My brother, a program manager for a major defense contractor, recently introduced me to a term that perfectly describes the challenges veterinary practice managers face today. In my brother’s world, the defense client orders a new piece of technology with specified parameters on a regimented timeline. As the project progresses, the parameters change, the timeline shifts, the contributing departments hit obstacles, coordination tangles, progress logjams, and the carefully outlined project becomes a thrash. The defense industry calls this process “making sausage.” 

I love this visual. How better can you describe the chaotic activity of veterinary practices across North America? Whether you have 1 veterinarian or 9, 3 work-ins or 18, every staff member clocked in or 4 call in sick, phone lines working smoothly or completely overrun…day in and day out, the practice churns through the day to treat its patients with the best care it can provide. 

It is the practice manager’s job to troubleshoot these workflows…to liaise between staff, clients, owners, specialists, and suppliers…to handle fee schedules, inventory, and payroll. In a word, practice managers make sausage every day. 

But what if practice managers didn’t have to settle for a mishmash of inferior meats held together with spice. What if, instead of making sausage, they could order top sirloin and serve it grilled to perfection from the start? What if that cut of sirloin branded the veterinary practice as exceptionally accessible, caring, and efficient, while enhancing staff retention at the same time?

The practice manager might ask: Can I engage any allies to help me serve up those top cut meats on the daily? While partnerships introduce new players into your tightly knit practice community, adding the right help at the right pressure points can decrease burnout, improve client-practice bonding, and buoy morale at all levels of the practice. 

GuardianVets is one such ally. The company was founded to keep the practice in the center of the human-animal bond during patient emergencies through after-hours triage service. Building on that success, GuardianVets has since expanded to facilitate:

1. Curbside care through automated check-in and video chat. 
2. Client communication through two-way chat and virtual CSR service.
3. Appointment scheduling through PMS integration.
4. Patient care through a user-friendly telemedicine platform.
5. Work-life balance and Wow-level service via patient callbacks by triagers the night of a patient’s appointment or discharge. 

It’s a great list…on paper. Yet, the key to GuardianVets service is not just the technology solutions it can provide, but the people behind the company, the dedicated professionals who come alongside your practice to help bear your burden. 

Our triagers are licensed veterinary technicians, hired for their experience and intuitive communication skills. They, along with our crew of support-role CSRs, are further trained for accuracy, efficiency, and empathy. Our Business Development Team and Client Success Managers are deeply invested in each practice’s satisfaction and engage wholeheartedly in effective collaboration. The DVM Leadership Board, GuardianVets Management Team, and Technology Experts constantly refine current services while brainstorming new ways for GuardianVets to help the harried practice. 

The fuel that makes GuardianVets go is the very same fuel that can save your sanity and help you surpass client expectations. We are a relationships company. Our strength is our people, just as your strength is your people. We would consider it the highest honor to be invited into your practice to serve sizzling sirloin to clients and staff who have only ever tasted dollar burgers before. For more information on how GuardianVets can lighten your load, visit us at https://www.guardianvets.com/ .