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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 24th January 2015
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Know your customer
Fletcher
Jane Fletcher
Retain your client in practice by understanding their needs

'We probably know our four legged customers better than our two legged ones', was Jane Fletcher's comment at the beginning of her lecture on how to know your customers.

Jane concentrated on the three stage client journey:-

Stage 1 before the visit
Stage 2 during the visit
Stage 3 after the visit

We tend to look mostly at stage two when we consider the client experience but in fact there is a great deal 'going on' before and after the actual visit to the vet.

Jane based her talk on work done with Beech House Veterinary Centre and looked at some of the basic things that clients experienced before visiting the vet, such as getting the cat into the basket, dealing with a nervous dog that does not like going to the vet, the possible difficulty of parking or getting an appointment at a convenient time. These are all things that influence the client's attitude to the vet and it is these experiences that can greatly influence their decision to visit their veterinary surgery more than the minimum number of times necessary.

Having completed the visit the experience/journey is not over. Clients are left with various emotions such as, did they get value for money, was the overall experience good or bad for both them and their pet, were they helped and valued as much as they would here liked?

It is these two parts of the client journey that Jane said practices need to find out about from clients so that they can help to make their customers' lives easier and bond them to the practice. The veterinary client needs both emotional and practical support from the veterinary practice, they need to be listened to supported and valued but at the same time offered the practical help and advice on how to do things,if only just how to get their cat into it's basket with the minimum of stress for both them and their pet.

It is this extra understanding of what clients need that can make the difference to good client care and retaining them in the practice.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.