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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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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."