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An increasing number of Americans are planning more leisure travel in 2014 than 2013, according to an American Express Spending & Saving Tracker report released earlier this year. Are you ready to provide a safe haven for your client’s pets?

During the economic downturn, Americans perfected the “staycation” that kept the family pet at home. This pent-up demand for hitting the road and the air can spell opportunity for professionals who board pets.

Making a plan

The first step is reminding your clients you are available and have space. This is also a good opportunity to update your pricing to current standards.

Look at your overnight packages, especially the week-plus stays. Consider adding value to the stay with perks, such as a bath or nail trim. An early-booking discount can help you plan.

Some email advisors suggest putting the information into a text-only email to prevent spam blockers. Others indicate your clients have given you permission to email, so a PDF attachment should get through and be more helpful.

When your email is ready, send at a time of day you know most of your clients will have time to consider the information. For some, that is the evening. Others will choose a Saturday or Sunday morning.

After you press send

Be prepared to answer questions about the email both by phone and email. If there are several staff members, hand out sheets with basic facts about the promotion and how to book stays.

Pet owners frequently use the Internet to research options. A Humane Society article on choosing a boarding facility is a good resource for pet owners and will help you be prepared for the kinds of questions you might receive.

Think like a hotel, and offer to email out a confirmation with reservation dates and any information the pet owner will need to provide. List formats are helpful to pet owners, so consider the “box” check list.

Try to track your success. Even a simple tally sheet near the main phone can give you good data.

Planning for your guests

What do you do if you have more demand than space? Be happy! This means the great service you have given your clients during the economic downturn has converted into goodwill for your business.

Our Shor-Line team manufactures a line of high-quality, stainless steel cage banks that can wheel into a boarding area and then store when demand is lower. These cage banks also make great “rest areas” between play times at doggie daycares or in veterinary facilities with training or play areas.

To meet summer demand, Shor-Line is making available three- to four-week turnaround times on shipping a number of popular cage assemblies. (Call 800-444-1579 to talk about how cages can grow your business.)

If you do decide to increase your capacity, don’t forget that your customers are depending on the same great service for their pet that they’ve come to expect. Be sure you allow time to give pets love and attention in addition to regular walks and feeding. Besides, making pets feel loved is why most people get into the business!!

Sending the pet home

How pets leave your facility makes a lasting impression on whether the pet owner will board there again. No matter how busy your facility is, make sure the pets go home in the same condition (or better!) than they came in.

Consider what simple handouts or information you can provide. You can take ideas from human daycares. Pet owners love to read about THEIR pet, so maybe a short report and a picture of their pet having fun. 

Little touches and happy pets reinforce the positive decision to leave a pet in your care.

Make this the best summer for the pets in your care.

Shor-Line released a series of LEDs in 2014 to give veterinarians the same benefits human surgeons have experienced. Research done by manufacturers (including Shor-Line) as well as third parties have validated the strides LEDs have made in the last decade.

The question facing veterinarians is, “When should I update my surgical suite?”  The data now clearly shows that LED provides accurate light color, including good color in the red spectrum, at a lower cost over the life of the bulbs with less heat created in the surgical suite.

U.S. Department of Energy Study

The U.S. Department of Energy has been excited about LEDs because of the tremendous potential for energy savings. In 2011, its LED Surgical Task Lighting study confirmed that, compared with halogen lights, LED lights:

• Used less wattage to produce equivalent light levels.
• Were cooler to the touch and emitted less heat into the room.
• Promised greater life and a non-catastrophic failure mechanism.

Overall, the study suggested that LEDs “can allow for reductions in connected load of 50 percent or more, with potential additional energy savings through constant-color dimming and reduced cooling load in the operating room.”

Shor-Line Beta Tests

When Shor-Line was developing its LEDs for use in surgery, the company did beta testing with practicing veterinarians. Veterinary practices need many of the same features as human medicine with more flexibility and portability. Shor-Line spent most of 2013 beta testing the new Prelude Series LED Surgery Lights in veterinary practices.

George Gates, DVM, at Prairie Village Animal Hospital in Prairie Village, Kan., was one of the testers.

“It far surpasses any of the previous technology, as far as I am concerned,” he said. “In 50 years of surgery, I have never seen anything that compares.”

His favorite features are “the bright illumination, cool burning and the direct beam of light on the surgical field.”

The testing helped perfect a durable LED that could move and rotate to a variety of positions. Gates and the other veterinarians in his practice gave many suggestions on improving the adjustability to the lights. He gives the finished product a high grade for listening to feedback.

Shor-Line “greatly improved the adjustability. This allows you to put the light where it is needed.”

How the Prelude Series Performs

The Prelude Series has the key benefits of upgrading to LED lights:

• Excellent light source that better maintains tissue moisture.
• A color temperature of 4,500 K that gives the user visual clarity, especially in the important red color spectrum.
• An illumination range of 10,000 to 90,000 LUX.

Investing in LED lights not only makes sense from an energy perspective, but studies of have shown the lights also decrease eye fatigue and the operating theater remains a more comfortable temperature.

The office staff will like them as well. There is little to no maintenance required because the bulbs will last for 75,000 to 100,000 hours.

For more information on upgrading to LED lights in your surgical suite, call 888-551-4062.