The waiting zone presents a great opportunity to inform and educate. OK, so quite a few clients may be struggling to control their pets (or children), while they wait. Some will be worried or upset. Equally, many others will just be twiddling their thumbs. Make sure you use this opportunity to your benefit, and theirs.

Your main priority here should be on providing the most comfortable waiting environment, with the emphasis on providing an informative waiting experience.

For your waiting zone to work effectively, consider the following:

• Overall, try and create a warm and inviting atmosphere. A cold, sterile environment just adds to the feeling that 'the vets' is somewhere I don't want to be (a bit like I feel about going to an NHS hospital). Try and steer more towards the look of a 'comfortable sitting room'; at the same time, professional, hard-wearing and easy-to-clean.
   
• Seating should be comfortable and easily cleaned. Stacking chairs look and feel uninviting. Bench seats and cushions with washable covers are ideal since they can be used for storage as well.
   
• Provide refreshments: tea, coffee and water as a minimum. Perhaps soft drinks too, especially if lots of children visit the practice. If you can offer these yourself, it all adds to the feeling of a personal and attentive service. If you don't have the time or resources, a vending machine will do the job well enough.
   
• Reading materials: magazines and newspapers are a nice touch and really appreciated by clients. But do think twice before starting subscriptions. Anyone reading a newspaper in the practice is going to be no better informed about your services than if they were just twiddling their thumbs. So instead, why not provide more targeted reading material about important petcare issues, and how your practice addresses those issues. For example, your clients could be reading a brochure about your nursing clinics for older or obese pets. Make sure all materials make for interesting reading.
   
• A toy box is another nice touch. Yes, you'll probably have to spend time clearing up tractor wheels and 'Transformer' parts, but parents appreciate it. And if the child is kept busy, the owner is better able to devote their attention to what you have to say about their pet.
   
• Water bowls for pets (cleaned and refreshed regularly to prevent the spread of infection): again, a comfortable pet means that the owner is better able to concentrate on what you have to say.
   
• Displays: remember that the waiting zone is your opportunity to inform in greater detail than in the retail area. Concentrate on educating your clients about services offered by the practice (which often require more explanation than products, which might be self-explanatory). The waiting zone is an ideal place to display framed posters about different clinics, for instance. By all means display a couple of highlighted products, but try and restrict product display to those that really do benefit from further explanation. And whether you are displaying a product or details of a service, make sure that the display is accompanied with further information that the client can sit down and read.