Be on high alert for online reviews

These days a well-informed practice owner monitors what's being said about her practice on the Internet. After all, if a client goes online to complain about your practice, you might not realize it until after the damage has been done.

But who has the time to continuously scan the Web for every potential site that someone may use to post a review? Certainly not you. And is that really how you want to use your team members' time? Here's an effortless way to monitor reviews any time:

Head to Google and search "Google Alerts." You'll be taken to a short form that allows you to enter search criteria about any subject you're interested in and then let Google do the work for you. Simply enter your practice name, your name, and your associates' names in the search field and complete the remainder of the form. You can set up individual searches or bundle them together in a single search. It's free and takes about a minute to complete the information for a single search.

I've been using Google Alerts myself for about a year now. I ask the service to search the Internet for any mention of the words "veterinary business practice." Granted, it's a rather broad search term and I get some references I don't need or want. But I also get interesting news about what's going on in the veterinary business world. Sadly, included in the alerts have been some snarky blogs and reviews written about veterinarians all over the country.

Jan Miller is president of the consulting firm Veterinary Best Practice in Hillsboro, Ore.