Last week I was working harder than normal because my two associate
veterinarians were away at a summer conference. For part of the week, I was the only doctor working at my very
busy hospital. It can be fun
to be the only doctor on one hand because I have the entire support team at my
disposal. The down side to this
arrangement is that I am responsible for everything – every pet and client that
comes through the door. It can be overwhelming
especially when clients don’t behave as expected.
Thank goodness for my veterinary receptionist team, defending
the front of the house.
Veterinary receptionists are terrific at handling everything
important from the initial client contact by phone, to the collecting of
charges, to the “Have a nice day” goodbye. They handle very important things, which I sometimes forget,
as I am frantically moving from exam room to exam room. They are rock stars as
they deal with a steady stream of clients and pets. They handle phone shoppers, appointment scheduling, price
quotes, prescription and food pick up, client concerns, dogs barking and even
the occasional “accident” on the reception room floor. They handle our regular
cast of client characters, with style and grace.
I saw a great example of this Tuesday. Early in the day I was scheduled to see
a woman and her teenage daughter with the daughter’s little pet bird. The mother was obviously unhappy from
the minute she walked in the door about having to spend money on an inexpensive
pet. The mother scowled as the
technician escorted her into the exam room. She sat with her arms crossed,
glaring and grunted while her daughter talked with me about the pet bird. She
didn’t say much of anything except when I suggested that surgery maybe needed. “We
are NOT going to pay for surgery on a nineteen dollar bird.” I told her that I understood and I
would do my best to treat the pet with medication, which I sent home.
Once she was back at the front desk the woman exploded at my
receptionist. She berated the receptionist, who had nothing to do with the
charges, and threatened that she was going to leave a bad review for us on Yelp
because of her outrageous bill. My
receptionist kept calm and cool explaining the services rendered. She was kind, warm and patient. She may not have won over this
particular client but she did impress the observers.
The very next client was a couple that had seen the interaction
between the receptionist and the woman.
They came to me impressed and in awe that my receptionist had stayed
calm in the face of the rudeness. I told them that it was all in a days work
for these rock stars of my front desk.
It is something that they deal with infrequently, but also far to
often. They take the brunt of most
of the problems that occur in any business. They are client service
professionals of the highest caliber.
So remember to love your veterinary receptionists. Pay attention to their needs. They are so important to the success of
the veterinary team. I would argue
that they are key to your success. They are the people that guard you from the cruel world that waits
outside your veterinary hospital doors.
I would like to honor Joanna, Adrian, Erika, Jace, Miranda, Danielle and my manager Kathy for the terrific job they do everyday to keep the problems
in the front from affecting the doctors in the back.
We appreciate and love you everyday.
If you have a receptionist that you love please leave a comment
here so they will feel your support.
Dr. Julie Cappel
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