Should I designate separate entrances for each area of my practice?

By Sarah A. Chadwick, assistant editor

Q. When designing my practice, should I create separate entrances for grooming, boarding, and retail areas or have all clients enter through the main door?

A. Experts say you face trade-offs either way, but keeping retail clients flowing through the hospital entrance boosts sales possibilities. And separate entrances often mean an additional reception area and staff member, says F. Earl Mellott, AIA, owner of Mellott & Associates in Garden Grove, Calif.

A separate entrance shouldn't distance the groomer from boarding or hospitalized pets that require grooming before going home, Mellott says. Many boarding and grooming clients prefer to separate their pets from sick animals visiting the practice.

But adding a separate retail entrance doesn't capture potential sales in other areas, warns Mark R. Hafen, AIA, NCARB, a senior partner with Gates Hafen Cochrane Architects PC in Boulder, Colo., and a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member. "A single entrance reinforces the one-stop-shopping mentality," he says. "Every time clients visit, you can provide medical services and boost retail sales." Hafen says your options include:

1. Using one entrance to an oversized reception area.

2. Designing two entrances nearby with separate lobbies but one common reception area to share records.

3. Situating two entrances with separate reception areas for boarding and grooming and veterinary services.

Consider your practice size, traffic flow, and staffing abilities before choosing separate entrances. If you must settle for one entrance, you'll enjoy more sales opportunities.

March 2000 Veterinary Economics