Employee development topics abound as society faces the great resignation, work-life balance and employee retention. Results from Harvard Business School research found that new hires who received effective mentoring were able to outperform their non-mentored peers by 18 percent. What’s more, the mentored employees also stayed with the organization longer than their … [Read more...]
Search Results for: retention
Survey says: Younger pet owners plan to spend less, lose pets in 2022
Compared to Gen X and baby boomers, younger pet owners worry more that they may need to spend less on pet food and treats in 2022 or change to a less expensive brand. In a November 2021 survey by the American Pet Products Association, distinct generational differences arose related to economic issues. The percentage of millennials and Gen Z concerned how finances will affect … [Read more...]
Catching up or just back to normal?
Opinion The recent Vetwatch™ Commentary provides consistent data to help assess the scope, velocity and significance of developments in the veterinary care sector across the United States. Following more current trends, the national 3-week rolling average for practice revenue growth fell to -9.1 percent. None of the nine census divisions posted positive revenue growth for … [Read more...]
IBPSA FastBites – December 13, 2021
Pet training apps, 2021 U.S. pet food and treats update, less is more mindset, five points for small business advertising, reminder to submit for IBPSA rebate program, the latest from AHD and more . . . If some new holiday employees plan to stay into 2022, don’t forget the species-specific education and certification programs available for enrollment in the IBPSA online … [Read more...]
It’s time to ‘re-recruit’ your employees
Instead of focusing solely on hiring new talent, HR leaders suggest companies concentrate on “re-recruiting” their existing employees to reduce flight risk and build an invested, engaged workforce. During a recent virtual conference three HR leaders agreed that employers need to invest in reskilling and tech to improve employee engagement. Source: Human Resource Executive, … [Read more...]
Good consumer marketing is like dating
The goal of dating is to get someone to like you, to take a chance on you and to, hopefully, give you a second date. That’s exactly what we want when we’re trying to bring somebody into our brand, store (clinic) or service.” - Michael Johnson Source: Petfood Industry, September 29, 2021. Link. The things that most pet consumers have in common is that they are value-minded, … [Read more...]
Highlights from the 31st Carthage Swine Conference
An emphasis on people, training, culture, retention and advancement are key priorities for today’s swine producers according to Claire LeFevre, DVM. She summarizes priorities from presentations at the swine conference. Source: National Hog Farmer, September 28, 2021. Link. Presenters discussed using the TN Visa Network which allows professionals from Canada and Mexico to … [Read more...]
Build an excellent coaching strategy
Effective coaching is a crucial ingredient to satisfied employees. It leads to improved performance, knowledge transfer, skill improvement and employee retention, writes Steve Taplin. His writing shares some results and specific elements to include in a coaching strategy. While his examples are specific to a remote employee business, the initial step of coaching, ‘invite … [Read more...]
Employees blamed for a problem created by employers
Peter Cappelli asserts it is time for a sharp realization by the human resources profession. He says employers are trying to hire a lot of people to fill their earlier layoffs, and they struggle to hire the people with the skills and experience they want fast enough at the wages they want to pay. That is not a labor shortage. Cappelli believes there are just under 22 million … [Read more...]
Purchase growth plateaus, but still ahead of 2020, VetWatch™
Monitoring the scope, velocity and importance of developments in the U.S. veterinary care sector, VetWatch™ helps veterinary hospitals and the animal health industry stay on top of the ever-changing landscape affected by current events through multiple sources of real-time data. Source: VetWatch, week ending July 3, 2021. Link. For the week ending July 3, aggregate YTD … [Read more...]
Forget the rookies, bring up the reserves
Alyssa Mages, BS, CVT, advocates for the dependable and experienced veterinary team members. She suggests focusing first on retention and advancement, including training allowances to advance skills. Then the team will be stronger to bring on and train the rookies, she says. Find out each team member’s Why. Give them the materials, the resources & the means to go get the … [Read more...]
A H.I.G.H.E.R whole team approach
Guest Contributor – Caitlin Keat, MSm We’ve combined two contributions from Caitlin Keat. Leadership behaviors do not always come naturally. Recognizing and allowing the whole person is critical to improving team dynamics, successes, retention and continuity. Wholeness is a state of forming a complete and harmonious whole. It is ongoing, everchanging, and something we have … [Read more...]
How to generate more clients at your veterinary practice
Opinion We held this article to position it now, one year post-Covid-19 shutdowns and the anniversary of the first wave of pet adoptions that followed. Robert Sanchez is no stranger to veterinary practices and his article is purposeful and valuable. He applies sales terminology to new customer acquisition tactics. Considering the timing, we believe it is important to … [Read more...]
When to call the vet for a horse
The veterinarian is too often the last to know when something is amiss with an animal. Harry Werner, VMD, shares four levels of concern when horse owners are confronted with a sick or injured horse. The category lists will help horse owners focus their thinking and decision-making based on specific clinical signs and circumstances. He also recommends proactive planning and … [Read more...]
VIS webinar: How burnout prevention in veterinary organizations translates into profits
Complimentary Putting people first will encompass the topics Bob Lester, DVM, and Thom Jenkins, MA VetMB, will cover with Ivan Zak, DVM, in the February 24 Veterinary Integration Solutions webinar. Employee retention is especially important when transferring ownership or changing management structures. Burned out employees are 2.6 times as likely to be seeking a different … [Read more...]
Rev up replacement heifers
Patsy Houghton, president and general manager of Heartland Cattle Co., McCook, Nebraska, gave advice for developing heifers in fall 2020, spring 2021 and beyond in a recent Angus University webinar. She offered seven challenges to help commercial cattlemen improve their replacement heifers: Place selection pressure on fertility Enhance your calf crop value Improve … [Read more...]
Autoship sales projected to help Chewy retain 1.6 million new customers
Commentary: includes complementary commercial content from VetSource® Chewy’s success is getting noticed by our industry. For veterinary hospitals, it is a definitive call to action to embrace, implement and optimize home delivery” - Kirk Augustine Like Amazon and other e-commerce retailers, Chewy has seen the kind of growth that was expected to take years to achieve, get … [Read more...]
Pet grooming businesses deemed non-essential. Need some extra help?
Original content Groomers have been shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, animal shelters, pet supply retailers and veterinary clinics may need temporary help during this crisis. Groomers could provide temporary support to help receive animals from owners’ cars, infection control processes, bath prepping, home deliveries and more. These animal health professionals … [Read more...]
Good managers encourage employees to share opinions
In nearly every dimension of business success, the manager makes the difference. From diversity and inclusion to productivity and retention, the manager plays a singular role in the life of an employee. In fact, Gallup's analysis has shown that the quality of a manager accounts for 70% of the variance in team engagement. Source: Gallup, December 30, 2019. Link [ä]. Only a … [Read more...]
When cats get fat
We’re highlighting one abstract from a recent JAVMA. Veterinary teams will find the information valuable in developing visit and retention activities for feline patients and their owners. Investigation of relationships between body weight and age among domestic cats stratified by breed and sex. Link A low frequency of repeated BW measurements suggested a low frequency … [Read more...]
Set up new hires for success
Too often we hire a new employee and then satisfied, rush to catch up with what we left undone. But, research shows being systematic in onboarding brings new employees up to speed 50 percent faster. This means they can more quickly and efficiently contribute to achieving desired goals. Effective onboarding also dramatically reduces failure rates and increases employee … [Read more...]
The importance of elevating veterinary technicians
Dan Aja, DVM, sees the important work veterinary technicians do to support delivery of high-quality care for pets, engage clients and help hospitals run smoothly. Meanwhile, the veterinary industry still faces challenges developing a consistent model for veterinary technicians, despite multiyear educational, training, and certification requirements. Aja compares the roles of … [Read more...]
Employees don’t need another friend
When manager-employee relationships grow too close it can compromise a manager's ability to act as he or she might really want or need to. Source: Forbes.com, February 6, 2019 Link. When normal boundaries get blurred, when managers start getting "too close" or "too familiar," it can open the door for all kinds of awkwardness and unintended issues to seep in. In this … [Read more...]
Frazzled? 4 steps to get ‘er done
Productivity experts John Zeratsky and Jake Knapp created a system to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from doing the things we really need to focus on. . . . there’s a default in our culture, in our work culture, and our everyday society of guilt . . . a lot of the tools that are out there are just designed to nag us . . . to make us feel more guilty.” Source: … [Read more...]
Free Partners for Healthy Pets program re-engages inactive clients
There’s good news about a free program offered by Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP). PHP’s inactive client reminder program has proven effective in getting inactive clients back to the veterinarian’s office, where pets can get the health care they deserve. Source: AVMA, January 4, 2019. Link. Within six months of sending a reminder message, the 1,612 practices that used the … [Read more...]
The 9-Minute Rule for customer satisfaction (includes video)
Improving animal owner experiences is important to increasing customer satisfaction and retention. Jessica Molina, PHR, CVPM, CCFP, shares the 9-Minute Rule that aims to improve customer relations and increase positive performance reviews on social media. Customers look for instant gratification and often feel forgotten if they are waiting too long. Source: VHMA, Practice Tip … [Read more...]
VetPartners; Benefits of a loyalty program
Managing the client churn rate is important to develop and maintain practice income. Loyalty programs can be effective retention vehicles. Existing customers have the potential to spend more. A lot more!” Stacee Santi, DVM Source: VetPartners Blog, October 11, 2018. Link. Not all loyalty programs are created equal, and if you aren't strategic about it, you can easily build a … [Read more...]
Ways to use CliftonStrengths to improve your employee experiences
Employee satisfaction, advancement and retention are great challenges in the animal health business. Gallup identified seven life cycle stages during which employers can affect the employee experience the most. Applying a strengths-based* approach at each stage of the life cycle can ultimately result in an improved employee experience. It's up to managers and their leaders to … [Read more...]
It takes effort to retain clients
Various sources predict 20 to 25 percent of clients will disappear during a normal year. Pet deaths, job moves and pet owner deaths are the largest causes. Beyond these reasons, retaining viable clients takes effort. A loyal client is a repeat client. This is especially important for veterinary practices. Studies show that it costs at least five times more to gain a new client … [Read more...]
Opinion – Chew on this blast from the past
AHD editor, Rick Purnell, found a dental care brochure in a media kit from 2007. See the images of the Hartz® brochure at the link below. While the graphics show how far we’ve come in presenting products in the last 10 plus years, the messages are alarmingly similar. A Google search for the study referenced indicates its results have been referenced by as many as 20 or more … [Read more...]