At DVMinsight, we pride ourselves on our simple software and top notch customer service. One of our recurring battles, however, is that we train staff at veterinary hospitals and this information, for whatever reason, is not passed on to other members of the hospital staff.
No matter what we do or say we have not found a way to get the staff member we train to pass on what they know to others. Online videos and tutorials do not solve this problem because the other staff members do not know where to look for help. Cheat sheets are often stuck on the side of computers but, again, the other staff members do not know to look for them. When the staff member(s) we train are out of the building1 it is almost as if our conversations never happened.
It seems to me that what clinics need is a digital Rolodex where contacts, training manuals, employee handbooks, contact information and anything else a clinic would need to run (should the practice manager2 get hit by a bus) be kept in one place where EVERYONE in the practice knew where to look. It is time to do away with the cheat sheets and sticky notes on the side of the computers.
I know what you are saying – a clinic can just put all of the documents online on a hard drive somewhere. Pisha – I reply. That is nonsense talk. A list of files is impossible to search and manage. We need to look to the future and consider building a modern, accessible, visual, searchable guide with a rich interface.
Document folders and file trees are sooo 1985. How about an interface like Flipboard where the interface is visually appealing and vendors could buid their educational materials to interface directly with this repository without the need to scan documents or upload PDF's.
My thought it that this repository would be housed within the practice management software program. Practice management software vendors could build value with repository programs that guide veterinarians as to what needs to be in the repository. In fact, this repository could also be used as a business continuity device. This program would be one more way that PIMS vendors could differential themselves and help the veterinary practice become more efficient3.
Anyone else see the value in something like this?
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1. ...or on Maternity leave. Why does it always seem like the staff member we trained on Wednesday is on maternity leave on the following Monday?
2. you know THE practice manager who is the only person in the world who knows how to run the practice and when they are gone thigns come to a screeching halt.
3. ..nd make money. Nobody is recommending that this is free.