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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 8th December 2010
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Loyalty Pays - in so many ways
Loyal clients will return to your practice time and again.
Businesses in this current climate are seeing that they need to not only offer excellent customer care and competitive prices but also value-added services.

Veterinary practices need to look at new ways of forging relationships with their clients and increasing activities that encourage them to return with greater regularity.

So how can you establish loyalty amongst clients?

Having a mix of marketing incentives can encourage the retention of clients, as well as the acquisition of new ones. Well-placed promotions and thoughtful incentives can give your practice the competitive edge and firmly establish a bond between practice and client.

Loyal clients are the backbone of any business and they should be rewarded. How they are rewarded is up to the individual practice but if you are not offering the same or better than your closest competitors then it will be harder to convert people into loyal clients.

Loyalty Cards

Loyalty schemes have been successfully implemented by many large businesses; with prime examples being Tesco, Boots and the Nectar card.  

The introduction of a membership or loyalty card scheme offers the client tangible rewards such as vouchers, points and/or special offers. The offers and vouchers that the client earns from the loyalty scheme is another incentive to come back into the practice, as the client will want to ensure that they benefit from the vouchers received.

By providing a loyalty card, the client has something physical in their wallet/purse, which could get noticed by other people and this is a great form of word of mouth advertising. It also serves as a constant reminder.

Benefits of Loyalty Cards:

•     Increased practice profits
•    Improved client loyalty – the client is a member of the ‘practice’s club’
•    Increased number of clients through ‘introduce a friend’ incentives
•    Additional opportunities to interact with clients
•    Opportunity to promote the practice’s services to clients via the membership mailing when client receive the vouchers for the points they have earned.

Central Veterinary Services realise that many practices do not have the manpower or time to create a successful loyalty card scheme. Therefore we have set up a dedicated team who can help your practice to set-up, design, produce, promote and even mail-out your Loyalty Card Scheme. If you would like more information then please email enquiries@centralvet.com

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.