Look through clients' eyes

By DanChapel, AIA

If you come to work every day, park in back, andhurry in the staff entrance, you may be missing out on the little thingsthat detract from clients' impressions of your facility. To identifyareas where your practice falls short, look at your hospital the way petowners do. Here's a guide:

The exterior

Even as theyturn into your driveway, clients and potential clients start evaluatingyour facility. Here's what they see.

Signage. Canprospective clients locate the facility easily? Choose attractive,easy-to-read signage that includes your practice name and streetaddress. Remember, your sign should help establish your practice'sidentity with color and your logo and reflect your professionalism. Alsothink about whether your sign's size and placement gives your practicethe exposure it needs. For example, if you're located along aninterstate, you'll want your sign to be fairly large and tall so clientscan spot it at a distance. Of course, you'll still need to comply withcity sign ordinances.

Parking. Do you offer enoughparking spaces to accommodate clients and employees? If not, you mightdesignate a separate parking area for staff members or even lease spacenearby. Or you can label one spot for drop-offs only.

Now look atthe lot's surface. If you see potholes, grass growing through cracks, orstanding water, you have a problem. Trash counts against you, too, soassign a staff member to clean the parking lot every day. To keep theparking area from getting so messy to begin with, place a trashreceptacle along the walkway, and consider creating a pet relief area incase Fido needs a potty break.

Entrance. Can clients getinside easily? Imagine that you're struggling with an agitated dog orcat, two unruly children, and a bulky purse. In this situation, theordinarily simple act of opening a car door becomes an ordeal. Soconsider widening a few parking spaces in front of the entrance, andmake sure clients can open your door with one hand.

Don't forgetto consider the needs of older pet owners and clients with disabilities.Your first step: Check the Americans with Disabilities Act and cityordinances to determine access requirements. Then brainstorm other waysfor your team to make clients' visits as convenient aspossible.

Finally, stand back and look at your hospital. Can youfind the entrance right away? If design elements or overgrown bushesmask the front entrance, look for ways to open it up. Also considerwidening your walkways and doors to minimize confrontations betweenagitated animals.

Landscaping. Now's the time to look atthe exterior of your facility and consider the message it sends. Canclients tell that you're open for business? Does your business lookprosperous? If not, your practice might need a makeover. It doesn'talways take a major overhaul to make even an older building lookgreat.

Start by thinking about what you don't want clients tosee. Then plant shrubs to help block unwanted sights and sounds fromyour facility and neighbors or nearby streets. Finish the effect withflowering plants and other greenery. The right landscaping makes a hugedifference in clients' perceptions of your facility.

And it goeswithout saying that your facility exterior should echo the professionalimage you're working to portray. Watch out for flaking paint, brokenwindow panes, tattered awnings, or a peeling roof, and fix such problemsimmediately.

The reception area

While clients formtheir first impression based on your facility's exterior, theirexperiences in the reception area can bond them or drive them away. Soclosely inspect this area as well.

Noise and odor. Stepinside your practice to determine what clients notice first. If youexperience a cacophony of barks, yelps, and loud voices overlaid with apotpourri of medicinal and animal odors, you're in trouble. It's easyfor animal care providers to grow immune to the smells of disinfectant,kennels, and accidents on the carpet--and to the noise of a busypractice. But clients want a pleasant experience, so address odor andnoise problems right away.

Lighting. Obviously, a quiet,warmly lit, pleasant reception area welcomes clients better. Recessedincandescent spotlights over the reception and check-out areas lend awarm, homey feeling and make it easy for clients to read statements andsign forms.

Traffic. Does your reception area look andfeel like Grand Central Station? Waiting clients can't help but observethe comings and goings of you and your staff members. One suggestion:Instead of a loudspeaker system, use phone intercoms to avoidbroadcasting intrusive and sometimes embarrassing staffmessages.

Designing an efficient workspace also can help you seemmore professional. For example, to avoid constant traffic in medicalfile areas, consider developing a paperless office. It's easy to buildcomputers into the reception counter to make them unobtrusive. Thenplace computer terminals in exam rooms so doctors and technicians canaccess records without trooping through the receptionarea.

Counters and displays. Tour your waiting area, andimagine what it would be like to spend time there. If you see desktopclutter, sticky notes, and ragged posters, fix it now. And remember thisdecorating rule: If it's important enough to hang on the wall, it'simportant enough to frame.

To help keep your reception deskuncluttered, move educational and retail displays away from that area.For retail displays, arrange products by species, function, and brand.Make sure all items face front and are clearly priced. In addition, youmight consider displaying an out-of-the-box example that clients cantouch and examine without dog-earing multiple containers.

Anddon't offer educational displays if the material isn't current and ingood shape. As an alternative to company-supplied brochures, request aneducational videotape to play in the reception area.

Seatingand waiting areas. Clients want to wait in comfort, so offerrefreshments and play areas for children. And make sure you makeadequate, timely reading material available. Consider investing ininexpensive plastic covers for magazines to keep them from gettingtattered.

Also look at client seating, and avoid packing petowners into cramped corners, where fractious animals may cause problems.Instead, provide several separate seating nooks.

The examroom

This is another area where clients spend a lot of time.Don't let your exam rooms negate the positive impression clients enjoyedin the reception area.

Entering and exiting. Follow thepath your clients take to the exam rooms to learn where traffic jamswill likely occur. Also provide a separate entrance and exit so clientsdon't bump into staff members.

The exam rooms. Your examrooms should look professional and uncluttered. Make sure the rooms arewell-lighted and clean. Create one side for clients and another for teammembers. Showcase your medical skills in the exam room, not products forsale.

Leaving the practice

Clients are almost out ofyour hospital. But don't think they're completely pleased until you seethem safely out the front door.

Discharge area. Clearlydefine discharge and payment areas so clients can identify themimmediately. Clients who exit the exam room will be looking for a placeto write when they sign a check or credit-card bill, so include a lowerplace in the reception counter on the checkout side for when to pay. Ifyour reception desk includes screens, partitions, or windows, get rid ofthem. You want your team to bond with clients--not put themoff.

Exit. Separate admission and discharge areas helpprevent congestion as pet owners prepare to leave. And taking clientsinto the business office to discuss payment options means clients whoare picking up pets won't have to wait for other clients to make paymentarrangements.

It takes a clear eye and an open mind to look forthe small flaws in your facility--and some effort to correct them. Butyou'll be surprised at what a difference your work makes to the feel ofyour facility--and your practice's success.

Dan Chapel, AIA,NCARB, a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member,owns Chapel Associates Architects Inc. in Little Rock, Ark. You canreach him at (501) 225-5900 orchapelarchitects@alltel.net.

August 2000 VeterinaryEconomics