Overcoming Challenges with Remote Work
November 23, 2022
Remote work has helped individuals do more with their time while also finding new ways to serve their practices (and sometimes neighboring practices, too!). It has also increased job satisfaction across team members who have switched from in-hospital to remote work. For East Holmes Veterinary Hospital, the effects of offering remote work have really opened new doors for their practice.
As a mixed animal practice, East Holmes Veterinary Hospital in Berlin, Ohio makes farm calls and takes emergency visits. They are a bustling practice that uses remote techs to help make their workflow more efficient. Their remote techs have taken the place of a call center service that used to take after-hours calls on behalf of the practice. Where the call center fell short, the techs have succeeded brilliantly. The call center was not staffed with veterinary professionals, which meant there was no opportunity to help the clients during the call. Instead, they had to wait for the doctor on call to reach out. The East Holmes’ remote techs now use their extensive experience to provide professional advice to their clients when they call. There is so much to be said for a friendly and possibly even familiar voice during a time of need, no matter what time of day.
Not only has this improved client satisfaction, but these techs are also able to determine if a case truly does need a doctor’s input immediately, or if a sick visit can be scheduled when the practice is open. When the patient comes in following a call, the remote techs have already documented the conversation including the animal’s history to make it easy for the doctor to review before the visit. They are also able to take payments over the phone, allowing the doctors to focus solely on the care of the animal.
The staff at East Holmes Veterinary hospital has seized the opportunity to utilize remote work in a way that makes the most sense for them. The remote program has paid off and provided other benefits, such as employee retention. One of the team’s valued techs considered leaving the practice due to a change in their location but was able to continue remotely from her new hometown. Jennifer Weitzel, Innovative Solutions Leader, points out that as we head into winter, many of our practices may find inclement weather a driving cause for adopting remote work. If you are part of the VetCor network and have questions or want to find out more about the option of remote work, please reach out to your HM who can connect you with Jennifer to get the conversation started.
