The Savvy VetTech

If you plan on working in small animal general practice, there’s a good chance you may someday find yourself in a practice that offers wellness plans. A 2015 survey found that 20% of the veterinary practices surveyed offered wellness plans as an option for their clients, although the exact number seems to fluctuate from year to year.¹

Wellness plans are often touted as a way to help clients with budgeting, while increasing client compliance with preventive care recommendations. 

Although dental extractions are a common, everyday procedure in many veterinary practices, they are also a frequent source of frustration for vets, vet techs, and clients. Learning to communicate with clients about extractions more effectively can help alleviate at least a portion of this stress, improving client compliance with these procedures. 

For many clients, visiting the veterinarian is just another chore to check off their to-do list. It’s not good and it’s not bad; it’s just something that needs to be done.

But what if it doesn’t have to be that way? Clients who have a positive experience are more likely to keep returning to your clinic, giving you and your coworkers more opportunities to educate that client and provide optimal care for their pet.

As you work in veterinary practices, day in and day out, you may begin to notice some trends. There are certain types of clients that seem to crop up on a regular basis… and those clients can either make or break your day!

Understanding common clients that you may see in practice, and developing strategies to work with these clients, can go a long way towards helping your career off to a successful start.

It is getting hot outside! Heatstroke is very common during the summer and very dangerous. Remind your clients about the dangers of heatstroke. Let's take a moment to review.

Heatstroke is a very serious concern, especially in the hot summer months. Providing good client education on this subject is especially important.

A veterinary client can come in all forms. In fact, dealing with them is somewhat of an art form that you will learn over time.

Despite your best work and stellar customer service skills, you will definitely have interactions with clients that are very difficult from time to time. No matter what you do, they will not be satisfied.

It may seem shocking, but this is not the first time I have heard about a story like this.

Illness of a loved one can be a very stressful time, and people often have no idea how to deal with the emotional pain. When it comes to companion animals, the feeling may be more intense, because not only will the owners feel distress and sadness, they will also feel a huge amount of responsibility, and perhaps even guilt.

Technicians are often a first point of contact when a client enters the hospital with their pet. To ensure a successful visit, good client communication skills are a must.

There are a few key pieces that should be a part of any visit. As we all know, a first impression can be lasting and we want clients and their pets to have a positive experience.

I had just started my internship after finishing veterinary school. I was on my emergency overnight rotation, and I was the only one on duty.

One of the veterinary technicians took a phone call from a frantic client that stated her dog had been impaled by a stick through its chest. The owner was obviously told to bring the dog in immediately.

If you weren't able to make it to our Twitter Chat on Client Communication, take a moment to read through it and see what we discussed. We hope you can make it next time! 

We are excited to be hosting a Twitter Chat on Client Communication this week! 
When? This Thursday, September 10th at 5pm PST (8pm EST)
Where? Twitter
Host: @savvyvettech
Who? Vet techs, students, receptionists, vet assistants, veterinarians, and managers

If you have not participated in a Twitter Chat before, it is a very fun and easy thing to do!

We all know them well. If you have worked in a veterinary clinic for even a short amount of time you may have had to deal with some grumpy clients. Here are a few tips to make it easier to deal with clients to keep things running smoothly!

Remember that the most common cause of clients being upset is a miscommunication. Mix that with emotions, a sick pet, and money and there is bound to be a grouchy client somewhere.

One of the most common reasons owners neglect dental care or other procedures for their pet is fear of anesthesia. In fact, many owners have either had a negative experience surrounding anesthesia with a previous pet or with themselves, or have a friend who had a bad experience. Veterinary medicine has come a long way in terms of standards of care and many people do not realize how advanced our anesthesia protocols and procedures have become.