Do you have an inventory management hero? Or maybe you’re the unsung hero? This episode of Inventory Nation introduces something brand new from Vet Care Logistics: Inventory Manager Appreciation Day, which this year takes place on June 7^th and will also mark the opening of nominations for Inventory Manager of the Year! So stay tuned for accolades as well as exciting gifts for our honorees! Host Nicole Clausen is also giving us the run-down on her Top Tips for keeping your inventory systems running smoothly (and accurately). You’ll learn about simple, but powerful ways in which to work more effectively with your team to enable, monitor, assess and backstop data related to ordering, tracking and sharing. The savings to your practice can be significant and it’s great for team morale since – to paraphrase the bestselling self-help author Brene Brown – clear is kind!

Hope these 11 strategies for bundling, recording and selling inventory inspire you to up your data accuracy game and if you put any of Nicole’s tips into practice, please let us know! We’re always tweaking systems and community feedback is a big part of evolving the methodology!

Don’t forget to visit Vet Care Logistics at this link for more information about upcoming events, like our new June 7^th Inventory Manager Appreciation Day and award nominations!

Would you like to learn more about Inventory 911 Toolkit, our step-by-step blueprint to help inventory managers optimize knowledge, strategy and confidence? Click here!

You can also join the Inventory Strategy Network – our free virtual neighborhood for inventory managers and other veterinary professionals – by visiting this link.

• Mark Your Calendars! Our first-ever Inventory Manager Appreciation Day is on June 7^th. You are not an island – and are deserving of a celebration for all you do!
• Also Announcing: On June 7^th, nominations will open for the first-ever “Inventory Manager of the Year” award. Nominate someone you know – or yourself! Great prizes and gift certificates for honorees!
• Be the Change! Tips for Keeping Inventory Systems Accurate and Up-to-Date:
  • Tip #1: Clear is kind. Make descriptions in your software detailed, specific, direct and fully understandable for everyone.
  • Tip #2: Bar code scanners can be super-helpful for dispensing goods and keeping charges accurate.
  • Tip #3: Use groups, packages and linked items software functions to help attach related inventory and automate their flow as well as billing.
  • Tip #4: Deploy packages in your software to link items on the backend, simplifying inventory deductions, providing a complete medical record and even tracking waste.
  • Tip #5: Try playing the “Price is Right” game to familiarize your team with the actual prices of supplies – especially the most expensive items!
  • Tip #6: Mischarges can have a significant impact so stay alert for order items that do not generate any revenue, tracking trends and auditing on a regular basis.
  • Tip #7: Monitor and bring accountability to unauthorized “Robinhood theft.”
  • Tip #8: Create estimates that ensure accurate charging guidelines, especially for less frequent procedures. This can be turned into a fun group activity!
  • Tip #9: Put charging guidelines (and systems) in place that clearly delineate processes and pricing on which the team can easily, consistently execute.
  • Tip #10: Make it a practice to double-check billing at check-out, just to ensure another set of eyes on multiple charges and complex invoices. It helps avert awkward phone calls to clients who have been mis- or under-charged.
  • Tip #11: Double-check prescriptions before they go out the door. It provides an important backstop, both from a safety and accounting perspective.
• Key Questions to Keep Asking:
  • Are we keeping things clear (which is kind)?
  • Is our practice management system specific and easy to follow?
  • Do we have charging guidelines in place?
  • Is our team set up for success?
  • Do we need to slow down, assess patterns and trends?
  • What kind of expectations can we re-establish?
  • How can we leverage tools like software systems to manage more effectively?
• Stay Tuned: June 7^th launches both Inventory Manager Appreciation Day and marks the opening of a call for award nominations for leaders in our field!

• “Every year from now on the first Wednesday of June will be a day to celebrate you as an inventory manager!”

• “I remember when I was an inventory manager and when vet tech week rolled around I didn’t get anything because I wasn’t technically a technician or part of any specific group in the practice. It was just kind of me on my own little island!”

• “Your practice is unique. Your team’s culture is unique and you know what works best for your practice.”

• “Part of the adventure of being an inventory manager or being in a leadership role in your practice is finding what works well and moving your practice forward in a direction that serves everyone.”

• “Creating groups can really help your team not forget to charge for something, especially if it’s a procedure or something that isn’t done super-often. It’s a great way to make sure everything is bundled in there together.”

• “Playing the Price is Right game can be a fun and engaging way to work with your team to help them understand the cost of items and how expensive they are. It really helps improve patient charges.”

• “We plan the work and then we work the plan!”

Hi, I’m Nicole Clausen and I started Veterinary Care Logistics with the dream of changing the way we manage inventory together.

With 14+ years of experience in the veterinary industry, I have worked in several positions from receptionist to operations manager for several different hospitals.

While no two practices are ever just alike, I noticed one common problem: a lack of inventory management and control.

If you are tasked with managing inventory, I understand first-hand the challenges you face.

When I first started managing inventory, I struggled with the same things that many of my client’s experience: a to-do list up my chin and a pretty persistent case of imposter syndrome. But jolting awake in the middle of the night, wondering if you remembered to order rabies vaccines is no way to live.

I knew something had to change.

Veterinary Care Logistics was born out of the demand by several industry leaders to utilize my inventory system as a model throughout the country. Whenever I tell people what I do, I usually get a puzzled reaction: “Why would you want to do that? I hate inventory!” Truthfully, I love the puzzles, the numbers, and the strategies of inventory. But what really sets my soul on fire is creating lightbulb moments.

New clients who often come to me tell me that they feel like they’re drowning or that they think they’re just not cut out for this. Then once we start working together, putting systems in place, there’s always, always an “ah-ha” moment.

And at that moment, a shift occurs. You know exactly what you need to do. Your confidence rises. And the confusion, overwhelm, worry all begin to melt away like a bad, backordered-rabies-vaccine dream.

These are the moments I live for.

• VISN: https://www.veterinaryisn.com/
• Inventory Ally – Inventory Management Software: https://inventoryally.com/
• Free Resources: www.vetlogic.co/education