Each Vets4Pets practice falls under the guidance of a Regional Operations Manager, who is employed by the UK Support Office based in Nottingham. Working together with the practice partner/s, it is their job to help prepare a practice for launch and support its ongoing development and successful profitable growth.
Here, our Operations Director, Paul Marshall explains what support you can expect once you have become a Vets4Pets Partner.
Whether it be professional or personal, the best relationships are those built on trust and respect. We live by that principle at Vets4Pets. Our Operations Managers are available to Practice Partners whenever they need them, be that morning, noon or night. Operations Managers are there to support and guide Partners through the management of their Business, without ever forcing their opinion on the Partner or the practice.
One of the significant benefits of working with Vets4Pets is that our management team have over 100 years experience of working with Joint Venture Partners and therefore we know how to support and guide without upsetting the balance of control. This is particularly true when it comes to the team you build in your practice. We will never get involved in managing them, they must only ever see one “boss” and that must always be you.
It’s a philosophy we have worked with for several years and it brings our Partners a much more rewarding feeling of control and autonomy.
Running a Business is not a prescriptive process. Things change and the needs of you as Partner and the Business change too. We reflect this in the support we provide. It is a totally bespoke level of support from intense support to general counsel advice and support. If required, we make ourselves available for evening meetings, weekend meetings or during the day to suit you and the schedule you are working to in a busy practice. Advice can be given on Business strategy, HR matters, recruitment plans, marketing activity, operational performance or financial matters. The Regional Operations Manager is well versed having worked with medical professionals/franchisees for a number of years. They will offer advice and support and explain what elements mean and how they may impact on your Business now and in the future.
As stated previously, our support is bespoke to your needs. In the early days of the practice, it is likely that more support would be required. Not only will the Regional Operations Manager help you through the whole opening process, along with support from Business Development and training, but they’ll stay with you when you open for the first few days. Beyond this, support will depend on your needs, but we would expect that daily conversations and a weekly/fortnight visit would be expected for the first month or two. Beyond this support is based on your needs. The Regional Operations Manager will always be available on the phone, but visits would be discussed with you on what frequency you felt you needed. As a minimum we would expect to visit you every month for the first year or two as well as providing phone and e-mail support.
This ranges from general review of the Business Key Performance Indicators to how you feel and your needs. It really is variable, but there will be specific meetings to discuss and communicate financial performance, key operational metrics, staff, development initiatives, marketing and brand. Each meeting will be organised by the Regional Operations Manager and an agenda will be prepared by both parties to ensure a high quality meeting takes place. Of course, there are times when meetings are form more informal and a general chat over coffee or while you operate occurs and is encouraged from time to time.
The team of Regional Operations Managers have varied backgrounds, from working directly within the profession to working within retail environments and franchise organisations. This differing skill set means we have a rounded team that can draw on experiences of their peers to help with specific situations. We do not have vets on the Operations team as we believe this would conflict with giving advice and support and being clinically managed. This is a key difference between Vets4Pets and our competitors. We believe the network of 60+ vets within the group is a very strong communication network to help any Partner managing a complex clinical case or a difficult situation. Of course in very rare circumstances, should a clinical complaint ever be made against you, the Operations team, along with HR will help you liaise with the VDS and manage the complaint with you.
The Regional Operations Managers are there to support you and your business and we understand the stresses and strains of not only running a Business but being a vet; and we will support you every step of the way as you make the journey to building a successful business.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Joint Venture Partner with Vets4Pets, get in touch.
