How to keep up staff momentum this year

By Marketing

18 February 2020 5 min read

 

Support and train your team to tackle this year

The new year always starts the same with “New year. New you!” going around where we all make our personal and professional resolutions. And then maybe you think, why stop there when the whole team can get together and make a resolution of how to shake things up from last year?

After a month or so though, we tend to let that momentum slip away as our work days get busier and resolutions are left to wait. Especially when caring for patients.

Luckily, there’s an easier way to reinvigorate your team and gain all the benefits of newfound knowledge – training. Studies show that training not only boosts productivity, but it also increases employee satisfaction and motivation.

Training can also help your team members become more efficient and more engaged, which in turn helps your practice thrive. Hiring new staff is time-consuming, expensive, and a very inefficient way to spend your time – especially when you’ve got a great team that’s in the midst of planning for the New Year.

Address gaps in employee knowledge and skills

According to research, 29% of employees feel their skills are outdated and 35% say it’s hard to find the time to keep their skills sharp. A good way to address this is to have a conversation with your team to understand where the gaps might be, then set aside time and resources to help close them.

Practice technology is one area where staff training is often needed – and appreciated. Whether it’s a refresher on your systems and processes, access to online training, or a session with an expert, making sure your staff is familiar with and able to use the available technology to maximum benefit helps make them more confident in their role. And, in turn, this helps them provide better care and better customer experience.

Invest in their professional development

Investing in your staff’s professional development is another key area that will help lift employee engagement and benefit your practice in the long run. And this goes beyond just making sure they’re up to date with the latest technology, treatment or industry best practice.

Over and above these foundation skills, consider providing your team members with the opportunity to learn more about an area of animal care that interests them, or to train in a specialized field. By allowing them to explore these areas while in your employ they’re less likely to look for these opportunities elsewhere. Not only this, it will add additional skills to your practice and improve the standards of care you’re able to provide to patients.

Help your staff prepare for the future

Advancements in technology are impacting the veterinary industry the same way as many other professional industries. These take the form of new diagnostic or treatment equipment, software and systems to run your practice or new pet technology. No matter the field, it’s important that your team is aware of these advancements.

By offering training and ensuring they’re up to speed with the latest technology and best practice, they’ll not only perform their job better and provide a stronger customer experience, but they’ll also be more capable of adapting to future changes as the learning curve won’t be as steep.

 

Talk to our expert trainers

* Required fields

 

The start of a new year is always an exciting time. Make sure your team is prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities available by offering them the training they need to excel at their jobs and provide the best level of care for patients while continuing to advance their careers and offer additional value to your practice.

Contact us to learn more about your RxWorks™ or VisionVPM™ software and speak with our trainers.