Vetsolutions
November 2016
Sparkline Measure performance and increase profits. Greg Robinson from Sparkline shares his views.
WECare Worldwide Janey Lowes talks about the work of her charity WECare Worldwide in Sri Lanka.
Digital Communications Client communications - the revolution. David Harris from Vets Help Direct reveals how to get it right.
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Sparkline Scorecard is unique in its ability to identify results and trends from the business processes that generate your revenue.
Look ahead with confidence With Sparkline there are no grey areas. The detailed analysis of practice data is insightful and presented in a format that’s easy to understand. To find out more about how Sparkline can help you focus on lost revenue call
0131 556 0555 or visit sparklinescorecard.com 2
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Contents November 2016
06
A day in the life...
18
Meet Daisy McNally, a key member of the Rapport support team.
Don’t miss out on our special offers
08
Read up on our schedule for London Vet Show and see how much you could save.
Profit - Set your sights higher Greg Robinson talks about how Sparkline can measure performance and increase profits.
11
My light bulb moment Simon Robinson explains how Sparkline has helped to transform his business.
20 Digital Communications for a Digital Age David Harris from Vets Help Direct talks about client communications.
14
Turning a blind eye is never an option
24
A long-awaited holiday opened Janey Lowes’ eyes to the suffering and neglect of Sri Lanka’s stray street dogs.
Improve the health of your business with our fantastic RoboVet giveaway.
Win an upgrade... 3
Vetsolutions Insight
4
www.vetsolutions.co.uk
Welcome to
Vetsolutions
Insight is delighted to welcome Nick Young, our new Managing Director. In this issue, Nick argues that the value we generate for our clients is an important measure of business performance. He also explains why 'customer success', a subject close to his heart, is the goal that must drive us forward.
" It's been a hectic but enjoyable few months since I joined Vetsolutions in August. This has involved relocating my family from Toronto to Edinburgh and setting up home in this beautiful city. In my short time in Auld Reekie, I have received a warm welcome from everyone, not least my colleagues at Vetsolutions - it's greatly appreciated. " I'm a good listener and my initial priority was to talk to clients, former customers and staff to hear what they have to say about our company and the services we provide. It's proved enlightening - and yes, negative feedback can be helpful too. If we don't know what's wrong, how can we fix it? These conversations have focused on many aspects of service delivery, touching on everything from internal processes to after-sales support. An external perspective is particularly valuable and it is clear that the relationships Vetsolutions has established with vet practices across the country is one based on trust, respect and honesty. That's a great place to be, but there's no room for complacency. Far from it. We have to ask ourselves: What can we do better and how can we add value to the services we provide? " I have come from an organisation that develops software for banks to one which does the same for vets. So, they have something in common - software. There is a core product at the heart of both businesses which generates the revenue needed to pay salaries and other operating costs. However, I have long-held the opinion that it is the discretionary 'value added' services that ultimately drive business growth, both for ourselves and our clients. By that I mean the support, training and advice we provide to ensure our customers feel valued and get the most from our software products and services. This is what helps set us apart from competitors and it follows that our business must be aligned to deliver this as effectively as possible. Yes, profit and revenue growth are undeniable measures
of business performance, but I would argue that 'customer success' is equally important in driving us forward. Their success is ours too and this is a subject I plan to revisit in future issues of Insight. " Customer support, in all its guises, is a theme that runs through several of the articles in this issue of Insight magazine. We continue our series of interviews with Sparkline Technologies' CEO Greg Robinson which this time includes a fascinating contribution from customer Simon Robinson from Andoverbased Strathmore Veterinary Clinic on the financial gains his business is realising from Sparkline's insightful data analysis. In our popular Day in the Life feature, Daisy McNally tells us about her busy customer support role in the Rapport product team and we also include an interview with vet Janey Lowes about the work of her charity WECare Worldwide and her experiences in Sri Lanka caring for the country's vast population of stray dogs. " Finally, it's the time of year when London Vet Show takes centre stage, this time at ExCeL London on 17 - 18 November. I will be there with the Vetsolutions team and look forward to meeting many of our customers who we know are planning to attend this exciting industry event."
Nick Young Managing Director
5
Vetsolutions Insight
Day in the Life Daisy McNally Rapport Feature Utilisation Specialist
Having direct contact with our customers and the opportunity to make a positive difference to their business is a great motivation for me.
6
www.vetsolutions.co.uk
A newcomer to Vetsolutions, Daisy McNally has quickly established herself as a key member of the Rapport support team. In this issue of Insight, she shares her first impressions of the company and describes a role which allows her to apply her background in journalism and customer services to help her clients up their game when it comes to branding, marketing and communications. Daisy laughs when asked to explain what a ‘Rapport Feature Utilisation Specialist’ actually does. “It’s not a daft question at all. Rapport has many different features and functionality. It’s my job to make sure our customers are aware of the suite of tools available and are using Rapport to its full potential.” Rapport helps vet practices improve the way they communicate with their customers. It offers a range of sophisticated software tools that make it easier for a busy vet practice to share information with staff and customers and market their business to a wider audience. So in the context of getting new customers in the door, retaining existing ones and boosting revenue, Rapport is an extremely valuable resource. It works at two levels. Firstly, Rapport improves practice efficiency by automating key functions such as online bookings, scheduling appointments, sending reminders to customers and updating the appointments calendar. There’s much more to it than that however. It also helps customers to market their businesses by providing the means to create professional websites and email campaigns. In every sense, it focuses on improving communications - internally and externally. Not only is Daisy new to Vetsolutions, having joined us in July 2016, but Rapport is another recent arrival. It was launched in the UK just one month earlier and Daisy’s role was created to support both the integration of Rapport within the company and its initial roll-out to UK-based customers. Rapport is a product of Vetsolutions’ parent company Henry Schein and has an established presence in the US. Given the timing of the launch and her appointment, Daisy lost little time in getting to know Rapport and her new colleagues.
As part of a small team, I was picking up valuable information all the time. “ Since joining Vetsolutions I have worked closely with Marketing Manager Sara Morris and Module Development Consultant Rachel Stevenson who is responsible for making sure Rapport is installed correctly and that
customers know how to use the tools. My induction period was managed carefully to ensure I acquired a sound knowledge of Rapport and understood how it interacts with RoboVet, our core practice management system. This was all new to me of course and there was a lot to take in, but as part of a small team I was picking up valuable information all the time.” Daisy’s primary role is to monitor how her customers are using Rapport, identify any problem areas and provide advice and guidance to help them get the most from the suite of communications tools. As she readily acknowledges, the working day is determined by conversations with Rapport users and the level of support they require. “ A typical day? There isn’t one! Currently, we have 74 Rapport customers and it is installed in around 170 sites. These figures are set to increase over the coming months. Many practices are IT savvy, require little handholding and are keen to get to grips with everything that Rapport offers their practice. However, there are others who prefer to take things a step at a time and that’s okay too. Some vets elect to use the suite’s basic functions, say, online bookings, then progress to the marketing options. It’s all about getting to know each customer’s capabilities and we can see at a glance on the Rapport dashboard which tools they are using and where additional help may be needed.” As part of her induction programme Daisy visited several vet practices to see at first-hand how Rapport is used and this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the real world of veterinary care proved to be insightful. “ I don’t have a veterinary industry background and perhaps I had a misplaced idea in my head about what happens in a vet practice. The reality was very different. The reliance on IT both in the surgery and back office is what stood out for me.”
measure. She has fulfilled a number of different roles over the years, but customer services is the one thing they all have in common. This was an important factor in her decision to apply for the job at Vetsolutions as she explains.
By embracing online marketing, our clients are in a much stronger position to grow their business. “ I suppose it comes from my background in communications. Having direct contact with customers and the opportunity to make a positive difference to their business is a great motivation for me. Not only that, I advise clients on developing websites and creating effective email campaigns - and we can evaluate the results they achieve to prove that Rapport is helping them to increase practice revenue. By embracing online marketing, our clients are in a much stronger position to grow their business.” In addition to relishing the day-to-day challenges of her role, Daisy already feels very much at home and is settling in well to her new surroundings. “Going to work each morning does not feel like a chore. Vetsolutions has a very distinct culture and style - it’s friendly and open-minded, more relaxed and informal compared to other places I’ve worked. Don’t get me wrong, some days can be very demanding, but the atmosphere is never oppressive and there’s a good team spirit. I do believe that Vetsolutions is getting the best out of me and that’s encouraging for the future.”
Daisy’s career has taken her from a BA (Hons) in Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire to Vetsolutions via Selfridges, chemicals company Johnson Matthey, GE Healthcare and Heineken, with a year’s travelling in New Zealand thrown in for good 7
Vetsolutions Insight
Profit
Set your sights higher. . . by Greg Robinson
A recent survey commissioned by the Society of Practicing Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) highlights the issue of low profitability levels experienced in many vet practices across the UK. This is a subject that Sparkline Technologies’ CEO and founder Greg Robinson addresses in this edition of Insight. He argues that delivering improved profits is within the grasp of all practices if they put steps in place to measure the performance of the key business processes. We also talk to practice owner and long-standing Vetsolutions’ customer Simon Robinson about the benefits Sparkline has brought to his clinic. Here, he shares some fascinating insights to the different ways in which the software’s data is helping to improve the profitability of his business. 8
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Findings from the recent (and first) SPVS Profitability Survey certainly raised eyebrows across the industry, not least in the corridors of the British Veterinary Association. The BVA was quick to express its concern and there’s little doubt that this was echoed in vet practices the length and breadth of the country. So, what’s all the fuss about? What we’re talking about here is below average profitability - a problem that refuses to disappear. The survey showed that over half of the respondents scored ‘below average’ or ‘poor’ on a net profit rating scale. More worryingly than that, 15% claimed to return a loss. Based on responses from around 100 practices, ranging in turnover from £10m to less than £100,000 per annum, this financial performance indicator is sufficiently conclusive to warrant further scrutiny. It also reinforces the view that not only are many practices underperforming when it comes to delivering profit, they remain unclear why this is happening and are unable to address the problem. This is a subject that Greg Robinson understands only too well.
Half of the respondents to the survey scored below average or poor on a net-profit rating scale. “The results of this survey don’t surprise me at all - it’s the same all over the world. Most practice owners I talk to are candid enough to admit that they are losing revenue and I don’t mean just from missed charges. However, ask them how much and this is usually met with a shrug. They don’t know the scale of the problem and, more particularly, how to solve it. I’d be the first to agree that it’s not easy running a busy vet practice and, yes, patient care is undoubtedly the number one priority. However, if the business is not operating to its full potential then ultimately this will have an adverse effect on the service provided to customers. You can’t have one without the other.” In previous issues of Insight, Greg has identified missed charges as the Achilles’ heel of many vet practices and the recent furore over low profits has thrown this into the spotlight once again. “My initial dialogue with new clients always focuses on missed charges - it’s the low hanging fruit. By documenting every fee associated with a specific treatment, with Sparkline we can identify where costs are not
being charged. Setting up the practice management software correctly means that charging is transformed from a laborious, error-prone manual procedure to a one-step automated process and, in the context of profitability, practice owners can see the results immediately as both transaction values and overall practice revenue show notable increases and this directly impacts the bottom line - positively so.” Greg is quick to emphasise that missed charges represent the profit that exists within every practice. This, he argues, is easy to fix and can account for around 5% of lost revenue in a typical veterinary practice. From this, it is possible to see immediate results and climb up the profitability ladder rapidly. If one considers the various processes undertaken a typical vet clinic, factors in the number of individual treatments and fees associated with each one and then multiplies this by client numbers, then the true extent of revenue loss and gain attributed to missed charges is reflected. It was the management guru Peter Drucker who famously said, ‘What’s measured improves’ and that maxim is central to Sparkline in that it measures the effectiveness of the various processes that are undertaken every day in practices nationwide. By comparing results year-on-year, it allows owners and managers to see at a glance what’s working and driving profits and where improvements need to be made. There’s no guesswork involved, as Greg explains. “The data analysis from Sparkline pinpoints strengths and weaknesses, allowing practice owners to focus on what needs their immediate attention. It also scrutinises results in various ways, for example on a vet-by-vet basis, and this is important when one considers the need to improve profitability. Let’s say we have a small independent practice employing four vets and each one is responsible for their own patient care and invoicing this to the client. Being able to measure the consistency of that patient care gives practice owners valuable insight to further opportunities within their business. “The table below shows the different clinical aspects of the Primary consultations alone, clearly broken down and displayed by each vet. You can see there are significant variances across the team and when you consider that the primary consultation is carried out in high volumes, the inconsistencies in standards of care can result in a serious loss of income.”
Vet Hospital Process
07/31/2015
07/31/2016
Comparison By Colleague Charlie
Will
Fran
Yvonne
Primary Visits
5,825
6,106
1,453
1,202
1,643
1,506
Vaccinations
3,394
3,672
852
721
938
976
Avg Trans Value
54
56
56
55
58
48
Avg Trans Value vaccs visit
40
42
43
40
37
31.1
30.0
32.7
33.0
40.8
Revenue primary visits
313K
342K
81K
67K
95K
72K
% charged diagnostics
7.5
6.4
5.4
6.5
7.9
4.6
% charged laboratory
5.5
5.7
4.5
5.5
7.2
4.5
% charged parasite
24.8
27.6
28.1
24.6
29.5
26.8
% vaccs visit
58.3
60.1
58.6
60.0
57.1
64.8
Cases per 100 Transactions
41 40.8
9
Vetsolutions Insight
The SPVS Survey reveals that the industry is facing serious economic challenges as many practices struggle to achieve acceptable levels of profitability. However, the picture is not universally bleak and some vet businesses regularly deliver net profits in excess of 30%. If one remembers that the Survey’s assessment of anything over 18% to be ‘excellent’, it begs the question - how do they do it? Greg believes he has the answer. “These high performing businesses have several things in common. Firstly, they have configured their software correctly, eliminated missed charges and are invoicing correctly. So, the basics are in place to deliver profit. However, these top achievers do much more than that. They send out reminders to existing customers regularly and are proactive in marketing the business to potential customers via their website and, increasingly, by email. They think ahead and have an intuitive grasp of what’s going on in the practice.
By comparing results on a year-by-year basis, it allows owners to see what’s working and driving profits and where improvements need to be made. “We have also found that the most profitable practices are those that recognise and utilise the skills and experience within the team and create an environment which encourages personal development. These practice owners are good managers and delegate responsibility, however they are the same people who ensure their team understands the economic realities of running a business, set financial targets and measure results against objectives.”
Sparkline transforms charging from a laborious, error-prone manual procedure to a one-step automated process.
10
While Sparkline’s primary task is to measure a clinic’s performance, it also helps to change attitudes to practice management, allowing owners to take control and focus on areas of their business that are losing them revenue. But as Greg points out, they must be prepared to accept their failings and put things right. “Customers need to engage with Sparkline and respond to what it’s telling them. We can halt lost revenue immediately by eliminating missed charges, but to further increase profits, owners must firstly identify where and how they can grow their business - this cannot be left to conjecture. Sparkline eliminates the guesswork, providing the data they need to prevent them losing money and drive profits in the areas that show the greatest potential for growth. I can give you examples of customers who have doubled their net profit overnight simply by fixing missed charges and then proceeded to see further increases as changes to process management - instigated by our data - improved financial performance. Believe me, low profits can be rectified. Why settle for 15% when 30% is achievable? Aim higher, I say.”
My light bulb moment Simon Robinson is owner, principal vet and sole proprietor of Andover-based Strathmore Veterinary Clinic. Simon took over the running of this 60 year old independent clinic in 2010 and has been a Vetsolutions’ customer for around 20 years. The clinic is a single site business, operated by Simon, three vets and six nurses and has an impressive 1,100 animals registered with its Pet Health Club. However, despite a busy appointments diary, the financial performance of the business failed to reflect the high levels of customer footfall - a common issue across the industry. As Simon notes, the clinic faced some serious challenges. For the last three years, turnover had remained static and, according to his accountant, profitability was lower than that of comparable independent vet businesses. So, there was much to ponder but no immediate solution to what had become an ongoing problem, until, that is, he attended the 2015 London Vet Show. Simon takes up the story... 11
Vetsolutions Insight "My introduction to Sparkline CEO Greg Robinson was memorably blunt, 'What are you doing about your missed charges, mate?' he asked. I stood my ground defiantly, protesting that our processes did not allow many costs to slip through the net, however that was before Greg showed me a demo of Sparkline and the costs missed in a typical clinic. It was then that the penny dropped. We were guilty as charged! Our processes were far from watertight and it became obvious there was a clear correlation between missed charges and our disappointing financial performance."
The financial performance of the practice failed to reflect the high levels of customer footfall. Simon signed up to Sparkline immediately and the software was installed within 24 hours. Initially, all customers receive individual coaching on how to use Sparkline and access the valuable metrics it pulls from RoboVet's data. A simple traffic-light system indicates where performance is improving, standing still or worsening based on the previous year's results, and data can be analysed by process type, on a vet-by-vet basis and across individual practice sites. As Simon acknowledges, Sparkline allows him to see at a glance where there is the greatest potential to grow his business and also identify the areas that are holding him back.
"Sparkline has given us much greater control. Data is updated automatically and I can't wait until the 6th of each month to review the figures and see how we stand. Previously, it was a bit like walking through a dense forest with no clear sense of direction. Now, we know exactly where we are going and the steps we need to take to improve. "We also benefit from the online one-to-one sessions with Steph (Sparkline consultant Stephanie Bryan) where we discuss practice performance over the quarter and agree our strategy for the following period. Steph's really got to know our business. It's great to have someone onside who understands the industry so well and helps us make the most of the data provided by Sparkline." Sparkline excels in identifying missed charges and this had an immediate impact on Simon's revenue by confirming that the clinic had previously failed to charge for a range of fees including theatre, clinical waste, consumables and hospital waste. Hospital fees for day patients and inpatient consultation charges also fell off the radar. In addition, Steph was instrumental in helping Simon utilise a closely related RoboVet feature called POS Actions (Point of Sale Actions) essentially a string of charges triggered automatically when a single procedure is booked. Simon also highlights Sparkline's ability to analyse the revenue generated from specific processes, citing dentistry as an example. "We had been looking to push our dentistry work for some time. In fact, I had bought some new dental equipment at the London Vet Show and organised the necessary staff training, so had already committed time and money to taking us down this particular road. However, there was something in the back of my head doubting our capacity to recoup
> Our average transaction fee has increased from ÂŁ43 to ÂŁ50 - a
15% increase.
> Net profit has leapt from 13% in 2015 to
23% this year.
12
the investment. Not only that, how could we know for sure if it had been successful? I needn't have worried. With Sparkline we were able to measure the results and they made good reading. Over six months we handled 44% more dental cases resulting in a 51% increase in income compared to the previous period. Not only has the data confirmed that we were right to prioritise dentistry, but this has had a galvanizing effect on staff morale we are all delighted with the results." Sparkline metrics also extend to analysing the performance of each vet based on the number of repeat consultations they have handled. As Simon notes wryly, the results from his practice made him sit up and take notice. "This metric is called Cases Per 100 Primary and I understand that the average figure in single site, independent practices hovers around 50. You can imagine my reaction on being told that my vets scored between 23 and 72. That's an extensive range by any standards, so there's good and bad news: Some vets are performing exceptionally well, while others may require additional support to improve their conversion ratio. This is not about apportioning blame - I'm responsible for staff training and development so the buck stops with me. However, what cannot be ignored is the potential loss of income to the business this represents. Thanks to Sparkline, we can now address the problem." As Sparkline founder and CEO Greg Robinson acknowledges, his software provides the metrics that allow practice owners to focus on areas of strength and weakness, but it's how they respond to the data that really counts. Ignoring a problem is no solution. For Simon Robinson and his colleagues at Strathmore Veterinary Clinic, Sparkline has initiated improvements across the business that have resulted in significant financial benefits as he explains. "Sparkline was installed in our clinic in January 2016 and since then, we have seen a 14% increase in turnover without increasing staff numbers so that has had a direct impact on our bottom line. What's particularly pleasing
is that our average transaction fee has increased from ÂŁ43 to ÂŁ50 - a 15% increase and by tightening up on our appointments process, new client conversion and return consultations are showing an 8% improvement on last year. We have also generated over ÂŁ20,000 more from dental treatments this year, fully justifying our decision to focus resources in this area of work."
My management of the business has benefited from having access to data that makes decision making so much easier. As for that all important net profit figure, well this has leapt from 13% in 2015 to 23% (for the 10 months of 2016) and there is scope for this to grow further in the remaining two months of the year. This vindicates fully Simon's decision to purchase Sparkline and, more importantly, to make the necessary changes to the management of his business. "While our financial results are delighting the team and my accountant, there's more to Sparkline than that. I feel my management of the business has benefited from having access to data that makes decision-making so much easier and, of course, we can now measure our performance accurately on a regular basis. After many years, we are charging properly and, interestingly, there has been no adverse reaction to our costs from clients. In short, I believe our business is in a much better place thanks to Greg, Steph and Sparkline." 13
Vetsolutions Insight
Turning a blind eye is never an option WECare Worldwide A long-awaited holiday opened Janey Lowes' eyes to the suffering and neglect of Sri Lanka's stray street dogs. It was time to take decisive action. Here, she talks to Insight about the work of her charity WECare Worldwide many thousands of miles away from her home in the UK. For vet Janey Lowes, days of sunbathing, sightseeing and surfing on a well-earned trip to Sri Lanka in 2014 took a backseat when she was confronted by the plight of the country’s stray dogs. It is estimated that between 1 - 3 million dogs live on the streets in towns, villages and rural communities across the country - that’s one dog for every eight people! Many thousands experience a wretched existence of illness and injury, with little or no veterinary healthcare available. As Janey recalls, this was a situation impossible to ignore. “ The scale of the problem in Sri Lanka was something I had never anticipated. As a vet, it is upsetting to see any animal suffer, but the 14
sheer number of neglected and vulnerable dogs is unimaginable.” With rabies rife, common illnesses include skin disease, fractures, tumours, malnutrition and injuries from road accidents and dog fights. It is reckoned that around 60% of puppies die before reaching one year old. As Janey explains, generations of neglect, poverty and local attitudes towards pet ownership are largely responsible for the current state of affairs. “ The standard of responsible pet ownership in Sri Lanka is pretty dire to be honest and in stark contrast to what we expect in the UK. Dogs are left to fend for themselves and
found roaming the streets looking for food and shelter. In these extreme conditions, it is little wonder they are prone to illness and injury. It’s so sad to see. Let’s be clear, this is animal neglect on a huge scale - but it’s neglect caused, in the main, by a lack of education.” To say that the experience left a lasting impression on Janey would be to underestimate the impact of witnessing the dogs’ plight at first hand. On her return home to the UK an idea began to take shape which she was quick to share with her colleagues from the Westway Veterinary Group in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. There she found a sympathetic audience, appalled by her description of the conditions endured by the
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dogs, and there was unanimous agreement that they could not turn a blind eye to the problem. This commitment manifested itself in the creation of Janey’s charity WECare Worldwide, established in October 2014 to ‘provide care for less fortunate animals around the world’. A generous donation of £10,000 from her employers enabled WECare Worldwide to begin its work in Sri Lanka and Westway, one of the largest veterinary groups in North East England and a client of Vetsolutions, was instrumental in persuading drug manufacturers to provide free medication and equipment to support the charity’s work. Janey returned to Sri Lanka to establish the first WECare clinic in the southern province village of Talalla near Galle. With modest resources, she set about treating injured and sick animals, ably assisted by veterinary surgeons, nurses and receptionists from the Westway Group who travel to Sri Lanka during their holidays to work with Janey and her small team of local staff. Such is their commitment
to the cause that a nurse from the Group volunteered to take unpaid leave to join the Talalla clinic, spending several months working there in 2015. Animal abuse, neglect and disease are widespread in Sri Lanka and the charity faces a daunting challenge to provide care for the country’s street dog population. Janey, who grew up in rural County Durham and comes from a farming family, is quick to acknowledge the size of the task. “ There are not enough hours in the day and it sometimes feels like we’re just scratching the surface. However, we are making a difference and, crucially, have established a great relationship with local communities. Our work can be grouped into three areas. Firstly, we treat sick and injured animals that are brought to us or found in need of help. Often this is the result of road traffic accidents or dog fights which are common here. We also operate a programme known by the
abbreviation CNVR (Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Release). This is instrumental in reducing animal suffering and eradicating rabies which is widespread in Sri Lanka. Also, it is the most humane way to reduce the numbers of wild dogs roaming the country and prevent unwanted puppies being born and then unceremoniously dumped on the streets with little chance of survival.
We spend time in schools teaching children about animal care. “ The third area of our work focuses on education and training. This is so important. We recognise that trying to change generations of negativity towards pet welfare and ownership is a big ask, but by engaging with local communities we can begin to
15
It is estimated that between 1 - 3 million dogs live on the streets in towns, villages and rural communities across Sri Lanka.
change attitudes and promote the benefits of owning a dog. We spend time in schools teaching children about animal care and train local vets to up their game and approach the job with a greater degree of compassion.”
Around 2,500 animals have been vaccinated against rabies. Since the charity was established in 2014, the WECare Worldwide team has rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job. The figures speak for themselves: Around 2,500 animals have been vaccinated against rabies; over 2,000 dogs and cats neutered; and approximately 800 sick and injured dogs treated. Janey recognises that there is still much to be done and behind the scenes in the UK her colleagues work tirelessly to raise
funds for essential medical supplies and food, without which the charity could not continue its work in Sri Lanka. The veterinary industry has also rallied to the cause and she singles out Sheffield-based Veterinary Instrumentation for its continued generous support. Looking ahead, it is Janey’s ambition to raise the £300,000 required to build the country’s first dog hospital - a centre of excellence for animal welfare and focal point for education and training. Janey’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. She is the first vet in the UK to win the prestigious Points of Light Award, organised by the Prime Minister’s Office, in recognition of the outstanding work undertaken by individual volunteers across the country. Not only that, she was voted Vet of the Year at the 2016 UK Animal Hero Awards. The charity is rightly proud of these accolades - but modestly so. At WECare Worldwide, it’s business as usual.
For Janey Lowes, her working life has changed dramatically since she visited Sri Lanka in 2014. However, she remains first and foremost a vet and is doing what she trained to do - caring for animals. “ We are passionately committed to animal welfare. Not only are we saving lives, we are changing them too. It’s recognising that each animal is an individual and entitled to some TLC - something that’s been in short supply throughout their lives. With the right medical treatment and plenty of love and affection, we are making a genuine difference to these helpless animals. Think about it - unlike our pets at home, these poor dogs have never even been given a name.” Well, they have now. Just ask Betty, Ratu, Badger, Bandit, Belle, Saffy and the hundreds of other animals who have been treated by the WECare Worldwide charity and they’ll tell you how their lives are so much better.
If you’d like to find out more about WECare Worldwide and make a donation to support the charity’s groundbreaking work in Sri Lanka visit: wecareworldwide.org.uk Alternatively, you can donate with Just Giving at: justgiving.com/wecare-worldwide 16
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17
Vetsolutions Insight
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Digital Communications for a Digital Age By David Harris BVSc MRCVS from Vets Help Direct
When we talk about client communications, what comes to mind? Face-to-face discussions in the consult room, telephone calls from a distraught client, written letters from grateful (or not-so-grateful!) clients? These are all invaluable to the service you provide your client base, but the last decade has seen a revolution in how we can communicate with clients - existing and potential.
The most successful practices are still using these traditional modes, but have also embraced digital options. In the veterinary sphere, there are generally three goals when communicating with clients:
1. Compliance Essentially, getting the client to do what you want. Examples would include booster or worming reminders (“Your dog is due their booster next month”).
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2. Concordance
3. Marketing
These are communications designed to get the client to WANT to do what you want them to do. While closely related to Compliance, “Vaccines protect your dog from infectious disease” is a Concordance message. The best results are achieved by combining the two - “Your dog is due their booster next month make sure you protect them from infectious diseases!”.
A marketing communication is trying to persuade someone to purchase a service or product (either new or existing clients). Veterinary Marketing communications are usually aimed at selling the services of a practice in general, or a specific offer (“Half price vaccine restarts this month at ABC Vets!”).
Whatever our goal(s), we have a range of channels available to get those messages across. 1. Blogs A blog is an online article, perhaps 6001000 words. They are your perfect vehicle for Concordance, explaining a condition or treatment, and why it’s important. Typically, blogs raise awareness or understanding of an issue. If constructed carefully, they include a call-to-action (Compliance) in such a way that the client will think it’s their own idea! Blogs can have a Marketing role as well, if you can share them appropriately.
Do: > Keep It Simple, Stupid. If you must use technical terms, place them in inverted commas and explain them. Most clients see “jargon” as a way of excluding them, but if you can “inculcate them into the mystery” by explaining it, you’ve taken a big step to bringing them on-side. > Make them relatable - we may find rare and exotic conditions exciting, but without a “human-interest” factor, most clients won’t read it through once they realise it doesn’t affect their animal. So, stick to relatively common conditions or diseases.
Don’t: > Assume your readers are stupid - too many blogs use baby language. Clients don’t have our training, but that doesn’t mean they’re idiots, so try to find a middle way. > Try to cover too much material - skimming a subject risks losing the reader, especially if they think you’ve skated over something.
> Always include a header or footer advising clients to contact you if they have any concerns. > Include images to bring it alive (but watch out for copyright and consent issues!).
2. Client SMS Messages These are ideal for Compliance messages, especially if they’re automated to remind clients of an appointment, wormer or vaccine due. Do: > Make sure all the key information is included - there’s nothing worse than receiving some details and having to ring up to ask for the rest!
Don’t: > Use MMS to send an image, or multiple texts strung together. Stick to a simple SMS message.
> Try to include a reason WHY you’ve texted them this message: Compliance+Concordance is a very potent combination.
3. Client Emails Client emails are an incredibly powerful tool, and seriously underused. An email allows you to send a complex, multi-layered message to your clients. When used properly, these can serve Compliance, Concordance and Marketing roles. A good email includes links to areas of your website (or external sources) that will be interesting to that specific client, all built around a single theme and related information.
Do: > Focus your emails on particular client groupings - typically by pet. Generally, cat owners interact more with the email than dog clients, for instance. > Include a call-to-action - something you want the client to do after reading, e.g. “call us to talk about X”. > Analyse the results to see how many emails were opened, which links were clicked, and who unsubscribed. > If possible, personalise - just including the client or pet’s name is really useful!
Don’t: > Use your practice email account to send mass mailings, or you’ll be blacklisted for spam. Instead, use a properly configured commercial email server (e.g. MailChimp, Emma) which will help you design an email and minimise the number of rejections. > Send unsolicited emails. You should only mail clients who have specifically opted in, or have been active within the last year. > Include too many options - people get bored quickly, and if you give them more than 2 or 3 options, they’ll probably choose number 4: ignore the email completely. > Panic about low open rates! 33% is a good result, even though ⅔ of the recipients haven’t opened it. 21
4. Social Media Accounts I’ve included these together, although there are differences. In many ways, Twitter is a form of SMS messaging; however, because of the client’s ability to share (or not) what you’ve posted, it’s vital to ensure that your message is interesting! In general, on Facebook and Twitter pictures are more effective than text but you’ll often need to use paid ads for the best results. Social Media work best for Marketing and Concordance - telling people who you are and what you do - but they aren’t really focussed enough for Compliance messages.
Do: > Make your posts interesting - cute photos or human interest grab attention and result in sharing. > Link to other timely and relevant communications - blogs, website, whatever. > Include a call to action.
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> Expect it to grow overnight - organic growth has a very long lag phase.
> Experiment! You need to get used to your particular audience (which won’t be the same as your client base), and find out what works for them.
In practice, the best solution is to use a combined approach, to “hit them from all sides”. This requires an integrated approach to communication - decide what to say, and who you want to say it to. Then incorporate website elements, emails, social media posts and paid ads, all backing each other up. This is hard work - and requires a lot of staff time with appropriate skills and experience - but the rewards are genuine. For many practices, however, it pays to contract services elsewhere - there are many digital marketing companies available. Before you choose one though, make sure that they understand not only the veterinary industry and the client base but also the difference between compliance/ concordance and marketing.
Don’t: > Be too frequent or too infrequent - there’s a goldilocks zone between communicating so rarely that there’s no point in doing it, and bombarding followers so that they block, unfollow or unlike you.
There’s a really important bottom line to all of this - a good communications policy won’t necessarily increase your client footfall, and you shouldn’t assess it on that basis. Effective digital communication will, however, increase client bonding to the practice and reduce client loss. It can convert an occasional client into a bonded client, one of the 20% that provide 80% of your revenue. That’s what you’re aiming for - because if you don’t do it, your neighbouring practices will.
Effective digital communication will increase client bonding to the practice and reduce client loss.
Client communications made easy - grow your business with Rapport. Vetsolutions Orchard Brae House, Edinburgh, EH4 2HS 0808 178 4028 | rapport@vetsolutions.co.uk | vetsolutions.co.uk 23
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