B-I-N-G-O for go-getters

When brainstorming team building activities, Sylvia Gama, office manager at VCA Old River Animal Hospital in Tracy, Calif., decided to capitalize on her staff's competitive nature. To build camaraderie and promote the hospital's services to clients, she came up with a veterinary version of Bingo.

In place of numbers on the game cards, Gama plugged in a combination of employee responsibilities, including online training, and practice services, such as wellness programs, puppy and kitten programs, dentals, fecals, and heartworm tests. Then she paired kennel assistants with technicians and receptionists to form teams and gave each person a card. To cross spaces off their cards, team members had to either perform or sell the services listed. The first team to have its members black out their cards won gift cards.

"It's a great way to keep staff motivated and encourage them to offer clients the best service," she says. Plus, it increases goodwill among team members and revenue.