Receptionists to benefit from CVS’ new Client Care Training Hub

Receptionists and client-facing colleagues at CVS are set to benefit from a new Client Care Training Hub – which will support them in offering the best customer care to pet owners visiting their sites.

Thought to be an industry-first, the Client Care Hub aims to provide CVS' 1,100 receptionists – and other colleagues who look after clients in CVS' practices, crematoria and laboratories – with a solid foundation in all aspects of good client care.

It is hoped that the breadth of development, training and support on the new Client Care Hub will further advance colleagues' skills, knowledge, and career progression, along with the quality of client care across the group.

The hub will also provide colleagues with a network of support from outside of their department and practice. A community of colleagues on the hub, with similar experiences and challenges, will help to inspire confidence and ensure people never feel alone when looking after a client or case.

The new Client Care Hub sits on CVS' unique Knowledge Hub online educational platform, accessible to all of the group's 9,000 employees. It caters for colleagues with a wide breadth of experience - from new starters to very experienced staff.

A wide variety of live and on-demand training will sit on the hub, all in one place. This will range from 'bite sized' short courses, professional gyms, guides and webinars, to longer 'in-depth' courses and a Level 4 certificate programme. The hub also includes a forum where colleagues can share experiences, learnings and collaborate.

Courses will span the wide remit of the receptionist, with themes including; general client care, handling challenging conversations, triaging cases, diary management, finance, and looking after personal wellbeing.

Some course content is believed to be unique in the veterinary profession, having been designed by CVS' in-house learning, education and development team, along with receptionists and practice managers. This includes a new CVS Client Care in the Veterinary Industry course, created specifically for colleagues who work outside of small animal practices - in farm, laboratory and crematoria settings.

Philip Webb, Learning Partner at CVS Group, said:

"We have some excellent receptionists in our practices, with a wide range of skills and experience. But we've never offered one consistent on-boarding and training process across all of our sites, nor created a central network of support.

"This new hub brings together all of the client care resources, training and support required by our colleagues - whether they work in veterinary practice, laboratory or crematoria. And for the first time it's easy to access and all in one place.

 "We hope the quality of training we're offering, along with the peer support network we're facilitating, will make our colleagues' day-to-day life even more rewarding and will longer-term serve to develop their careers."

CVS' new Client Care Hub has been made available to all colleagues in both in practices and support operations. Many of the courses are free or trainees can use their CPD allowance.

The hub is one of a number of hubs being developed by CVS' learning, education and development team. These already include 'Patient Care Assistant' and 'Leadership' hubs, with more to come. Moving forward CVS' Client Care Hub will be further developed with additional course content, support sessions, and new resources added throughout 2024.

CVS Group operates across small animal, farm animal, equine, laboratories and crematoria, with over 500 veterinary practices and referral centres in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands. In the last five years the company has invested nearly £80 million in its sites, facilities and equipment, in addition to industry leading training and support, to give the best possible care to animals.

For further information on CVS Knowledge Hub visit https://knowledgehub.cvsukltd.co.uk. For more information about CVS Group visit www.cvsukltd.co.uk.