A recipe for great service

Take one IV bag, stir in a concerned client, and add a dash of helpful team member. What do you have? All the ingredients for some great client service. Consider this example from South Des Moines Veterinary Center in Des Moines, Iowa. A client was faced with transporting her pet to the emergency clinic. The pet had an IV. Instead of sending the client to her car alone to figure out how to hold the IV bag and transport the pet, receptionist Kathy Parker jumped in to help.

"While looking around the car, I saw the coat hook in the back seat," Parker says. "It was a perfect portable IV stand. The bag was the right height for a good drip and the client's hands were free to comfort the pet."

Do you anticipate the problems clients might face after they leave your practice? Simple gestures build goodwill. And chances are, that small extra step will mean a lot to a client in need—and she'll tell a friend about your great service.