Is your aesthetician your MVP?

Is your aesthetician your MVP? If not, find out how you can grow your business by simply changing your batting lineup.  As most medical spa owners have learned, employing an aesthetician can be a difficult and challenging task.  I, myself, have on several occasions heard and witnessed less than professional personality traits exhibited by my aesthetician colleagues.  Gossiping about coworkers, complaining about pay, and unhappy with scheduled hours these complaints can reverberate loudly from the staff lounge.

You are probably asking yourself, how could that person ever be my MVP and why would I want them to be.  Operating a successful medical spa can be nearly impossible without an aesthetician amongst your team.  If you take a moment and reflect on who an aesthetician really is, you will gain much insight and be able to truly unleash their abilities.  And once engaged, they will become one of your most valuable players.  

Who is the average aesthetician? The average aesthetician is about 24 years old, and other than their aesthetician certification hold no other degrees or licenses. According to ZipRecruiter as of March 2018, aestheticians earn $16.38 an hour and an average of $39,000 per year once commissions and tips are factored in.  So basically, they are young, earn just over minimum wage and have on average 18 months of vocational training.

A large percentage of aestheticians tend to leave the field in their first two years due to dissatisfaction with pay and benefits, difficulty finding consistent employment, and an unrealistic expectation of their roles in the marketplace.  So, they leave the profession they chose within two years.  

Conduct a little research on aesthetician satisfaction in the workplace and you will see most aestheticians are given varying schedules from week to week and oftentimes get same-day notice of shortened or eliminated working hours.  Their job security as well as take home pay is always in question.  Engage in conversation with one or two aestheticians and you will find very common theme of insecurity.

Imagine as physicians the reality that aestheticians live in and you will be able to focus your efforts on actively engaging them within your practice.  Aestheticians have a key role in our arena and should be the backbone of your office.  Who better to be your ambassador for skin care than the person who chose this career and possess the skills, passion and dedication to improving your customer’s skin.

Understanding their background and possible baggage brought over from previous employers is the first step.  The next step is providing security, security in their position, affirmation of their impact on patient retention, and assuring their shifts are as consistent as possible.   

And finally, educate and continue to educate them.  Most aestheticians cannot afford ongoing education and tend to use social media to increase their knowledge base.  As providers, you possess the medical and aesthetic knowledge to grow your team’s ability internally. But, there are many ways to continue educating your team: bring them in during medical services to assist you, have them join you for conferences and conventions, ask them to research new skin care lines and report back to the team.

The concept is simple and applies to all personal and business relationships.  Beyond Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, when someone feels valuable their loyalty will bloom as will their desire to help you and your business bloom.  Not only will you find overall sales improving, but you will see many of your customers transition from microdermabrasion to lasers and injectables.  They will become an extension of you, your sales approach, and your practice.
 

The Key to a Thriving Clinic Workplace

Help your organization flourish by building a strong foundation for success in the workplace. The first step? Conflict management. 

Differing perspectives, ideals, and aspirations are potential triggers for conflict in any workplace. It's important to be aware of this inevitability and to know how to tackle the problem. Conflict resolution is one of the keys to running a successful business organization.

Unresolved conflicts can directly impact your business by destroying the collaborative environment and creating hostility among employees. It might even lead to resignations in extreme cases.

But conflict resolution isn't always easy and must be approached carefully. There are several stages in a conflict and timing is crucial in achieving a resolution.

Cooperation is more likely to be achieved in the intial stages of conflict, so an earlier-- but unforced-- intervention tends to be most effective.

If left unresolved, conflict will, of course, negatively impact the workplace. Additionally, if there is too much pressure for the conflict to be resolved immediately, problems may not be carefully addressed and similar disagreements will arise again. 

Here are some tips for managing conflicts in the workplace:

Be proactive

According to Forbes.com, defining an acceptable behavior is a positive step in avoiding conflict. Effective communication is achieved when job descriptions are clearly defined and everyone is informed about what is expected of them. It is important to relay the message of what can and can't be tolerated in the workplace.

Listen and be impartial

Understand the nature of conflict, listen to both sides, and then start troubleshooting solutions. It is important to be impartial and maintain an unbiased and unprejudiced view about the matter at hand. Help those around you achieve their objectives. Know the underlying reason for their behaviors and actions. What they say and how they act may be different from how they actually feel.

Do not postpone conflict resolution

If a conflict does flair up, you will likely minimize its severity by dealing with it quickly. Otherwise, the situation could escalate and then eventually affect employee performance. Timing, again, is crucial.

It is also important to ensure that the situation is not addressed hastily without careful consideration. Your decision will directly affect the demeanor and performance of your staff and the outcome of such conflict resolution. Time spent identifying and understanding natural tensions will help to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Conflicts are opportunities

A disagreement can be an opportunity for growth, development, and learning. Divergent positions addressed properly can stimulate innovation and learning in ways that like-minds can’t even imagine. Smart leaders look for the upside in all differing opinions.

Read more on: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/02/22/5-keys-to-dealing-with-workplace-conflict/

How Are Employees Working In Your Medical Spa?

By Arlen Meyers MD

Who is working in your medical spa?

Employee engagement refers to the bond employees have with their organizations and the amount of connectivity they have with their organizations' missions. Current thought is that employee engagement is a greater indicator of productivity than employee satisfaction. When employees really care about the business, they're more likely to go the extra mile. Numerous studies show that employee engagement is correlated to a company's bottom-line success.

http://www.cunahrtdcouncil.org/news/422.html

In the late 90's the Gallop Organization developed the Q12, a tool for measuring employee engagement. Those who score high on the survey instrument are more engaged and their employers benefit with hgher profits and market shares.

Here are the questions.

Do you know what is expected of you at work?

Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?

At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?

Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

At work, do your opinions seem to count?

Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?

Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?

Do you have a best friend at work?

In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?

In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

http://www.workforce.com/section/hr-management/article/12-questions-measure-employee-engagement.html

After administering this test to thousands of employees, Gallop found that only 40% of employees are engaged. The rest , in the best case, show up and do their job, while in the worst case, 15% are disengaged and sabotage the organization or create problems. As you know, misery loves company.

 The questions concern having the tools and authority to do your job, getting honest feedback, feeling appreciated, and having a learning and growth plan.

Whether you are the employer or the employee, the Q12 can help you pinpoint holes in how you are treated or how you treat your employees. The sooner you identify gaps and fix them the better. Disengagement is contagious and most antibiotics no longer work.

Arlen Meyers MD MBA is the cofounder, and Chief Medical Officer of MedVoy, a medical tourism company. He is also a Professor of Otolaryngology, Dentistry and Engineering at the University of Colorado at Denver and CEO and President of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs. He blogs at Freelance MD

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Interview With Jessica Wadley, Former COO Of Spa MD

This episode of the Medical Spa MD Podcast introduces us to Jessica Wadley, former COO of Spa MD, who brings years of Medical Spa business experience to share with our members.

In part 1 of this podcast we discuss a host of issues around medical spa operations, sales, marketing, startup costs and staffing. We've got some agreement and you'll want to listen to how our thoughts (and strategies) differ around commission structures for staff and internal operations and training.

We also discuss how Spa MD went from $3m a year in revenue to over $12m in gross revenue within four years so you'll want to hear that.

Medical Spa MD Training Courses

Finally available! The Medical Spa  MD Training Courses for Laser Clinics, Medical Spas, Plastic Surgery Centers and Cosmetic Dermatology Practices.

Your medical spa staff's knowledge and expertise is a critical componant to your medical spa or cosmetic clinic's success.

From IPL training to skin typing, Botox, Restylane, and Juvederm filler injections, the Medical Esthetician Training Manual & Study Guide, and the Advanced IPL & Laser Training for Non-physicians is required material for smart medial spas, plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists.

Now it's easy to train every new hire on what non-surgical cosmetic proceedures you offer, how they work, and what alternatives there are. Ensure that your front desk, estheticians and laser technicians have the information that they need to answer patient questions with confidence.

For the first time, your laser clinic or medspa staff has the latest information on the newest nonsurgical medical treatments. From Botox, Restylane, and the newest filler injections, to fractional CO2 laser resurfacing, skin tightening and IPL treatments, now you have a uniform and tested training system. This is a must have for any serious cosmetic clinic.

Download Advanced IPL & Laser Training TOC
Download Medical Spa Aesthetics Training Course TOC

Advanced IPL & Laser Training Manual

The Advanced IPL & Laser Training Manual for Non-Physicians is required training material for every new hire working in a medical spa.

From IPL to fractional laser treatments, this manual covers the non-surgical IPL & Laser treatments your staff should know. Give your staff the information that will make you successful.

Advanced IPL & Laser Training - $227

Medical Estheticain Training Manual & Study Guide

 
The Advanced Medical Spa Esthetics Training Course & Study Guide is a two part learning cirriculum for non-physicians.

With 165 pages of quality content, this course is delivered in two parts that include a text book and a study guide. Already being used by leading medical spas and esthetician schools.

Medical Spa Aesthetics Training Manual & Study Guide - $247

Get all three and save: The Medical Spa Aesthetics Training Manual & Study Guide AND The Advanced IPL & Laser Training Manual

Buy the Medical Spa Aesthetics Training Course & Study Guide AND the IPL & Laser Training course and save almost $200!

 
Medical Spa Aesthetics Training, Study Guide, and Advanced IPL & Laser Training - $297

These training manuals are a critical component to the success of any Laser Center, Med Spa, Plastic Surgery or Cosmetic Dermatology practice. Use them to train every new medical spa staff member on what cosmetic proceedures are available, how they work, and what alternatives there are.

Written for non-physicians, both of these advanced training courses are already being used in leading medical spas and laser clinics to provide every new medical estheticians, laser techs, and front desk staff with current information about cosmetic information, and test their knowledge before they're hired.

Written by Paula D. Young, RN, these training manuals are designed to meet the real-world needs of cosmetic practices by those who know how to run a succesful cosmetic practice and how important it is that your staff is trained and has the information they need to become trusted avisors to your patients.

Everyone who has owned or run a med spa or cosmetic practice knows how long it takes to train new staff, and how much damage can be done with the wrong information. These new manuals and study course from Medical Spa MD make it easy to provide consistant, quality information to staff and ensure that everyone is on the same page from day one. Your entire staff now knows what your education expectations are and have the materials to meet them.

From Thermage to IPL to fillers and chemical peels, how they work, who they're for and when to use them. These courses give your laser techs, medical estheticians and front desk staff a deep understanding of the landscape of nonsurgical cosmetic medicine and save you endless hours of repetitive individual trainging. It's the single best investment you'll make in your medspa.

Give your staff the benefits of insider knowledge and make sure they're making the right decisions.

Medical Spa MD: It's the Cook's Fault... Not the Stove!

Throughout Medical Spa MD you can read posts from dissatisfied patients on their procedures and disgruntled employees on their previous place of employment.

The most recent post I read tonight was from "Warning Others", a former employee of American Laser Centers, and there seems to be quite a few on that chain of medspas! These types of reviews can be found anywhere on the web including the most notorious site, RealSelf, who banishes all practitioners not deemed worthy of performing aesthetic procedures (i.e., non plastics and non derms), and  Plasmetic Forums, to mention a few.

In the American Laser Clinc employee's post, they made one statement that really should be expanded upon and that was the comment that "VelaShape does not work".  They went on to say that "all (of) the customers were very unhappy with their results - even after the recommended 6 treatments". In the same paragraph, W.O. stated they "didn't see any customers who were completely hair free either. Yes, some did see hair reduction, but no complete hair loss. I also saw my co-worker burn a lot of customers (and the clinic manager wouldn't report it!)".

This really concerns me and it should you too if you are a practice owner or director.

Equipment in the hands of a practitioner is only as good as the practitioner is trained to be. It doesn't matter if it's a laser lipo unit or microdermabrasion machine. I know, for a fact (as it has happened in my own practice) that the VelaShape does work. Really well, actually. I've seen it with the technicians who studied the technology and worked hard at obtaining positive results for their patients. We had to fire an employee who didn't take the treatment seriously and didn't strive to be the best at what she did. Not only does your technician need to be trained and enthusiastic, they also need to be monitored by YOU (the owner or director). Patient results need to be sampled and individual charts reviewed to assess the technician's skill and clinical outcomes.

Take, for example, our VelaShape technician. She is a massage therapist knowledgeable of musculature anatomy, and possesses strong hand techniques required to perform an optimal treatment. She is responsible for maintenance on the unit giving her a sense of ownership of what she does. She is also the liaison between the company, the rep, and our medical spa. Everything goes through her (with me being cc'd of course). On top of all that, I review her patients from time to time even treating them myself to make sure her techniques are where I feel they should be and patient satisfaction is high. Ownership and teamwork make VelaShape successful in our practice.

The same philosophy is even more true with laser hair reduction/removal. Many estheticians are afraid of burns, so they step back on laser settings sometimes not even following the skin typing requirements and standard parameters. While they may feel "safe" from a burn, they aren't treating the patient at the therapeutic level for optimal results. In the end the patient won't be happy either way, whether they were burned, or whether they obtained poor results. Bottom line is, it looks bad for you.

If you're not doing so already, any technician handling any device should be constantly monitored and retrained to ensure they are operating the devices as safely and efficaciously as possible. They should attend company sponsored courses or the rep should be brought back in to ensure policies and procedures have not changed, or treatment modalities wavered.

If your technicians can't comprehend the fundamentals and technology of the procedures they perform and the repercussions that could arise should they operate equipment improperly, perhaps they would benefit from the materials soon to be offered here on MedicalSpaMD, The Medical Spa Aesthetics Training Course and Study Guide or an advanced aesthetics course offered in a beauty academy.

One final comment, any technician who feels they are not being properly trained and that their clients are being cheated out of a good result for their procedure should walk like W.O. did. 

Author: Paula D. Young RN runs internal operations and training at Young Medical Spa and is the author of the Medical Spa Aesthetics Course, Study Guide, and Advanced IPL & Laser Training course for medical estheticians and laser technicians.

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Laser Clinics & Plastic Surgeons: Can I call you sometime?

Dear Physician and Medical Aesthetic Practice Owner,

You attended numerous training and certification courses, hired a top notch staff, have the latest products and equipment, designed an aesthetically astute office environment, invested in a comprehensive marketing strategy, and probably hired some consultants along the way. So the million dollar question is... who’s answering your phone?

Your entire investment was focused on getting new patients in the door, but let’s face it, they just don’t walk in, they call first. Surveys show that more than 80% of all business transactions involved a phone call at one point. And, if the person on the other end of that line doesn’t have the right demeanor, personality, knowledge base and selling skills, you might as well list your lasers on eBay.

Are the associates responsible for answering your phone pleasant, easy to understand, knowledgeable about policies and procedures, know how to effectively utilize the HOLD button (if absolutely needed!), how to leave a message, how to get consults in the door, and, most importantly how to handle a difficult caller?

This is truly a marketing and business strategy you should be focused on even more so than what form of advertising you should use. Advertising only works if you can get people in your door.

At our laser clinic, we use effective strategies to help our associates take ownership of what they do. All of our associates responsible for phone calls are trained on all our procedures and FAQs of the procedures. They also need to know our website and menu of services inside and out. We have phone scripts at a finger’s touch and I ask them to smile when they answer the phone because it will show in their voice.

It may seem like a “Big Brother” tactic to most, but I have randomly recorded calls through our pay-per-click campaign which helps me take a quick pulse of what their strong points are (so they can be praised) and what their weak points are (so I can redirect them).

In the long run, we all win. We’re getting solid leads coming in the door and they receive bonus checks for consults they have been able to schedule from cold calls. It truly gives them a feeling of ownership and accomplishment!

So, can I call you sometime?

Regards,

Mystery Caller

Author: Paula D. Young RN runs internal operations and training at Young Medical Spa and is the author of the Medical Spa Aesthetics Course and Advanced IPL & Laser Training course for medical estheticians and laser technicians.

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Estheticians & Laser Technicians: Want to work at a laser clinic or medical spa?

I get emails and emails from estheticians looking for advice on how to get hired by a laser clinc or medical spa.

 
So here's some advice:

First, read these threads from esthicians who have worked for American Laser Clinics from the thread on American Laser Clinics  & the Armed Guard.  Then read the comments on this post if there are any.

Now take this list to heart: (At least if I'm interviewing you.)

• Don't work for any medspa, doctor, laser clinic, or franchise that looks as thought they may be cutting corners. Why? The esthetician is always named in any trouble and it's common practice to cut the esthetician loose. Let me reiterate... Estheticians will always be the first to get in trouble when a treatment they're performing goes wrong. Poor training and oversight is the most common shortfall and it takes experience before you can recognize potential trouble. Anyone can perform a treatment when everything goes right, but it takes time to learn contraindications and how to handle them. Shoddy business practices will get you in trouble every time.
• Look for a laser clinic / medspa that has a physician that's intimately involved and there all the time. (Surface's protocols specify that every single patient is seen by the supervising physician before any treatment.)
  
• Don't try to tell the physician how many clients you're going to bring with you. (Certainly I'd never believe you.) You may get hired by some doctor who's not experienced either but you won't be able to deliver. Patients make medical decisions on different factors than day spas.
  
• Get off your prima donna pedestal: This is not a day spa where you're on commission. (If it is, it may well be illegal since it could be construed as fee splitting.) You should expect to answer phones and take out the garbage. You may want to think that you're indespensible, make yourself such.
• Work as though you own the clinic. Staff that don't whine and bitch and look out for the clinic as though they owned it are the keepers. If you're not one of these, don't expect to make an impression.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is paid by how hard they are to replace. Physicians are harder to replace than front desk staff... they make more money. Someone who bitches and moans, is hard on the other staff, is careless... Hey, you're easy to replace. The amount of money you make is a direct correlation between two thins:

1. How hard you are to replace.
2. What the market will bear.

 Thant's it. Make yourself hard to replace and you'll demand a premium.

One last story: I had a master esthetician who sold more product than the next staff member like clockwork. She thought that  that made her indespensible. But she was a prima-donna. She was hard on the other staff. She always whined. In short, the fact that she sold more was offset by other troubles. She felt she was indespensible and acted like it. She was not. The trouble she created inside the system as a whole ment that she was just barely scraping by for quite a while. I tried to remedy the situation and make it work but I couldn't get through. She was more than just a little surprised when she was fired. She gave a long speech about how she sold more of everything than anyone else. So what. The trouble she caused just wasn't worth it. Don't be this person.

Non Compete Agreements: Keeping your Medspa staff from killing you.

Are Non compete Agreements Valid?

It's common for physicians to ask about how to prevent nurses, estheticians, or even other physicians from leaving to work for a competitor?

Many physicians ask their staff to enter into broad non compete agreements or employment contracts with non compete provisions to prohibit departing employees from working for a competitor or from using information they acquired while working for you. Or perhaps you just want to specify how soon an employee can begin working in a similar business.

There are problems with many non compete agreements valid and if overly broad they're not legally enforceable?

As a general rule, non compete agreements--often referred to as agreements or covenants not to compete--aren't valid or are not readily enforcible. In most states, there's a longstanding, strong public policy against such agreements since they're often so one-sided and impinge upon an individuals ability to make a living which is frowned upon by legislatures. The rationale for this policy is to ensure that employees have the right to pursue any lawful employment of their choice. (The California Legislature has enacted a law that declares void every contract that prevents someone from engaging in a lawful profession, trade or business of any kind.) Of course, as with most laws, there are exceptions provided in the law and created by the courts. In most states, the courts have carved out an exception to the general rule that covenants not to compete are void. They're typically permitted when deemed necessary to protect valid trade secrets of the employer. When former employees engage in unfair competition through the unauthorized use of trade secrets or confidential information, the courts will generally enforce proper non compete agreements.

A non-compete agreement which prohibits someone from working anywhere is far less likely to be valid than one which prohibits someone from working within 10 miles of the former employer’s business but this will depend on the kind of work. Your medical spa may have an interest in keeping an esthetician you trained from competing across the street, but if the non-compete agreement says nowhere in the state, it becomes less reasonable. If the esthetician can find a job in the state 50 miles away, most of the clients will not travel that distance for the service, but will stay with your medspa. On the other hand, this non-compete could force the esthetician to move to look for work or otherwise to travel hundreds of miles.

A non-compete must also be for a limited and specified time. If the esthetician is gone for a year, the medical spa can expect that the vast majority of the customers will have stayed and the estheticians departure will likely do little harm to the business. Thus, keeping the esthetician out of work for three years does little to help the business, but seriously harms the esthetician .

Depending on the circumstances and the language used, agreements not to compete signed by employees when starting a new job can prevent them from legally using secret formulas, recipes, certain protected customer lists and other trade secrets. Of course, merely labeling information as a trade secret or as confidential doesn't make it so. Disputes as to whether certain information is truly secret or confidential are decided by the courts on a case-by-case basis.

A similar issue arises when an employment agreement attempts to prevent a departing employee from taking other employees with them to a competitor. Such non-interference agreements aim to prohibit employees from soliciting other staff members to leave the employer. It's clearly improper for a departing employee to induce fellow employees to breach their employment contracts. On the other hand, if there's not an employment contract, nothing prohibits employees from deciding to join a colleague at a new employer.

In the end, to be valid a non-compete agreement must be narrowly tailored to meet the needs of the employer which will be balanced against those of the employee. If you are preparing a non-compete agreement, you need an experienced lawyer to draft it in a way that it will not be held invalid. If you are dealing with a non-compete agreement as an employee, there are lots of ways to attack it.

However, there are ways to accomplish what you're trying to do without having to rely on non-compete agreements exclusively. The key is that any agreement must be made by knowledgeable and informed parties and can't limit an individuals ability to make a living. 

When Surface was first formed I had all of our staff sign non-competes since they were constantly being poached by both competitors and schools who wanted to boast that "the instructors worked at Surface". I found that my energies were better spent elsewhere. My staffs will often receive boastful offers from competitors. Interestingly, they're almost never accepted. (The last one was years ago.) Why? I'm transparent with my staff to an extent that they know they can trust me. (Another post on this later.) 

We do prevent our physicians from competing directly with us, but it's not through non-competes.

Of course, as with any legal matter, you are always advised to consult an employment law attorney when considering anything legal. If you do something stupid, it's your fault.

Dermatology Staff Salaries:

Staffing is the highest expense item for most dermatology practices, often comprising more than 50% of total practice overhead.

Via Skin & Aging Journal. The staff salary national averages in this issue of Skin & Aging were drawn from The Health Care Group�s 2006 Staff Salary Survey. In the fourth quarter of 2005, questionnaires were mailed to more than 9,000 medical practices nationwide and 739 practices responded, including 49 dermatology practices. Those dermatology practices supplied 565 different staff salaries. The complete 2006 Staff Salary Survey, with more staff categories and additional results, is organized by staff position, geographic region and metropolitan statistical area.

Customer Service Obsession: Love your patients the Amazon way.

 Is obsessive customer service part of your medical practice?

Amazon is taking a page from Nordstrom's 'heroic customer service' book. Why? Because it's good business. I posted on the oft-induldged stupidity of price wars. One of the differentiators that drives business is customer service. Notice I did not say 'patient care'. Customer service is outside of the medical care you're providing. Customer service is the touchy-feely warm and cozy perceptions that your patients have or don't have.

From my friend Shmula's blog on Amazon's customer obsession:
pushing 300,000 - 600,000 units of product per day through a fulfillment center is no easy task. gratefully, Amazon’s home-grown software and efficient processes help to deal with the immense volume. sometimes, if there are inventory gliches or poor product flow, an activity known in warehousing as “product chasing” occurs. “chasing” is when a product is ordered, but it is nowhere to be found in the (1MMft^2) facility. in reality, it is somewhere, but according to the inventory software the product is supposed to be in its assigned bin, but it has been moved somehow, drifted to another bin, or stolen. this defect is called Inventory Record Defect Rate and is one of the most important metrics at Amazon, and is highly scrutinized and reviewed by Bezos and his senior team.

Why is it important? because when the front-end Amazon store allows you to order something, the precondition is that the product and the quantity desired is currently in an Amazon facility: the software follows a very complicated algorithm based on network optimization, shortest path techniques, and traveling salesman routing; a check is made against the inventory database — in real time — how many are available, which facility, and how many have been committed already. when the order drops into the assigned facility, the picker goes to the bin where the product is supposed to be, but because IRDR is poor, the item is not there. this situation leads to two following options: (1) go to a local store and buy the item and ship it to the customer or (2) do a “network flip”, where the assigned facility “flips” the order to another facility that has that product. option (2) is ideal, but during the holiday season, it is very difficult to do. during the holidays, option (1) is common.

doing option (1) is heroic and is a true example of customer obsession at work: it’s not about serving all customers as an aggregate, but it’s about serving one really well, several million times. at Amazon, they really believe this and live this.

This kind of take-no-prisoners approach to customer service is absent in most clinics I see. You're asking your patients to spend their money inside of your business. Great customer service is your obligation.

Aestheticians And The Doctors Who Love/Hate Them, Part 2.

I first posted here about Estheticians and the doctors who love + hate them.

Since that first post I've received some negative comments from estheticians who think that they're a pleasure to work with.  You can read a thread of esthetician comments on medical spas and physicians here.  While they blast me as having a bone to pick, you'll notice that twice during the thread doctors are referred to as 'greedy bastards'. 

If anyone's still unaware, embezzlement is the number one problem in medical clinics.

Here are some memorable quotes: 

Well said, Nondy!! I have never worked with a doctor as an esthetician but worked with plenty of them as a nurse for 25 yrs. and yes, they are greedy bastards!  This is why I don't believe anything negative they print about our profession, our products or our equipment not being up to standards.  They just want all the business streamlined to them and will stomp on reputable esties to get it.

I will say not ALL docs fall into this category. It's just precious few, I have found, williing to think outside of the box and give credit where credit is due... Overall though, I found the article to be offensive.

The esty's were paid low hourly wages with no tips... If I go back to the treatment side, I think I'd prefer spa/resort and a percentage of the services/sales over my experience in medical.