A mint on the pillow

We've adopted a major hotel chain's steps for providing excellent client service. Of course, we aren't in the hotel industry, but we are in the hospitality industry.

With the guidance of the hotel's materials, we developed an employee booklet that includes our mission statement, steps to exceptional care, our employee promise, our core values, and the definition of the "Hawthorne experience." Other topics include accountability, responsibility, employee empowerment, and etiquette.

Our expectations are laid out in a format that's easily accessible and understandable. Every team member has received a booklet, and we've incorporated some quiz questions about the booklet into staff meetings to ensure that team members understand how seriously we take these issues.

We've placed a lot of responsibility and accountability on the team, but they're excited about exceeding the client's expectations rather than just meeting them. For example, we've assigned a team member to develop a maintenance log to ensure defects are reported and repaired in a timely manner, we've elected an OSHA coordinator, and the team is currently voting on our new dress code.

Around the holidays, the abundance of cards, gifts, food, and other goodies are a reminder of how much we've grown and how successful this program has been.

Angie Hartin is the bookkeeper and assistant practice manager at Hawthorne Animal Hospital in Glen Carbon, Ill.