The success of your veterinary clinic relies on more than just the quality of your team and support staff. You want to ensure your entire practice is up to date and skilled in the latest veterinary techniques technologies. This way you’ll keep your practice running smoothly, provide the best possible care and increase client retention.
But, you can’t rely on your staff to upskill solely on their own time and dime. This should be a practice-led initiative where you’re giving your team the time and tools they need to become better at what they do.
So, when planning your upcoming year, it’s a good idea to include staff training in your budget. Here are 3 ways you can build a better vet practice from the inside out.
1. Make sure they’re comfortable with your tech
Many practices aren’t utilising their practice management software to its full potential. Training your staff on how to use the solution more effectively and efficiently could not only generate your practice thousands of dollars each year in productivity and more value-added activities, but you’re also making staff more active participants in the growth of your business.
2. Make your team feel valued
Training not only boosts productivity but increases employee satisfaction, motivation and staff retention. In fact, 70% of employees say that training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay with a company.
Training is not only a great way to ensure that your staff are capable of completing their tasks more effectively, but it also helps with their professional development. This allows them to up-skill at your practice, rather than seeking next-level opportunities elsewhere.
And, well-trained employees are not only able to perform their own tasks better, but often act as mentors to their colleagues – thus ensuring ongoing best practice after the training has finished.
3. Create a better client experience
When employees feel empowered, engaged and supported at work, this flows over into an improved customer experience. Great employee experience leads to great customer experience, building a better vet practice from your team and giving customers something to talk about in their network of pet owners.
Your clients will not only receive great service from staff who are skilled at their jobs, their experience will also be consistent no matter who in your team they’re interacting with on the day. It’s also more likely that clients will seek out the same staff at each visit, and have the same veterinarian treat their pet each time, as your satisfied staff stay longer with your practice.
This, in turn, will help improve the reputation of your clinic, which is invaluable in today’s competitive and highly-connected environment. Positive customer experience is more valuable than deals or discounts, as it will often lead to good reviews and referrals.
While negative word of mouth can damage your practice’s reputation, consistently good service from knowledgeable and well-trained staff will work in your favour.
Five common misconceptions about veterinary staff training
Training and continued professional development is crucial for veterinary clinics. It keeps staff up to date and proficient in the latest animal care trends, technology, and best practice. It also makes them feel like valued employees.
However, staff training and education can get pushed to the side in busy veterinary clinics due to lack of time or resources. Sometimes, practice managers don’t see the value in additional training from experts for their staff.
Below are some of the most common training misconceptions we’ve experienced:
It’s cheaper to replace staff than invest in training them
This is definitely not true. In fact, the cost of losing an employee in their first year can cost up to three times their salary in finding a replacement. Additionally, research shows that 7 out of 10 people say that training and development opportunities influence their decision to stay with a company.
Employees can already do their daily tasks without additional training
While they may be able to perform their required tasks adequately, an Emerging Workforce Survey by Spherion Staffing found that 29% of employees felt their skills were outdated. As technology continues to evolve rapidly in the veterinary industry, this is likely to be a conservative number.
Having your staff professionally trained by experts ensures that they’re not only properly skilled, but are also able to make the most out of the new system. This, in turn, will help improve the overall effectiveness, efficiency, and profitability of your veterinary practice.
Once employees are trained they’ll leave for better opportunities
In reality, the opposite is true. Studies show that training increases employee satisfaction, motivation and consequently retention.
Employees resent training, or see it as micromanagement
While there is a grain of truth in this statement, it’s often in relation to training that is mandatory, or off-the-shelf. When training is personalised and linked to their personal objectives and role in your practice, they’ll see it as beneficial and a way to be better at their job.
Training programs are boring and unengaging
While uninspiring content can be a barrier to learning, this doesn’t always have to be the case. When deciding on a practice management software for your practice, make sure you choose a provider that offers professional training and create a program that is interactive, relevant and entertaining. This will make it more enjoyable for your team, and make the training more effective.
Businesses that don’t believe in training and upskilling their staff could ultimately pay a steep price. A study by IBM found that companies lose 10% to 30% of its original capabilities every year.
If you want to have a more profitable practice with highly motivated staff, investing in training and professional development opportunities for your team will go a long way. It will not only increase staff efficiency but also contribute to increased job satisfaction and retention.
Contact us to learn more about training specific to your Ascend™, RxWorks™ or VisionVPM™ software.