In an ever-connected world, efficiently communicating technology problems is key to maintaining smooth operations (see Resources below). To ensure swift resolution and minimal disruption when issues and outages arise in your veterinary practice, follow these steps:
Provide a detailed description when you encounter an issue. Vague statements can delay resolution.
Provide timestamps. Include the exact time the issue occurred. This will help diagnose the problem more efficiently.
Use screenshots. A picture is worth a thousand words. Screenshots can provide visual context for the problem, helping your IT team understand and address it more easily.
Assess impact. Let your IT team know who is impacted and the extent of the impact. Does it affect a single user or the entire practice?
Evaluate criticality. Determine whether the issue is truly critical or just feels critical. This will help the IT team prioritize it appropriately.
Foster an open environment and encourage your staff to ask questions. There are no âstupid questions.â A well-informed team can more effectively prevent and identify issues.
Provide ongoing IT training. IT training shouldnât be a one-time event. Regular training sessions ensure that all staff, not just the practice manager and owner, are equipped to handle technology in the practice.
Integrate IT into job roles. To foster a tech-savvy workplace culture, your staff job descriptions should include a basic understanding of technology.
Encourage ticket submission. If in doubt, submit a ticket. Your IT provider is there to guide and assist.
Expect clear communication. Just as you simplify medical jargon for your clients, expect your IT team to avoid technical jargon (see Resource 2). Clear, common language ensures everyone is on the same page.
Case study: The Frustrating Folder Affair
Situation: A veterinary clinic faced a digital dilemma. Their image folder was overflowing, and in a bid to create space, someone decided to play digital janitor, deleting images manually. The catch? They didnât loop in their IT support or the imaging vendor.
Complication: This hasty housekeeping led to a technical tangle. The imaging vendor responsible for backing up images encountered an issue. The deleted images had vanished into the digital void, causing integration issues.
Resolution: A simple call to IT could have averted this archival angst. The case study teaches us to communicate before cleaning up our digital space!
