A N O F F I C I A L J O U R N A L O F T H E N A V C
EQUIPMENT
GUIDE
PAGE
56
Paul Gladysz
Constructive
Criticism
Page 18
16 columns
inside
Abby Suiter
Take Charge
Page 42
Bob Lester
Creative Disruption
Page 32
When clients behave badly,
sometimes the right thing to do is
tell them goodbye — permanently.
Last year I met a fellow veterinarian who had a problem. Her scheduler erred in booking a
house call. As a result, she arrived at the gentleman's home at the wrong time. She sent the client a
few text messages and waited. When he didn't respond, she informed him that she had to leave
and that he would be billed for the visit. When the client later saw the texts, he became irate.
We can all probably relate to the client's feelings. Who hasn't felt a flash of anger
when accused of a mistake that was someone else's fault? It's understandable.
What's not understandable — and definitely not OK — was the client's
vocabulary and aggressive tone. He called the veterinarian names that
have never been published in this journal and never will be. The vet
hung up the phone after being berated and thought, "Great, and
now I have to go back and do this appointment for free."
Continued on Page 48
By Andy Roark, DVM, MS
DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
Take better
control of your
inventory
Errors in how much you
choose to stock and in how
you track and price products
could cost you a significant
amount of money.
Page 16
Reach out and
touch someone
Focused marketing efforts
can cure the ups and
downs of seasonality.
Page 28