UPbook Reviews: 4 Things Your Reception Area Doesn’t Need

Google the search term "veterinary practice tips" and you’re sure to find a plethora of resources (ours included) that feature things you can and should do to make your practice more sustainable. What you don’t see a lot of, however, are tips about what you shouldn’t do. This is often just as, if not more important. In particular, through the many UPbook reviews we’ve conducted of various practices, we’ve uncovered four key areas that are not on unnecessary, but in some cases, could actually be detrimental to a practice’s success. Without further ado, let’s explore each of those things in greater detail below.

Free Beverages

Is it a nice touch? Sure. Is it something that will make or break whether a client will stay or leave? Highly unlikely. In fact, to the contrary, offering free drinks in the reception area can send the message to your clients that they’ll probably be waiting there for a long time. That’s the last thing you want to convey.

What’s more, bringing a pet in to the clinic isn’t exactly a leisurely activity. For many, it’s a frenzied, stressful and hectic experience. They don’t need a cup of coffee. They need a calming atmosphere and friendly, helpful staff. That’s what you should be focusing on in your front office.

Stagnant Protocols

Just because something worked swimmingly ten years ago doesn’t necessarily mean it’s still a good policy today. Things change, both in veterinary medicine as well as client demands and expectations. Some of our UPbook ratings revealed practices with great potential that was inadvertently holding themselves back.

To find out if you’re one of them, start by conducting an audit of what’s working and what isn’t, and then take action to make changes. Ask your team for suggestions. Ask your clients for recommendations. Remember – pruning is often necessary to promote growth, so be willing to adapt.

Bad Attitudes

When the team at UPbook reviews a practice, one of the first areas assessed is the culture of the staff. Whoever coined the phrase "one bad apple can spoil the bunch" must have had experience working with a toxic co-worker. And trust us – there’s nothing that can derail the success of a veterinary practice than a team member with a poor attitude. It trickles down to colleagues, impacting the morale of the entire team, and ultimately affects the client experience.

If you’re struggling in this area, ask yourself, is it worth potentially losing droves of clients just to keep that one problem employee? The answer to that one should be crystal clear.

Pushy Sales Techniques

Let’s get one thing straight. Upselling is a powerful and highly effective tool to use in the veterinary industry. That being said, the way your front desk team approaches this can really make or break the outcome. In fact, if your staff is using pushing sales tactics, not only will you likely miss out on the opportunity to generate additional revenue, but you could ultimately lose clients entirely.

In cases where our UPbook reviews reveal the presence of pushiness, we always recommend investing in additional training. At the very least, have your staff put themselves in the shoes of the client. Would they appreciate that type of sales approach? If not, then it’s time for a change.

As practice owners and practice managers, we always seem to focus on doing more, when in reality, doing less of some things can be equally impactful. We encourage you to take a good, honest look at whether your practice is struggling with any of the above four things and if so, make the changes necessary to turn things around. It may be challenging at first, but the happy staff and loyal clients you’ll get as a result will make it well worth the effort.

We provide special offer for new customers to start a business with UPbook. For more details visit the website.