What They Don’t Tell You
Here we are. 14 months into the new store, and 5 years (as owner) at the south store. What I wasn’t expecting was how hard certain parts of this process would be. It has been 25 years since I started as a kennel tech at BHV South. I truly stayed because I loved the dogs.
The clients were easy because they KNEW all of us loved the dogs. It was a different time too. No texting, emailing; most everything was done by phone, and applications for BHV were filled out by hand in person. There was a lot of face-to-face contact. Emotion could be felt between two people genuinely vibing about their dog. Now we are living in a world of massive technology. Instant access. Texting, emailing, social media, phones…all of it. It is a lot to keep up with.
I have absolutely loved the ease with which technology has allowed people to check on their pups, and how much smoother the process has become to register, etc. However, the “relationship” with the client is harder to forge due to the more instant and less social aspects of communication in general. Intent and inflection in someone’s voice cannot be heard.
When a client has a concern, I will respond with every effort to help you understand the issue you are having with BHV, and will jump through hoops to resolve it. Why? Because there are three parts to this equation: the first part is BHV, the 2nd part is the client, and the 3rd part is the dog. So if a client is, say… unreasonable. Rude. Arrogant. Dismissive. Whatever the word. I can see past all of it, because at the other end of it is a cute dog whom I have now grown fond of and want to see again. I must be clear though, most people are genuinely kind in their approach. I am talking about the smaller population; however, it is a population that has grown with much of our lives spent behind screens. The direct result is that connection isn’t direct anymore making it harder to navigate genuine sincerity.
I have 7 dogs. I love dogs. I thought expanding would just create more avenues for me to meet more dogs. I was so excited to see the first dog walk into BHV North when we opened. What I have found to be the toughest part of the north store, and people ask me this all the time…is getting through to the client. Expressing how very much we love their dogs, and them actually trusting that as fact. We have had some lessons, especially with a new staff, communication, etc. But never once have we faltered on the absolute care and love we put into each dog that walks into either store.
Why is this north store harder? How do I break down this new communication wall when we now have been so trained to not speak or look at one another, but instead stare at our phones? This is something they don’t tell you. This is something that is absolutely new to me. Wish me luck!
