Creature Care Clinic

Dr. Barr is currently experiencing a few operations management problems. These problems include initial product/services, adequate staff and the layout of the facility. The layout of the clinic was created with intentions of being an outpatient animal care facility. These services would include minor surgical operations and examinations. By accommodating to customer needs of pet grooming, Dr. Barr went off course with her initial purpose of the clinic. Currently, she is providing surgical operations, examinations and pet grooming. Her clinic layout was built strictly for outpatient surgeries on animals with a spacious waiting area. By offering “pet grooming” services to customers, she is not utilizing the environment properly which is ultimately affecting business. The clinic experiences high-contact segments in low-contact areas, which creates a distraction in the work place. The lack of clarity with available services and packages in the clinic creates confusion with customers and can destroy business.
The “service bundle” currently being offered at the clinic includes examination, grooming, and minor surgical operations. This exceeds her original intention of business which was to provide outpatient animal care.

The high contact segments are areas that require interaction between clients and employees. An example would be the reception area and/or the waiting room. The low contact segments are areas that have minimal interaction between clients and employees. An example would be the grooming table, surgery room and examining room. The problem occurring is that the grooming is being performed in the reception area which is a high-contact area. Grooming animals while having an audience in the waiting room is not good practice. This problem creates distractions and does not allow for services to be performed efficient and effectively.

Dr. Barr Should have had a better understanding of the combination of services that could be offered at a