The module is designed to introduce students to the elements of good practice in customer care in a veterinary practice.

It can be for students wishing to pursue a career in veterinary practice or who will come into contact with veterinary practice if working in rescue or kennels or similar environment.

Module aims

This module will allow the student to identify, understand and develop the skills required to recognise and provide customer care in veterinary practice.

To achieve these aims the student will:

• Develop an awareness of when to provide customer care.
• Learn how the different staff roles in practice provide customer care.
• Learn what dog owners expect from veterinary practice staff in way of customer care.

Learning outcomes

The core outcomes are that after completing the module the student will:

• Understand how important customer care is in veterinary practice.
• Be able to demonstrate customer care in practice.
• Be able to describe how to provide customer care in practice.
• Demonstrate these skills in a veterinary practice environment.

PHASE ONE

• In this phase you will describe your existing experience in Veterinary Practice whether with your work or as a client. You will need to give a summary of this experience and include an element of customer care whether you have received or given it in Veterinary Practice.
• You will be asked to research the different types of Veterinary Practices available and the different facilities and services that they provide.
• You will have to research the roles of all the staff that make a Veterinary Practice work and what qualifications are necessary to fulfil that role. With each member of staff you will need to describe their responsibilities and how they provide good Customer Care as individuals.

PHASE TWO

• This Phase will cover Customer Care in more detail.
• You will be asked to define Customer Care in depth and what is meant by quality in Customer Care.
• Your tasks will be asking you to focus on the client, face to face, communication, listening etc.
• Good service relies on the ability to make the client feel special – you will be asked how you would do this in Veterinary Practice.
• The importance of telephone skills for all of the Veterinary Practice staff is essential – you will be asked to discuss this.

PHASE THREE

• Veterinary Practice can be stressful.  You will be asked how you would work under pressure and how this pressure could affect Customer Care.
• Complaints: you will be asked how to deal with complaints and what factors cause clients to complain about poor customer care. What are the results of poor customer care.
• You will be asked to choose a member of staff at a Veterinary Surgery and write an essay about their day from beginning to end. This will include how they provide good customer care throughout a typical day in Practice. This will need research.