Client Service Career Pathing at BluePearl

Being supported in your professional development and learning at work is critical for career satisfaction and continuing to grow – as a person and a veterinary professional.

At BluePearl, our client service Associates are the keystone of pet owners’ experiences in and out of our hospitals. This is why we’ve developed personalized, structured methods for upskilling and promoting client service team members throughout the organization.

Career pathing is a way to optimize your career growth by helping you identify your professional goals and mapping out the steps to achieve them. It also helps you:

• Set clear goals
• Identify skills to improve
• Define a long-term plan for your future through a clear career path

Skills checklists and assessments provide a concrete way for Associates in the client service job family to demonstrate their professional growth and advance within BluePearl.

What does the client service team look like at BluePearl?

First, let’s look at what roles the client service job family at BluePearl includes:

• Client service coordinator (CSC) level I
• CSC II
• CSC III
• Referral coordinator (RC)
• Client service supervisor (CSS)
• Client service manager (CSM)

CSC I, II & III.

Client service coordinators are responsible for a pet owner’s first and last impression of the hospital. All CSCs provide exceptional client-centered service, maintain a polished, professional and approachable demeanor, and demonstrate a proactive, solution-minded approach to assessing client needs and ensuring they are supported throughout their experience with BluePearl.

CSCs are also responsible for demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of their hospital’s clinical services, and their respective teams and medical treatments. This knowledge allows our CSCs to support the relationship with the primary care veterinary (pDVM) community while also focusing on each client’s unique need for the pet’s care. Level II and III roles build on level I with an increasing degree of veterinary medical knowledge, departmental cross-training, and leadership development.

All CSCs receive an annual CE stipend to participate in internal or external continuing education credit hours for professional skill and career development.

Referral coordinator.

The referral coordinator (RC) ensures effective, client-centered management of all referrals for assigned services. The referral coordinator serves as the primary point of contact for referred clients, managing their hospital experience from initial referral through the conclusion of service. This position interacts with the referring veterinary community, clients and hospital teams to ensure seamless continuity of care.

This role supports and communicates with clients, referring primary care vets, clinicians and hospital teams, especially when it comes to case management and ensuring patients’ visits are productive and in line with our organization’s standards for excellence.

Like CSCs, referral coordinators will need to have working knowledge in the following areas to succeed in their role:

• Hospital operations
• Medical terminology
• Service-specific procedures

Client service supervisor.

The client service supervisor (CSS) guides the daily activities of the CSCs as directed by the client service manager or practice manager. The CSS supervises and facilitates communication between CSCs, clients, pDVMs and the hospital team to deliver an exceptional client experience and team engagement.

CSSs also are integral to supporting CSCs in their development and career pathing opportunities, including assessment, compensation management, engagement and retention. CSS Associates also:

• Help build positive internal relationships
• Model exemplary soft skill behaviors
• Coach effective client service, conflict resolution and operational acumen
• Demonstrate high team performance and development

Client service manager.

Client service managers (CSM) lead the strategic and daily activities of the CSCs under the direction of the practice manager. CSMs manage communication between CSSs, CSCs, clients, pDVMs and the hospital team to deliver exceptional client experience and team engagement.

CSMs are integral members of the hospital leadership team, providing and executing a strategic vision for the client service team and the client experience in partnership with hospital leadership and serves as a role model for functional expertise and soft skills.

CSMs also work with CSCs and CSSs by:

• Coaching them through development and career pathing opportunities
• Building a strong, skilled and engaged team
• Managing team performance

CSC career pathing – opportunities abound.

Now that we’ve established the roles in the client service family at BluePearl and how they operate, it’s important to examine how an Associate can advance and achieve their career goals in a role that suits their professional desires and skillset.

There are many career path options for our Associates to map out their future – whether in client services or beyond. And much of our Associates’ advancement occurs through a platform called CareerTrax.

CareerTrax for client service coordinators.

CareerTrax is an online job skills observation and verification platform that allows Associates to demonstrate the skills they’ve mastered.

Which CSCs have access to CareerTrax?

CareerTrax is available to all client service Associates. Associates can set personal benchmarks by selecting skills from other jobs in CareerTrax. CareerTrax also helps us provide our Associates with meaningful continuing education opportunities so that they can gain new skills and additional knowledge.

This supports continued career pathing, guided by an Associate’s professional goals and best next move in the organization.

Professional development resources for CSCs.

We have a variety of resources for our Associates to support professional development including:

• Continuing Education events (virtual and in-person)
• CSC training guide
• BluePearl University (BPU)
• Mars Center for Veterinary Excellence (MCVE)

We’re excited to provide the opportunity for our client service team members to grow within BluePearl and look forward to providing continued professional and financial growth for our Associates through career pathing and development.

Freedom within the framework.

Career pathing is a dynamic process that will continue to evolve over time. There is “freedom in the framework” to suggest different career paths, such as a client service coordinator who wants to become a veterinary technician or a client service supervisor who would like to gain more operational or industry knowledge and needs to spend time in a role such as an assistant practice manager before progressing to their career goal of practice manager. It could also be possible for a high-potential new hire or CSC II to be fast-tracked into other roles like referral or financial coordinator.