one you can be very proud of.
Read More...
|
|
What Does Your Customer Service Say About Your Practice?
by Monica Dixon Perry, CVPM
As I sit in a hotel preparing for an on-site
consultation, I firmly believe that exceptional
customer service will be one of the catalysts to get
our industry through these tough economic times.
Last night after a long afternoon of travel, I checked
in into one of this nation's leading hotel chains and
within an hour, I checked out. After four poor
experiences, I decided to take my business elsewhere.
Granted, more than 50% of my time is spent in a hotel
traveling for work and for this reason my
expectations are pretty high, but when my basic needs
are not met, my tolerance is fairly low. A clean
room and accommodating service should have been
standard for this hotel, but instead I felt I was not
getting my money's worth and even though I was tired
from traveling and have been a long time patron of
this hotel chain - I simply did not have the patience
to give them a chance to rectify what should have
never occurred.
Now, let's take my experience and test the same theory
of exceptional customer service in your practice.
What are you and your practice doing to exceed your
client's expectations? As stated earlier,
exceptional customer service is essential and
especially so in this day and time. Clients will
be more cautious as to where and how they spend their
money. The last thing you want to occur
within your practice is someone "checking
out" because they did not receive a high level of
customer service and an above average experience.
Whether you believe this makes a difference when
people have the money to spend or not is certainly
your opinion, but as Mark Opperman says in his It's
What's Up Front That Counts and More seminar
"Love your clients so much, care for them and
their pets so well that the client does not want to
leave your practice for fear of a harsher world
outside your doors." This is sound advice when
trying to stay ahead of the game.
Managers, it is so important to have a thorough
training program in place so that your team is aware
of the customer expectations within your practice.
In addition, exceeding the expectations of your
clients in my opinion is no longer optional or
acceptable some of the time. You and your team
should be committed to each and every client as if
they were your only client. This approach will
certainly be attractive to clients as they are
selective in the businesses they decide to patronize.
Please click
here to read Mark Opperman's article for some
great ideas on providing 5 Star Customer Service in
your practice.
|
|
|
|
