During Client Services Appreciation Week, April 21-27, 2024, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center celebrates the many accomplishments and diverse roles of our Client Service Team. This 75-person team allows veterinarians like me to focus on providing top notch medical care because they handle all the non-medical aspects of your pet’s visit to AMC. Some of the team members are well known to pet families because you see them in the clinic or lobby. Team members without a customer facing role may be more mysterious to pet owners, but that makes their job no less essential. This blogpost describes the team members we are honoring this week.

Client Communications

If you call AMC’s main number, you are speaking to a Client Communications team member. They route calls to the appropriate AMC person to handle the caller’s question. The question might be about a hospitalized pet, but it could also be a journalist asking to interview one of our veterinarians, a non-AMC veterinarian needing help from an AMC specialist to manage a difficult case or a pet owner hoping to schedule an appointment with one of our 43 board-certified veterinary specialists.

Client Service Representatives

When you check your pet in or out on the second floor of the hospital, you are working with a Client Service Representative. In addition to their communication with pet owners, they relay pertinent information to our medical teams, alerting them of you and your pet’s arrival. If you need medical records sent to your pet’s primary care veterinarian, your email updated, your address changed or your new spouse added to your pet’s medical record, the Client Service Representatives are the ones to do that for you. Client Service Representatives must be compassionate listeners because they each interface with dozens of emotional pet owners every single day, especially those in the midst of a veterinary emergency.

Dispensary Technicians

AMC’s Dispensary Technicians fill the prescriptions written by AMC veterinarians for medications stocked at AMC. They are not often seen by clients, but you hear them when they call or email to let you know your medications are ready for pick up. Dispensary Technicians also maintain inventory and keep the medical staff updated on backordered and discontinued drugs, as well as the new drugs added to our formulary.

Referral Coordinators

Referral Coordinators are integral to AMC’s 20+ veterinary services and specialties. These coordinators make their service’s day go well, coordinating patient care and communication before, during, and after all consultation appointments and procedures. You probably know the Referral Coordinators for your pet’s AMC veterinarians, because they request and review your pet’s medical records before scheduling appointments. This process assures your pet sees the veterinarian who can best address your pet’s medical issue.

Facilitators

The Facilitators were an essential addition to AMC during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate curbside drop-off and pick-up, and their role in directing traffic at AMC became even more important when construction on our big hospital renovation started. During the pandemic, they transported patients from our outdoor waiting room to the medical teams inside the hospital. Today, they serve as the frontline triage team, shuttling pets with emergencies directly to AMC’s ER on the second floor. Less dramatic, but equally important, the Facilitators make sure each pet gets their intended medications at discharge.

A Big THANK YOU to All of AMC’s Client Services Teams

Customer service, care coordination, triage and, above all, compassion – what diverse and important roles our Client Service Team members play in helping AMC meet its mission of providing compassionate and collaborative care to animals. Hats off to these important team members. If you happen to be at AMC this week, please say thank you to these dedicated members of your pet’s care team.