Telephone Inquiries and Job Reservations

Make it a policy to follow up all telephone inquiries with a letter or email. Samples are included in this book.

Responding to General Inquiries

The inquiry-response letter thanks the veterinarian for the inquiry and gives information about your services. The veterinarian will probably file the letter for future reference and call you first the next time help is needed. What information will you include in this letter? (E.g., Insert your business card. State how far in advance you are usually booked. What special services can you offer?)
 

Handling Job Requests

No matter how many times you have worked for someone, or how soon or distant the job dates are, always send a letter and/or contract confirming the job. (Independent contractors must supply a separate work agreement for every job). If the job is the next day, bring the letter in with you to work or just send an email. See the Contracts section.

How far ahead will you reserve work?

How will you deal with reservations for work? Will you take last-minute requests for work, or require that all work be arranged x time in advance? Will you book jobs 6 months to a year in advance? Ideas: Encourage clients to reserve dates of meetings or holidays well ahead of time (e.g., large regional or state meetings, or Thanksgiving).

Will you work holidays?

If so, which ones? Will you charge extra for those days? Idea: Ask for a small deposit such as $100 to reserve in-demand dates; charge an additional $20 to $50 per day worked or 1.5 times your usual rate. When you are starting out, don’t charge extra at all, and use your holiday availability as a marketing tool.

What is the longest period that you will work for one practice?

Will you accept a job that lasts 3 weeks? Three months? It is best to avoid long jobs, because they remove your services from the market. Also, your independent contractor status could be threatened if you have a “regular and continuing” work relationship with one practice. Most relief veterinarians limit their jobs to 2 to 4 weeks. Although some relief vets will cover longer maternity leaves or sabbaticals and have no problem getting back into the shorter term market once the longer job is over.