Just one thing: Unlock productivity with a simple key

When tackling practice health, it's easy to think in terms of large projects—strategy meetings, lengthy documents, jargon-heavy discussions, and big capital investments. But productivity obstacles often are surprisingly mundane, and it’s possible to enhance productivity with a simple step that takes 15 minutes or less. 

Consider the simple task of refilling paper towel dispensers throughout your practice. For many dispensers, restocking requires both paper towels and a key to open the receptacle. But how many keys do you have?

In a recent episode of AVMA Tech Talk, available on AVMA Axon, practice manager Leslie Boudreau highlighted the results of her practice’s recent team efficiency survey. Several team members noted having limited keys for paper towel dispensers was an impediment to their productivity, causing them to backtrack when completing this regular task.

The solution? They bought additional keys for the dispensers, according to Boudreau, a panelist at this year's AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum in October. Simple, affordable, and implementable in under 15 minutes—this small adjustment addressed a daily friction for the team.

How to find the key at your practice

Start by evaluating which resources are centralized and which should be easily accessible wherever they're needed. Generally, larger capital purchases should be centralized, while less expensive items can be distributed with redundancy. 

The goal is to reduce the number of steps for team members to complete common tasks. While a minute saved may seem insignificant, the time adds up quickly for a task that is repeated multiple times a day, every day, six days a week.

There’s another benefit, too: Reducing friction in daily activities improves the experience of team members in the workplace—one of the essential ingredients for retention.

What might be the “keys to the paper towel dispensers” at your practice? Pay attention to situations where you or team members are backtracking to get supplies, and ask the team for input. 

For example, on the less expensive end, you might consider items like large dog otoscope cones, slip leads, or examination glove stations with multiple glove sizes. Or perhaps the friction points involve moderately priced items such as handheld clippers, quality stethoscopes, or pulse oximeters. Having multiples of commonly used items, strategically located, streamlines tasks and minimizes workflow interruptions.

Spend 15 minutes to identify one daily friction for yourself or your team and invest in some redundancy. This small step can make a big difference in your practice’s efficiency and your team’s satisfaction.