The scoop on poop: Lock in fecal exams
Only have a few minutes? Try this (Mini) Team Meeting in a Box to turn your educational team meeting into a quick team building workshop that offers real, instant results for your practice. Use these tips and tools to turn your next team meeting into an interactive workgroup (think Pinterest activities) that helps you boost compliance and educate pet owners (and team members too)!
Welcome to Firstline's Team Training in a Virtual Box, your complete guide to team training. Try this (Mini) Team Meeting in a Box to turn your educational team meeting into a quick team building workshop that offers real, instant results for your practice.
Expert contributors
Thank you to the following experts for their contributions to the material for this meeting:
Ciera Miller, CVT
Jennifer Graham
Nancy Potter
Whether you're a scrapbooker or a savvy social media diva, you can use your skills to improve pets' health. Use these tips and tools to turn your next team meeting into an interactive workgroup (think Pinterest activities) that helps you boost compliance and educate pet owners (and team members too)!
Before the meeting, collect any necessary supplies. For example, if you choose the scrapbooking activity to build an educational bulletin board in your practice, you'll want to supply scrapbooking materials (or invite team members to bring their own). If you opt for a social media planning session, you might want to plan to hold small workgroup meetings at a computer, where you can compose your Facebook and Twitter posts and schedule them in a social media tool, like Hootsuite.
Ready to get started? Click Next for a Team Meeting Guide, Trainer's Script, Handouts, Team Activities and more.
Resources
Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting:
- Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities
- Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue
To start your meeting, you want to offer the scoop on poop at your practice. We recommend you begin by reviewing your fecal test client compliance numbers, if you track them. (Oftentimes this data is available in your practice management software if you're a paperless practice.) How many clients complied with your recommendations for fecal exams? Share these numbers with your team. And remember, if the answer isn't 100 percent, you still have a little room to improve! If you're doing a great job locking in compliance, we still recommend the next activities to reinforce the value of fecal exams to your clients.
We don't use practice management software. What now?
I
f you need a little help here, try this quick tip. A week before your meeting, print out this tracking tool. Ask all of your customer service representatives to record the data on every patient your practice sees. It only takes a minute, and if you post the form at the front desk, where it's easy to see and record, you can get a tiny snapshot of your current fecal compliance.
3-minute discussion: Get grossed out
Sure, poop is messy and gross, and can you really blame clients for being a little reluctant to play with their pets' poo? Discuss how you can make obtaining a fecal sample easier. Consider these ideas:
> Obtain fecal sample in the exam room
> Have pet owners prepay for the fecal exam
> Use the three times rule to lock in stools. Here's how it works:
1. When clients call to schedule an appointment, client service representatives ask clients to bring in a stool sample.
2. When they call to confirm the pet's upcoming appointment, they remind pet owners to bring a stool sample.
3. If clients don't bring a sample, they charge for a prepaid fecal and send home a container.
3-minute role-play: Overcoming objections
Sometimes pet owners balk at the idea of a fecal exam. Break your team into pairs and use this role-play script to practice answering these common client objections.
Encourage team members to improvise and find the wording that works for them. Invite them to share other common objections they hear from clients. Then invite your team to share their best responses.
10-minute activity: Build your bulletin board (on or offline!)
Option 1: Scrapbook to build your bulletin board
Using the “Wanted” posters for Giardia, whipworm and hookworm, invite your scrapbookers to design an eye-catching educational bulletin board for a public area in your hospital. To make it even more fun, bring snacks and treats to transform your meeting into a team-building activity.
Option 2: Write texts, tweets, Facebook posts and emails
Starting with the messages and images in the “Wanted” posters for Giardia, whipworm and hookworm, write at least four Facebook posts and 10 tweets and schedule them in a social media tool like Hootsuite to deliver over the next six weeks.
If your practice uses text message marketing, you can write text message alerts. Or try a series of email reminders, using the “Wanted” poster messaging. For example, you might send an email for each of the parasites-Giardia, whipworm and hookworm-over the next six weeks to create a focused, consistent message that will reinforce what you're telling pet owners when they visit your practice.
Regular reminders online and in pet owners' inboxes will keep your parasite message present and top-of-mind with clients.
1-minute activity: Thank your team
Conclude your team meeting by thanking your team members for their attention and help. Remind them that focusing and tracking your fecal exam compliance will improve pets' health-and improve your practice's profitability too. It's a win-win!
One week later: Follow-up to lock down compliance
A week after your team meeting, track your fecal compliance again, using your practice management software or the team-tracking tool. Repeat this exercise periodically throughout the year to make sure you're keeping your parasite message strong with pet owners and your team.
