Pet smile month

Re: Pet smile month

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 09:25:07 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

If you offer free dental checks all the time anyway it won't matter if it's Pet Smile Month, Pedigree Dentastix Month, Virbac Dental Month, Pfizer Doggy Mouth Month, or anything else.

Just a suggestion.

[/quote]

I was about to say the same, we also offer free dental checks all the time (there's just more freebies to hand out if its organised commercially) indeed once an animal has had a dental procedure it is recalled for a free check every 6 months. I would repectfully say to those that are too busy or tight to give up 5 minutes of their consultation time to do a free health check that you should reconsider your pricing policies and workload/staffing levels - you're all heading for an early grave and/or you probably are not able to give enough time to paying customers either. A lunch break is sacrosanct to me, I make a point of going for a walk to buy a sandwich and although I may only make it a 20 minute break I can feel the stress coming on the odd occasions I'm too busy to take it. I learned this a long time ago, I may not be rich but I'm very healthy and happy.

Re: Pet smile month

Alan Tevendale — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:23:45 GMT

I certainly wouldn't want to offer free checks at the expense of paying buisness if I could help it. We generally do allow our nurses to do free dental checks all year round, creates a little extra buisness and helps with client bonding. I agree with previous postings about not wanting to work through a lunch for no extra renumeration. I certainly notice that the least stressed members of our practice are those that insist on having their lunch our (quite rightly) while those that work through then tend towards a more stressful life.

Ok if it's an emergency that's made things busy I can understand it being necessary but for routine work that is surely a rota issue - making sure that the correct levels of staff are employed and available at the appropriate times. Having said that I don't think I get it right all the time.

Re: Pet smile month

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:19:18 GMT

If you offer free dental checks all the time anyway it won't matter if it's Pet Smile Month, Pedigree Dentastix Month, Virbac Dental Month, Pfizer Doggy Mouth Month, or anything else.

Just a suggestion.

Re: Pet smile month

Amanda Nicholls — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:45:37 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

Work loads here are depressingly random. Makes getting staffing levels right a nightmare.

[/quote]

Same here, I thought it was partly due to being a fairly new practice but it can vary from week to week which is making getting the right number of staff very difficult! January was the busiest month i've had after a quiet November and December so I took on another part time nurse then February was dead!! March very busy then April was very quiet again. Thankfully June has been great, rushed off our feet. Looking at last year there wasn't a seasonal variation either with October being the busiest month!

Re: Pet smile month

Louise6732 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:15:56 GMT

Our nurses are doing the dental checks. They have more time to talk about/shw how to brush etc.

Louise

Re: Pet smile month

Bob Russell — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:55:16 GMT

Work loads here are depressingly random. Makes getting staffing levels right a nightmare.

Re: Pet smile month

Cat Henstridge — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:33:25 GMT

I thought this wasn't 'Pet Smile Month' but 'Pedigree Dental Care Month'. I had assumed that PSM would run in Spetember as normal and this was just a thinly disguised promotional tool by Pedigree.

Also, why can't your nurses do the checks? They do at all the clinics I work in which are running the promo.

Cat

Re: Pet smile month

Claire Edgington — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:29:07 GMT

I've noticed a seasonal difference throughout Jan/Feb in all the practices I've worked in. What's confused me this year is the change of month for PSM. I always thought it was in September??

Re: Pet smile month

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:55:52 GMT

I've not found much seasonal variation anymore just very unpredictable, May was my worst month last year, June second worst, August was best, November second best. I lurch from a good day to bad day, good week to a bad week and good to bad month, over a year income remains relatively the same or a slight downturn. Any extra bums on seats are welcome whatever time of the year.

Re: Pet smile month

Andre Escudeiro-Vieites — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:28:16 GMT

Turnover/wokload in veterinary Practices is very Seasonal worlwide!

Re: Pet smile month

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:07:24 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]in January they are often under employed[/quote]

I never knew there was a significant seasonal variation in workload. Just to ask a really thick question, is it just the discretional spending that drops away in January: routine healthecks and the like? Or do people spend less on essential pet healthcare in the New Year, having blown everything on presents for the children.

Re: Pet smile month

Mark Holmes — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:34:46 GMT

[quote user="Alan Tevendale"]

Some of us are just as busy in winter if not more so than in summer. I've no idea why it was organised for when it is. Don't complain too much about being busy

[/quote]

Not complaining but it seems odd to be giving up consulting time for free checks (and hence laying off other work) when in winter we have unfilled capacity. It seems odd offering reduced prices now when most businesses run promotions to make better use of their facilities during quiet periods. I appreciate some people may not have "quiet periods" but my experience of small animals is that they tend to get broken and infected much more so in the summer and less so in the winter when they are sat inside nice and safe.

There seems little point in generating additional reduced price work, increasing the work load of already busy staff, increasing the stress and potentially reducing the care they can offer to other patients when in January they are often under employed.

Re: Pet smile month

Tanya Fielding — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:57:30 GMT

It's ok for practice owners to want to be busy but as an assistant I am sick of working through my lunch for no extra remuneration. I find these free check ups difficult as they invariably want to discuss a lump or something else that should incur a consultation fee. Should we be giving away our professional time for free.

Re: Pet smile month

Alan Tevendale — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:02:56 GMT

Some of us are just as busy in winter if not more so than in summer. I've no idea why it was organised for when it is. Don't complain too much about being busy