From local vet nurse to Product Evangelist helping shape the future of ‘frictionless’ veterinary practice experiences, meet Jacque Pollitt

Masterclass Series 2019Pollitt is the first Product Evangelist at Covetrus Global Software Services responsible for helping veterinary practices adopt and use technology to better care for their patients. Having spent 14 years in the industry Pollitt is a firm believer in setting up your practice management software to do the heavy lifting.

“When we understand the friction points for clinics in their day-to-day and address them through our software, we help not only the clinic’s bottom line but ultimately help deliver better outcomes for the animals they care for too,” said Pollitt.

“We know that encouraging client compliance especially around preventative health care for patients can be a time-consuming process. In days gone by it was about setting reminders – in today’s world it is about automating deliveries of treatments, such as flea and tick control, directly to clients or available in the clinic ready to collect on their way home.”

Not only can optimal use of your software save time and increase the profitability of the clinic, but the thing Pollitt is most excited about is also how it can positively shape long-term health care of pets. It’s a step towards making sure patients are getting the right preventative at the right time.

“Convenience for the client is such a driver when we realise that today clients are comparing a veterinary clinic’s ease of doing business with other service orientated businesses, such as doctors and online retailers like Amazon, who have reset expectations around accessibility,” said Pollitt.

When terms such as pet parents and fur babies are used widely it also demonstrates a change in how Millennials are providing care for their pets. Clinics and the veterinary industry must adapt to include online appointments and home delivery as part of their service offering to ensure their patients receive the right care at the right time.

There is a connection that needs to be made between proactive health and wellness plans in the veterinary industry and technology. Whether these technologies already exist in the industry but are under-utilised or exist and are yet to be adopted from other industries, getting practices excited about what is possible is key.

“We need to associate innovation with the business side of a practice as well as the medical advancements because it’s the patients in front of you that will be benefiting from it,” said Pollitt.

“We need to associate innovation with the business side of a practice as well as the medical advancements because it’s the patients in front of you that will be benefiting from it”

Pollitt started her career as a vet nurse at an independent clinic in Brisbane, 2005 before progressing to practice manager three years later with Greencross Vets at 22 years old. She spent time in both GP and emergency clinic environments and loved being involved in the treatment of patients. However, Pollitt was always looking for ways to improve processes.

Following an internal promotion, Pollitt moved into a national support role to facilitate end-to-end testing and implementation of several projects, such as; introducing online appointments, loyalty programs, and custom functionality with the RxWorks development team to improve outcomes in front and back of clinic processes. These achievements coincided with a Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and becoming an ICAgile Certified Professional and ProSci Change Management certified.

After almost 11 years at Greencross, Pollitt took on a new challenge with Vet Partners Australia keen to support clinics in a new environment. Working closely with the RxWorks development team positioned her well before moving to Covetrus. She aims to draw on her experience as an end-user of the product in previous roles and a strong relationship with the Covetrus software developers to act as a conduit between the industry and the development team.

“When I am on-site speaking with practice partners, I consider my natural habitat to be me in the clinic, in a pair of scrubs immersed in whatever is happening – and in the veterinary industry, we know that can vary from minute to minute.

“It’s because I feel so at home in a clinic that my role in influencing practice management technology can impact clinics and the industry in a very relevant, meaningful way.”

With her feet barely under the desk, Pollitt is already focussed on the next big milestone in her career – public speaking. Pollitt is touring the country with Provet and Crampton Consulting, Covetrus companies, from Tuesday, August 27th to Thursday, September 26th to talk about how practices can adapt to change in the industry and achieve long-term patient care by leveraging the experience economy.

Creating a frictionless practice is at the core of this, and the upcoming Covetrus Masterclass about Proactive Health in the Experience Economy series is the ideal platform for veterinary professionals to learn how.

 

Jacque presented about the frictionless practice at Covetrus’ 2019 Masterclass Series, Proactive Patient Health and the Experience Economy.