Handling clients

Re: Handling clients

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:27:25 GMT

Cross ref to use of barium I have a video endoscope-very under utilised, and so uneconomical-if I charged correctly on capital costs, and frequency of use, then the coroner would be asking awkward questions why so many clients dropped dead from heart attacks in my surgery !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wynne

Re: Handling clients

Mark Holmes — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:34:40 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

[quote user="Utlendigur"]

Except for the little issue of the capital outlay to buy all the new shiny digital technology - radiographs themselves may cost less, but the cost of the equipment has to be recouped.

Also on the bitch spay - should clients whose bitch is spayed in 15min by an experienced vet (with less risk of complications and probably a faster recovery) pay less than someone whose bitch is spayed by a new grad in >1hr with (with more tissue trauma, more risk of problems). Clients would end up paying more for lower quality work....

[/quote]

Precisely.

[/quote]

Absolutely all this is correct but if you look at other businesses, many choose a large capital outlay paid off over a large number of years. Many even use it as part of their business plan so that they specifically can undercut the competition and many businesses design everything from root to branch to allow efficiency within the business again to support competitive advantage. I am also aware of how many resources sit redundant in a practice for large parts of the day/week I do wonder whether we miss an opportunity by not considering the actual costs to the practice of facilities being unused for lagre periods of time. (How often is the ultrasound or ECG or electrocautery etc required?)

Don't get me wrong I am somewhat neutral on the subject of fees so long as they are sufficient on aggregate to provide a good return over time (and pay me a wage). I am not a practice owner but I am interested in how fees are calculated. I am currently studying an MBA part time and I am amazed at how fee setting in a practice differs from other businesses and what is usually considered good practice. Certainly all the jobs I have had have set fees on a think of a figure basis.

If a practice has the advantage of a surgeon who is quick, they can charge premium for his/her competance, or invest that premium in a strategy that undercuts the competition increases foot fall and makes greater use of the capital employed in the building and other fixed facilities.

I argue this just as an exercise rather than expressing an opinion so please don't send me any poo in the post

Re: Handling clients

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:03:59 GMT

[quote user="Utlendigur"]

Except for the little issue of the capital outlay to buy all the new shiny digital technology - radiographs themselves may cost less, but the cost of the equipment has to be recouped.

[/quote]

Precisely.

Re: Handling clients

Bob Russell — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:03:56 GMT

Nothing wrong with charging for experience!

Perhaps the PSS could require the average age of the vets be displayed as a guideline for experience but then you would have to factor the 'old codger' issue into the equation!!!

Re: Handling clients

Utlendigur — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:44:56 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]Somebody on here has critisised £25 radigraphs, with todays digital technology radiography has become so much quicker and easier surely it is only logical that this will start being reflected in the fees charged, basic economics would suggest that it is.[/quote]

Except for the little issue of the capital outlay to buy all the new shiny digital technology - radiographs themselves may cost less, but the cost of the equipment has to be recouped.

Re: Handling clients

Mark Holmes — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:57:05 GMT

Principles , Seychelles, Principles, Sychelles Hmmmmm, we could just prostitute our selves to capitalism and live on the beach!

Actually the thing with under charging is, if you are sufficiently confident with surgery do a bitch spay in 15 minutes then you can afford to charge less that someone taking an hour without actually under charging. Any other business is set up to work to it own sustainable competitive advantage. If you have a practice which by its physical nature or staff or technology can turn over business quickly with lower staffing levels are you under changing by reflecting this in your fees? Somebody on here has critisised £25 radigraphs, with todays digital technology radiography has become so much quicker and easier surely it is only logical that this will start being reflected in the fees charged, basic economics would suggest that it is.

Just a thought

Re: Handling clients

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:46:32 GMT

Sadly there's always some smart alec round the corner who is undercharging either as a loss leader or cherry picking and clients don't think, 'he must offer a poor service or will rip me off on something else when I'm a captive audience' they just think the rest of us who are still undercharging in real terms are over-charging. Someone once said that if you dont have at least 6 clients a week complain about your charges, you're not charging enough, and some people will habitually complain even if you charge them 10p! Life is too short to worry about these people let them go somewhere else and learn the truth, you may not be able to afford a holiday in the Seychelles but you will feel better that you stuck to your principles.

Re: Handling clients

Mark Holmes — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:56:28 GMT

That was unfortunately the problem, I can be quite blunt when hungry. Maybe we should starve al the RCVS council members for 12 hours prior to any and every interview. (Or just withhold their smoked Salmon and Caviar nibbles )

Re: Handling clients

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:13:48 GMT

Mark Because they think from what they read in the press that we are overcharging-whilst the truth is we are grossly under-charging for our expertise-and no-one in authority in the profession is prepared to be blunt enough in telling them so

Wynne

Re: Handling clients

Utlendigur — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:10:15 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]Why do clients always complain when you are hungry.[/quote]

Same reason you always get a busy night on call when you are already tired - Sod's Law

Re: Handling clients

Mark Holmes — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:06:04 GMT

On duty until Tuesday so as much as I would like the wine:( Unfortuneately I'm irritable when hungry hence the coffee .... It would probably make more sense to eat something!

Re: Handling clients

Rob Davis — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:34:13 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]Why do clients always complain when you are hungry[/quote]

How did they know you were hungry - was it the borborygmi?

Go home, have some food and a glass of wine and move on. It's so easy to get wound up by these and let them ruin your day, it's only one client, and I'm sure there were far more happy than cross, so don't dwell on the bad ones.