I have walked into veterinary practices that have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the reception area, only to have a person behind a desk that seems to be driving away business. A receptionist that does not readily welcome clients as they walk in the door, staying seated behind a messy desk could leave a lasting negative impression of the clinic. These practices focus so much on the aesthetics that they forget that the person behind the desk is truly what makes the first impression. I have never understood why veterinarians do not put more focus on those responsible for delivering customer service to their clients. I guarantee you if a client is impressed by a receptionist, they are going to leave remembering the excellent customer service they received rather than if the reception area was “shiny” and “new”.

At our clinic we focus a lot of our hiring process on finding someone that fits our “brand”. As a business it’s important to know what your brand is and what you’re trying to deliver to your clients. Sometimes the person with the most experience is not necessarily the best fit. It’s important to find someone that’s willing to adapt to the culture you’ve created. At our clinic, we have created a positive culture where our employees actually care about the well being of our clients as well as their fellow co-workers. If you develop this type of culture, you would truly be amazed at what it can do for your business. Investing your efforts in developing an interview process that is not only geared towards experience, but more importantly towards how adaptable the employee is culture will make you less likely to hire what I call “Siamese Weasels”. “Siamese Weasels” run around looking for other negative people to latch onto. In most cases, if there aren’t other negative people to latch onto, these people end up leaving on their own.

Many companies make the mistake of holding onto these people under the impression that they will eventually change. If they don’t fit your culture, let them go. Keeping this culture consistent throughout every member of your staff is vital. I constantly receive the compliment that we have the friendliest staff of any clinic a client has ever visited. I believe this is the greatest compliment I could receive even more than a compliment about one of my veterinarians. I want veterinarians to do a great job. I certainly understand that it’s a lot more difficult to expect good performance form an employee who makes far less than a veterinarian with a large salary. Regardless of salary, all employees should be a positive force in your business that you want and should demand.