May 2019

Are you being heard? Calling time on call waiting

The telephone is still the main way clients contact their veterinary practice, but times are changing fast. Online appointment booking and live chats are just the tip of the iceberg, and practices looking to stay ahead need a strategy covering all the options…

27 mins
Building the dream: part two – five tips for sustainable growth

Setting up a veterinary practice can seem like the easy part when compared to developing a successful strategy for growth. Alan Robinson explains how to take the pain out of the process by following five golden rules …

28 mins

April 2019

Enemy at the gates: parasite protection products and protocols

Climate change and increased pet travel have created a perfect parasitic storm for the UK’s companion animals. Old foes like fleas and endemic ticks, along with emerging threats, are putting pets at ever-greater risk – so which products and advice should practices offer to help even the odds?

39 mins
Companion animal nutrition: serious food for thought

Pet nutrition is changing fast and UK practices run the risk of being left behind if they don’t adapt. Significant advances in nutritional science and technology have led to improved therapeutic and wellness diets – how can your practice make the most of these new opportunities?

24 mins

March 2019

Information is power: how to strike oil by drilling through data

So much data is available in the modern veterinary practice that sometimes it can seem difficult to see the wood for the trees. But by measuring the metrics that matter, this wealth of data has the power to transform your practice into a lean, mean profit-making machine...

32 mins
Fast Forward: veterinary business

The second of VBJ’s Fast Forward features is the story of Vet Dynamics – a veterinary business consultancy that has helped hundreds of owners ensure their practice is run as effectively and efficiently as possible.

25 mins

February 2019

Increasing insured clients: everyone’s a winner

Nick White looks at how practices can grow the percentage of insured clients – and the significant financial benefits of doing so…

25 mins
Practice Profile: Village Vets Crosby

It is always a tough task setting up a new veterinary practice from scratch. But some have it tougher than others – as VBJ discovered when we headed to Merseyside to visit Village Vets last month…

2 mins

January 2019

Wake up and smell the coffee: why first impressions count

Focusing on four main client contact areas – exterior, interior, vibe and virtual – could make all the difference to your practice enviornment, says Dr Ernie Ward.

34 mins
Building the dream: part 1 – starting from scratch

Starting a new business is daunting, but help is always at hand. Alan Robinson explains the early considerations in setting up your own practice.

32 mins

November 2018

Practice Profile: The Veterinary Practice

In these days of manic corporate consolidation, it is important to remember the benefits owning your own practice can bring. So when VBJ was asked to visit an independently owned practice that is positively thriving in the face of corporate competition, we jumped at the chance.

3 mins
Skills in short supply: how to mend the recruitment crisis

Adi Nell and Erwin Höhn consider stakeholders’ likely responses to the shortages before proposing a revolutionary workforce planning framework.

31 mins
Getting teeth into dental initiatives: it’s a team effort

Increasing the amount of dental work your practice performs can be a great way to improve pet health and drive revenue. Yet, without the engagement of the whole clinical team, these initiatives can often lack bite.

21 mins
Building an employer reputation online

Successful recruitment begins long before a vacancy arises. In an increasingly transparent profession, employer reputation is a vital tool in the competition for our most valuable resource: people. This will be a major theme at SPVS/VMG Congress in January.

19 mins

October 2018

Practice Profile: Cromwell Animal Rehabilitation Centre

It is often said the best things come in small packages. For a branch of Cromwell Vets, that package proved to be a 9m by 4m prefabricated box. It’s not a lot, but, as VBJ discovered, it's already having a big impact ...

28 mins
Skills in short supply: deconstructing the recruitment crisis

Medivet senior partners Adi Nell and Erwin Höhn, in the first of two articles, look at the manpower problem as a precursor to delivering a framework for analysis and a strategic plan for all stakeholders in part two ...

36 mins

September 2018

Technically speaking: modern medicine in the digital age

Nuala Summerfield explains that rather than being a cause for concern, technology provides real opportunities for anyone prepared to embrace it.

34 mins

August 2018

Practice builders: staking your claim on ‘Brand Alley’

Just being good at medicine is no longer enough for practices hoping to attract and retain clients. Experience is a big priority for owners visiting and, as Simon Power explains, getting your branding right is a crucial start.

23 mins

July 2018

Client engagement – why you need to reach out to feel the love

Engaging and communicating with pet owners is essential if vets are going to administer consistent patient care and remain relevant as animal experts. Engagement begins with outreach, and outreach originates in need ...

37 mins
Pet health plans: a ready remedy to keep your practice front of mind

Health care plans can be a great way of protecting pets, bonding with clients and marketing a veterinary practice. But the devil's in the detail when it comes to deciding what to put in, what to leave out and how much to charge ...

17 mins