Tony Hsieh, the late co-founder of Zappos, put his money where his mind was when it came to delivering the ultimate customer experience. Rather than pay for traditional marketing, he decided to invest in creating an experience that customers would rave about. An ultra-happy buyer, he thought, was worth more than any magazine or billboard advertisement. And, boy, was he right.
After Hsieh moved his company from San Francisco to Las Vegas, merely to poach talent from Sin City’s hospitality industry, Zappos became one of the most successful online retailers on the planet. The customer service team wasn’t rushed to get off the phone, nor was the interaction outsourced. One time, a Zappos representative spent six hours talking with a customer who couldn’t decide which pair of shoes to order. Zappos also extended its refund period from 30 to 365 days. In addition, the company started providing free shipping. All this illustrated the lengths that Zappos went to make a customer happy, and it was all categorized as marketing.
Like Hseih, veterinary practices are challenged to deliver exceptional client experiences in the face of staff shortages, high-stakes cases and long hours. Fixing client service issues might seem impossible, but when we take a 30,000-foot view, we can solve a series of small problems, leading to a big solution, by thinking strategically. Most practices play whack-a-mole, putting out fires every day but never getting ahead of the curve. When work can be identified, prioritized and scheduled, long-term solutions emerge that are more impactful and likely to be adopted by the team and clients.
All solutions within a veterinary practice should aim to solve or improve one of these three goals:
- Patient care.
- Business profitability.
- Staff well-being.
How should you go about it? Let’s review the steps.
Identify the Problem
Often, the stated problem is only a symptom of a bigger problem. Getting to the root of the problem is essential because that’s where real solutions emerge. Treating a symptom is much like giving Cerenia to a dog that ate a sock. He might stop vomiting, but the blockage persists. The solution is surgery. Apply that mindset to your problems. For example, suppose an employee reports that patient care has declined and, upon further questioning, you realize that team members haven’t taken lunch breaks in two weeks. In that case, you will be much more likely to solve the underlying problem.
Be Subjective
Using your Spidey skills of observation, feelings and intuition gets you quite a way down the road to understanding the problem. This step relies largely on the key stakeholders’ perceptions. For example, ask a veterinary technician why she hasn’t taken a lunch break in two weeks. She might say, “There are just too many cases I have to get through.” Her response illuminates the problem, much like gathering a patient history in the exam room.
Be Objective
Get the facts. Identify which data points would be helpful to prove or disprove your hypothesis. This generally requires some work. For example, if the problem is “The phones are ringing off the hook,” logging the number and length of calls for two weeks would provide the data needed to solve the problem. You might find that 50% of the callers requested prescription refills, which opens other problem-solving possibilities, such as having clients request refills through your practice’s mobile app. If you didn’t have all the numbers, you would be left to guess and likely add more front desk staff. You wouldn’t solve the core problem: Your clients need more ways to request refills.
Assess
After collecting the data, review the information and evaluate what it’s saying to you. Then, like with a lab test, you must decipher the results, put all the elements together (subjective and objective) and make a working diagnosis.
Plan
Now that you have identified the actual problem and gathered opinions and supportive data, create an action plan. This step is best accomplished with a team approach. Depending on the magnitude of the problem, determine who needs to be on the task force. Maybe the entire team or just key players. The point is that for complex issues, you are better off putting multiple heads together rather than going solo. This key point also establishes team buy-in. When multiple team members are responsible for a solution, they are more motivated to make the answer work and promote it.
Once you form your team or task force, the fun part is a no-holds-barred meeting — a brainstorming session. Everyone should be well-fed, rested and ready for the challenge. (Think of the engineers in Houston during Apollo 13.) The problem is presented and the floor opened. Big ideas are encouraged, and no idea is refuted or insulted. Remember that the brain operates faster than the mouth, so as people start talking, ideas are generated. Someone who stays quiet during a brainstorming session for fear of looking dumb could be the difference between creating something average or something amazing. Capture all ideas on paper, a whiteboard or sticky notes. More ideas might percolate after the meeting, so referring to notes is crucial.
After the brainstorming session, take a break of anywhere from a day to a week. You’ve been through a lot and need to let everything sink in and allow your brain to deliver more ideas. Now is the time to create the MVP, or minimum viable product. One or two people can whittle all the ideas into the most logical solution, which can be executed depending on resources, effectiveness and the implementation effort.
Once an MVP is identified, create a flow chart or schematic of the proposed solution. This step is critical because challenges and friction points will be illuminated before the idea goes into production. Kick the tires and try to find every weak spot you can. A good problem solver, like a good surgeon, wants to know the potential problems before production (or an operation) starts. Fixing something on paper is easier than redesigning a rolled-out process.
Finally, you are at the checklist stage. This is your go-to-market strategy. You list all the things that need to happen for the solution’s implementation to start. It never hurts to have another pair of eyes on the list. Delegate the tasks, attach delivery dates and schedule a launch date.
Finally, it’s go time! Once your list is checked off, production begins. This is where all the fruits of your labor will pay off. But, beware, don’t fall in love with your ideas. You have one more round to clear before moving on to the next problem.
Recheck
After your solution has been in production for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, take an inventory and find the ugly parts. Chances are 99.9% that your idea isn’t perfect. You need honest feedback from the stakeholders (clients or staff) and new data. You’ll want to assess the solution to determine if it is working as intended. A few adjustments and multiple iterations might be needed. Doing all this takes your idea to its ideal state.
Growing a veterinary practice and cultivating ultrahappy clients requires grit, focus and persistence. Remember that success usually comes to those too busy looking for it.
SNAPPING UP ZAPPOS
Founded in 1999, Zappos was acquired 10 years later by Amazon for $1.2 billion. Zappos initially focused on shoes but now sells everything from clothes to toys.