VBJ articles

July 2019

Brain food: the neuroscience of customer service

First-class customer service has never been more important to the modern service consumer – not least veterinary clients. It’s a vital dynamic that drives any successful practice, but, as Ernie Ward explains, to get it right you’ve got to get inside your clients’ heads...

34 mins

June 2019

Practice Profile: Oakham Veterinary Hospital

Not many equine practices in the UK have such a gilt-edged reputation as Oakham Veterinary Hospital. And as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit to the horsey hotbed of Rutland last month, it’s a reputation well earned…

2 mins
Just for reference: how to avoid pitfalls of making a bad appointment

Do you really know who your practice is employing? With the spirit of the goodness of humanity in mind, it’s unlikely you have anyone bad or criminally minded on staff. But it does happen.

21 mins
Holiday pay: EU case’s implications for business

While we’re still in the EU, we still have to play by its rules – particularly where workplace legislation is concerned. Here, the author details a landmark EU ruling on paid annual leave.

10 mins
Towering over everyone else: building a high-performing team

Transforming a group of highly talented individuals into a high-performing team is a common challenge in veterinary practices large and small. It requires considered leadership, but also the ability to understand that, sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing at all.

22 mins
Innovate or die – put life back into your practice

Innovation is the word on everyone’s lips these days. But what does it mean, and are veterinary practices potentially missing a huge opportunity?

20 mins
Chips with everything: get the microchipping message right

It is easy for vets and VNs to see the value of microchipping because they perform the procedure on a daily basis. But do clients see the value, too? VBJ reminds practices what they can do to overcome the barriers and maximise the business opportunities.

18 mins

A wide range of tailored diets is now available to suit the different breeds, sizes and activity levels of the canine companions we now see as part of our families. But one company has taken this to a whole new level – meet tails.com

18 mins

May 2019

Practice Profile: North Downs Specialist Referrals

Few other practices better reflect the near exponential growth of the UK referral sector than North Downs Specialist Referrals. The Surrey hospital has trebled in size in its 15 years – a tale of sustained success and one that echoes a wider story…

7 mins
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
Accidental leadership – avoiding the pitfalls

Have you been promoted to head up a team, perhaps to replace someone who has left or because the business is growing? Do you feel overnight your responsibilities have changed, but you haven't had training in the skill sets you need? This is accidental leadership…

21 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
Kate Richardson-Walsh: Going for gold through collaborative leadership

Many lessons can be learned by those in business from the world of top-level sport – a fact VBJ was reminded of when we sat down with the woman who skippered the Great Britain’s hockey team to golden glory at the Olympics in Rio …

10 mins
Uniformly taxed: is your practice workwear tax deductible?

Having practice staff in uniform not only enhances a brand with clients and wherever else employees are seen, it also provides a perk in that it saves employees’ own clothing from wear and tear. But, as might be expected, rules and regulations exist that surround the provision of a uniform if it’s to be tax deductible…

21 mins
Practice Profile: Wildbore Vetstop

Wildbore Vetstop sounds like it might be a rather intriguing, perhaps even slightly dangerous, place to work. But what’s in a name? Not a lot, as VBJ discovered last month when we headed north to hear another independent success story…

New head of nursing education for Medivet

“I will work to ensure every nurse working at Medivet feels valued and empowered to reach his or her full potential” – RVN Sarah Robinson.

5 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
If client loyalty is the question are health plans the answer?

One in every three small animal consults is preventive1. When supporting products and services – such as parasite control and neutering – are combined into the mix, that can add up to a vital profit stream. So, what can practices do to make the most of it?

23 mins