It is easy to have your attention diverted away from what should be valued in your practice. The day-to-day challenges with staffing, disgruntled clients, or patient outcomes can easily cause you to lose sight of what is important to you about veterinary medicine. Defining and focusing on your mission, vision, and core values is one way to help refocus and honor practice goals and the individuality that sets the practice apart from the competition. These values and goals can help you make the right decisions regarding the physical space and serve as a litmus test for how the practice moves forward.
Once established, revitalizing the interior finishes and signage in the hospital can significantly help emphasize these values. Each hospital's uniqueness should be celebrated, allowing clients to feel good about bringing in and your team members to feel inspired by working with you. Work with a design professional to help conceptualize your values and vision in an inspiration board (see Resources below).
While your mission, vision, and core values touch every aspect of your practice, you can also use them to design client-facing spaces. Consider the values currently communicated to your clients through the practice's design. Does that align with the practice’s stated values? What needs to be updated to communicate the practice's true values?
Time is precious to everyone. Minimize the wait time to create better customer experiences.
Trading lobby space for more exam rooms so clients can wait in a private space or potentially not at all.
Make waiting an intentional and comfortable activity with welcoming furnishings and decor.
Boost technology options to enhance client’s experiences.
Other things to consider:
Are your spaces clean and uncluttered? Cluttered spaces decrease efficiency and leave clients with a poor perception of the practice.
Does your building and team showcase professionalism throughout the hospital?
Can you make every customer-care space about the care team, the client, and the pet?
