CSVets 2
April 2014

Free shipping on Wendy Myers' new book:
101 Communication Skills for Veterinary Teams

When your team becomes expert communicators, clients will eagerly accept your recommendations and patients will get the care they need. Packed with scripts, Wendy Myers' new book will teach you the right words and phrases to have impactful conversations with clients.

 

101 Communication Skills for Veterinary Teams: Speak With Confidence Over the Phone and in Exam Room Conversations features 101 tips and scripts for the entire team.

 

You can get FREE shipping to the United States and Canada through May 1, 2014 when you use promo code 101BOOK at checkout at www.csvets.com/cart/. The book is $59.95 or save $30 when you buy a set of three books for $150.

 

Designed for quick-reference in daily practice situations, the spiral-bound book has 144 pages. Here's a preview:

 

Tip from Chapter 1 on powerful phone skills: How should you answer a call while you're helping a visiting client? Let's say a client is standing at the front desk with her credit card in hand and your phone rings. You need to make the client and caller feel equally important. Tell the client, "Will you please excuse me for a moment so I can place this caller on hold and then keep helping you?" Answer the phone, "Thank you for calling <Your Veterinary Hospital>. This is <your name>. Is this a medical emergency, or are you able to hold while I finish checking out another client?" The word "finish" tells the caller that the wait time will be brief. A client ready to checkout will be thankful that you're respectful of her time as well.

 

Tip from Chapter 2 on delivering exceptional client service: Stand to greet clients at check-in. When a pet owner walks into your lobby and the client service representative is seated and the client is standing, body language puts the client in a position of authority. In other service industries such as hotels, front-desk employees always stands to be on the same eye level as arriving guests and to project the image that they're ready to serve. The latest trend in the hotel industry is to remove the traditional reception desk as a physical barrier to communication. Hotel employees step around small pod-style desks to hand you room keys along with one-on-one greetings. Remember, veterinary medicine shares the same traits as other service industries. Rise from your chair at the reception desk and greet clients as they walk in the door. Getting up on your feet indicates that you're eager to help.

 

Tip from Chapter 3 on best practices in exam room communication: Improve timely use of flea/tick preventatives. Explain flea and tick lifecycles, how often to give a dose, and demonstrate how to apply or use the product. Tell clients "every 30 days" instead of monthly. This can improve compliance and optimal effectiveness of the product. For example, if a client applies her dog's topical flea/tick control on the 15th of the month, next month on the 1st, and the following month on the 30th, she may have breaks in protection.

 

Tip from Chapter 4 on explaining finances with confidence: Say "treatment plan" instead of "estimate." The term "estimate" is all about money. You get an estimate when you wreck your car and take it to the body shop, not when a broken pet needs fixed. "Treatment plan" emphasizes needed medical care. A treatment plan should clearly explain the medical services, fees, and payment policies. Be sure to change the term in your practice-management software so it prints on forms. If you see the word "estimate," you may slip back into old habits. The technician would

say, "Let me explain the treatment plan for Button's Grade 2 dental disease that Dr. <name> diagnosed."

 

Tip from Chapter 5 on following up on needed patient care: Call clients who don't schedule progress exams. If clients don't schedule medical progress exams at checkout, enter callbacks in your practice-management software. Call clients one week before medical progress exams are due as courtesy reminders. Use the term "medical progress exam" instead of recheck, which sounds free and optional. Say, "Dr. <name> needs to see your dog for a medical progress exam next week. Ear infections can be painful and develop into a serious condition unless treated and examined again to make sure the infection has cleared. When would be a convenient time for you to schedule <pet's name> medical progress exam? We could see <pet's name> at 4 p.m. Thursday or 10 a.m. Friday. Which best fits your schedule?"

 

Tip from Chapter 6 on handling difficult situations with grace and professionalism: Get an angry client out of the lobby. When dealing with an angry client, remove him from the lobby. The privacy of an exam room is better than a public lobby with an audience. Step out from behind the reception counter, face the client, and say, "Let's step into an exam room so you can have my complete attention, and we can find a solution together." Then start walking towards an exam room so the client will follow you.

Save $10 on Phone Shopper Flash Cards
 
As spring arrives, so does puppy and kitten season. Make sure your front-office team is ready for increased phone shopper calls from excited pet parents. Your goal is to convert 80% of callers into new clients.

 

Our Phone Shopper Flash Cards are a quick-reference guide with questions to ask phone shoppers, scripts to describe services and lists of your prices. Packed with proven sales techniques, this tool will help client service representatives produce significant revenue for your clinic.

 

Organized by frequently shopped services, our flash cards feature:

  • Puppy, kitten, adult and senior new patient exams
  • Spay and neuter
  • Declawing
  • Boarding and grooming
  • Flea/tick and heartworm preventatives you carry
  • Hospital hours and driving directions

You'll receive a set of three books so you can keep Phone Shopper Flash Cards next to each reception phone. We also offer annual renewal so you can update prices and protocols. To view a sample page of our Phone Shopper Flash Cards, click here. Save $10 when you use promo code FLASH at checkout. Click here to place your online order. 

Coming to a city near you:  

Grow your client service skills,  

grow your practice

We're constantly adding new cities to our seminar on "Grow Your Client Service Skills, Grow Your Practice," which is co-sponsored by Henry Schein Animal Health and Merial. Designed for the front-office team, this three-hour CE credit program lets you train up to four employees for $299. Choose the morning course from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. or afternoon seminar from 1 to 5 p.m. We suggest having half of your front-desk team attend the morning session and the other half joining us for the repeated afternoon program. Your tuition includes a workbook, CE certificate, refreshments and lunch. This course will cover:

 

Have Clients at Hello: Learn how to give a welcoming greeting, place callers on hold, make appointment and surgery confirmation calls, effective scheduling techniques, and handling difficult calls with professionalism and grace.

 

How to Say It: Talking With Phone Shoppers:

When a phone shopper calls your clinic, does a confident employee answer the phone? If she hangs up without scheduling an exam, she could be costing your clinic $6,000 per month in lost opportunity. Packed with scripts, you'll learn how to convert more callers into new clients.

 

Rejuvenating Client Service To Keep Clients Coming Back: Word-of-mouth referrals have long been the No. 1 source of new clients for veterinary clinics. Every time a client visits, you need to provide an exceptional service experience. Discover ways to create great first impressions for new clients, merchandising strategies that drive sales and 30 client-pleasing ideas.

 

Click here to register for these upcoming events. Watch future e-newsletters and visit www.csvets.com/events/ for cities near you.

  • April 3: Raleigh, NC
  • April 8: Richmond, VA
  • April 15: Reno, NV
  • April 22: Salt Lake City, UT 
  • May 6: Buffalo, NY
  • May 13: Jackson, MS
  • May 28: Memphis, TN
  • May 29: Lexington, KY
  • June 3: Pittsburgh, PA
  • June 5: Fairfax, VA / DC Beltway
New book on 101 communication skills
Wendy Myers
 Wendy S. Myers & Opus
In This Issue
Save $10 on flash cards
Client service seminars
Video: 6 tips from new book
View our videos on YouTube
Join Our Mailing List
Like us on Facebook

Script of the month:  

Reintroduce yourself when picking up a call that has been on hold    

Whether you placed the original call on hold, or are picking up a line that another staff member initially greeted, always reintroduce yourself. Don't say, "Thank you for holding" because holding could be perceived as a negative word. Say, "Thank you for your patience. This is <your name>. How may I help you?"


Upcoming Seminars 

April 1, 2014

Promote preventive care with effective reminders

Norwood, MA

Website: www.vetstreetpro.com 

Phone: 774-249-9265

 

April 3, 2014

Grow your client service skills, grow your practice

Raleigh, NC

Website:  www.csvets.com/events/ 

Phone: 720-344-2347

 

April 8, 2014

Grow your client service skills, grow your practice

Richmond, VA 

Website: www.csvets.com/events/ 

Phone: 720-344-2347

 

April 15, 2014

Grow your client service skills, grow your practice

Reno, NV 

Website:  www.csvets.com/events/ 

Phone: 720-344-2347


April 17, 2014
CSVets webinar: "Delivering Life Stage Preventive Care," 12 and 3 p.m. ET
Website: Click here 
Phone: 720-344-2347

April 22, 2014

Grow your client service skills, grow your practice

Salt Lake City, UT  

Website:  www.csvets.com/events/ 

Phone: 720-344-2347

 

April 23, 2014

Promote preventive care with effective reminders

Little Rock, AR

Website:  www.vetstreetpro.com 

Phone: 901-302-7561

 

April 24, 2014

Promote preventive care with effective reminders

Memphis, TN

Website:  www.vetstreetpro.com 

Phone: 901-302-7561

 

April 30-May 3, 2014

AAHA Veterinary Management School

Lakewood, CO

Website: Click here 

Phone: 800-883-6301  

Video tip: Get 6 tips from Wendy's new book

 

In this short video, discover how to pick up a call that's been placed on hold, why you should know the next three exams by name and reason for the visit, where to present treatment plans, the importance of grading dental disease during every physical exam, and how to wrap up a conversation with a chatty client. Bonus: Learn how you can get free shipping through May 1, 2014.


Watch this short video on  CSVets' YouTube channel.

  

6 tips from Wendy Myers' new book, 101 Communication Skills for Veterinary Teams 
Wendy S. Myers
Communication Solutions for Veterinarians
720-344-2347
� 2014 Communication Solutions for Veterinarians. Contact us for reprint permission.