How do you achieve a profit in a service business? In short, happy employees stay with your practice. Satisfied, experienced employees consistently deliver outstanding service to clients, making them happy. Satisfied clients return to your practice again and again – spending more money each year.
Said differently, your veterinary practice produces a healthy profit from happy, returning clients who received great service (had a great experience) delivered by happy, tenured staffers.
The first step in The Service Profit Chain begins with Employee Satisfaction, and there’s no doubt about it — the workplace’s physical environment is a key factor in whether employees are satisfied and content or dissatisfied and stressed.
Unpleasant animal-related odors are a common, daily occurrence, and managing them safely and effectively is an important part of keeping your work environment pleasant and your staff happy. Unfortunately, veterinarians, technicians and other healthcare team members can become oblivious to the severity of odors, so it’s important to ask others.
True or False?
Smell is the only sense that directly impacts emotion, memory and associated learning.
Read on the back!
Answer: True!
Odor problems can negatively impact mood and productivity. Odor problems negatively impact the perception clients and employees have of the practice. Business is hard enough; you can’t afford odor problems on top of everything else.
Google searches of ‘aroma marketing,’ and ‘scent marketing,’ and ‘science of smell’ produced tens of millions of results. Included was a recent Wall Street Journal article titled: “Using Scent as a Marketing Tool, Stores Hope It–and Shoppers–Will Linger How Cinnabon, Lush Cosmetics, Panera Bread Regulate Smells in Stores to Get You to Spend More”
Smart companies know smell is important, and they actively manage it. So, besides an odor-free work environment, what else makes employees happy?
According to consulting giant McKinsey:
- Smell matters to your employees, your clients, and your patients.
- It’s important to ask outsiders to evaluate the smell of your practice and offer candid feedback.
- Client retention is the #1 critical success factor in small animal practice.
- Your practice – your physical facility and your people – must consistently deliver client experiences that exceed expectations.
- First-impressions for clients – the first few seconds – matter.
- Practitioners should employ tactics and strategies to augment client retention.
