In This Issue

Feature Article: 25 Ways to Increase Team Retention Today
by Sheila Grosdidier, BS, RVT

October Practice Tip
by Mary Ann Vande Linde, DVM

October Practice Tip
by Monica Dixon Perry, CVPM

October Financial Tip
by Gary I. Glassman, CPA - Burzenski & Company, P.C.

Upcoming Seminars

It's What's Up Front That Counts... and More!

Smart Moves For Technicians

Announcing a NEW
VMC Seminar!

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

Don't Expect What You Don't Inspect

As an example, you may think your practice is sending out new client thank you cards or letters or that your phone shoppers are receiving hospital brochures. How do you know if these things are actually being done? The answer is that you do not, unless you build in an automatic feedback control mechanism. Let’s inspect our new client thank you cards or letters. How do you build in an automatic feedback control for this process? It’s easy; one of your receptionists is sending out the new client thank you card or letter, so she is printing off a weekly list of new clients to send the acknowledgements to. Once she sends the cards or letters, she needs to note on the report that the cards were sent and then place that report on your desk. All you need to do is look at the report and you know it is done.

Let’s look at another area—customer service. How do you know if your receptionists are providing excellent customer service? You can wait until you hear complaints but that, of course, is reactive and not proactive. To inspect this expectation, why not arrange for a mystery shopper to come to your practice? This can be a friend, relative, or even a receptionist from another practice in the area (it's a great idea to network with another practice) and have them go through the outpatient office visit process just like any other client might do. At the end of the visit, the mystery shopper fills out a form to report their experience. The mystery shopper might even come to your practice and present her finding at your next customer service meeting.

How effective are your team members in their telephone communication? Why not place a voice-activated recorder on your telephone system (with everyone’s knowledge) and record an hour or two of conversations during the course of the week and then play it back at the next customer service meeting. I even have a practice that has installed video cameras in the exam room. All of the employees know that the cameras are present and a sign is in the exam room stating that the visit might be recorded for educational purposes. What a great tool! Management can review the tapes and help the exam room assistants and the doctors improve their communication to insure that the practice's standards of care are being followed. It has really been an eye opener for the entire practice.

The bottom line is—Do not expect what you do not inspect. As managers it is your job to make sure that what you think is being done, is actually getting accomplished. Build in your automatic feedback controls so that you are not surprised someday by someone saying, “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that,” and finding out that your reminders have not been sent out for six months.

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

·   Feature Article: 25 Ways to Increase Team Retention Today
by Sheila Grosdidier, BS, RVT

The best team members you have may be thinking about changing jobs!

It is estimated that at any given time, 3 out of 10 employees are looking at other jobs. How can you retain great team members? It doesn’t have to be costly, in fact, most of what you can do can be done almost for free. You can also start today… Here is a list of ideas for you to try... today!...

Read on...

·   October Practice Tip
by Mary Ann Vande Linde, DVM

Forward Looking

In recent newsletters we've been talking about the qualities of leadership. One important quality is being forward-looking. Our health care team expects its leaders to have a sense of direction and an ability to envision our future.

Leaders must know where they are going if they expect others to willingly join them on their journey. The more the team sees the dream, the more they will be able to carry it out. Leaders have to communicate the dream so that everyone knows they are a part of the dream. Leaders have to be persistent. They have to maintain the organization’s direction, especially when it’s going through rough times. A leader creates social cultures for the health care team that harness the energy and abilities of the team toward desired results.

Forward-looking is best summed up as Helen Keller once replied to the question, “What would be worse than being born blind?” Her reply to the questioner was, “To have sight without vision. “ Your health care team doesn’t need to be left in the dark. It needs to know your vision, to share your vision.

·   October Practice Tip
by Monica Dixon Perry, CVPM

Your Clients Are Important!

When providing service to your clients – who is more important? Is it the client walking through the door or the client calling in? If you said they are equally important, you are correct. However, at your next receptionist meeting, survey your receptionists. If they do not provide the above answer, I assure you that your clients are not consistently receiving the level of service they deserve and expect from members of your front desk. Realizing that this is not directly their fault or intention but due to the nature of our industry, our reception areas are simply overwhelmed with ringing phones, busy check-ins, multiple discharges, barking dogs, meowing cats, rowdy kids and whatever else the day may present. Your clients come to you for professional care and service and although they bring us some of the members of a circus, I guarantee you they are not up for that type of entertainment when coming to your practice!

To help solve some of the problems associated with the level of front desk service provided to your clients - I suggest incorporating a Telephone Operator Station. Telephone operators enable your front desk team to enhance the level of service provided to all of your clients. Imagine the day that clients walk into your practice and they are immediately greeted by consistent warm, friendly and inviting professionals that are not only able to give them their undivided attention, but able to do so with a smile and no interruptions. In addition, envision your clients calling into your practice and having their calls promptly answered and no longer having to be put on hold for long periods of time. Telephone operators can alleviate or minimize clients being rushed off of the phone. The client that is standing right in front of the receptionist and is anxiously waiting to be checked in or checked out no longer has be shared with the client calling into your practice.

Try removing all of your phones from the front desk except for one and setting up an operator station. The operators are away from the front desk and are able to provide comprehensive, uninterrupted service to in-calling clients. This frees up the front desk receptionists to better attend to and assist your in-house clients. Your practice now offers the best of both worlds! Not only will your front desk appreciate the incorporation of telephone operators, but your clients will immediately recognize the increased level of service provided by your front desk. Your clients will no longer feel short changed when they walk in or call your practice – now that’s service!

·   October Financial Tip
by Gary I. Glassman, CPA - Burzenski & Company, P.C.

Planning an Exit Strategy

Many wait too long before considering an exit strategy and do not plan for the expected financial results that will drive their practice value. The type of tax entity may also impact the eventual sale. Discuss the importance of taxes related to a sale with your tax advisor 10 years before the sale, especially if you are a “C” corporation. Exit strategies should be considered and started 5 years before an eventual sale. Who on your staff may be interested in purchasing your practice? How much is it worth? Will you sell your practice to a corporate owner of hospitals or through a practice broker? Have a practice valuation completed so you are aware of the practice value. Know what your practice return on investment (ROI) is and how it changes year to year so you can monitor the value of the practice. You can do this by computing the net income of the practice before the payment to owners. Then subtract payment to the owners for the performance of veterinary services and management fees. What is left is ROI. Have your accountant compute this for you each year. Based upon industry statistics in small animal practice, the ROI should approximate 11 to 13 percent of gross sales.