The musings of Dr Liz....A satisfied Pet Owner

Welcome to another of my musings... and this one is inspired by a statement made by a speaker at

the Australian Veterinary Association Practice Management conference in Sydney in July 2013.

The speaker was a dietician, who spoke about Work/Life Balance.  And in amongst all of what Work/Life balance was all about (which isn't about working less, and life-ing (living)  more), she talked about her own business, and how she assessed and measured and therefore, ensured client satisfaction.

The comment that pricked my ears, was the one where she made that the customer satisfaction was increased if they liked the dietician, and it was unrelated to the information or knowledge of the dietician.

And I thought "Wow".  Sounds very much like one of my earliest blogs that I wrote a year ago... Life is a popularity contest, was/is the title

There was another blog written by someone else that I read a few months ago -  this blog  equated

A photo of Paige entertaining one of
my patients at home - a "hospitalised"
patient at Russell Vale Animal Clinic.

trust to likeability in the workplace.  The problem I had with that blog is that it implied that it was your fault that you were not trusted, as you must've done something dishonest to have deserve that.  And I do have a problem with that comment.

Con men or scam artists cannot be trusted, but aren't they likeable?  Isn't this how they get away with what they do? Aren't we more likely to trust the likeable, even if they don't deserve our trust (or our like?).

This is me at home, with Leo,
an injured stray in 2011... I look awful,
but how about the care he is getting?
If care was based on my looks, it would
be a bad score.

What about how someone looks?  There was  another webinar on customer service, and it make a point that  attractive sells.  We are more likely to buy if the person is attractive, well dressed, well groomed.

Does the care I take of your pet change or differ if I wear daggy trackpants and a comfy Tshirt, or if I am not wearing any makeup or if my hair is due for a trim?  It doesn't, but your perception of my care does.  And thus,  your satisfaction of what I do.   And I get that, which is why I don't even own a pair of daggy track pants (and I don't wear a Tshirt to work). I can't make myself look like Elle McPherson, nor can Dirk look like Brad Pitt. And it is no help that make up causes a bad reaction - my eyes go all puffy, they go red and I feel ill.  So my basic makeup is, well, minimal.

Sad, as I do like to be comfortable when I am on the floor playing with the puppies and dogs, or doing the cat whispering with the cats on the Feliway sprayed bench... and having legs up to heaven would  be nice, considering I am short.

There are so many nuances to happy, satisfied pet owners, and I don't believe it is all about how we look where loving pet owners are concerned.  I think it is a complex mix of things, and I, and all of us at Russell Vale Animal Clinic work towards making your pet as happy and healthy as they can be, and as a result, make you as satisfied as  you can be with what we have done, and how we have done it. After all, isn't this what you want from your vet?

I am Dr Liz, and all of us at Russell Vale Animal Clinic get absolutely excited every day that we turn up at the vets. Call us on 42 845988 or book online (via our website or email us directly).