Employee Spotlight: Bettina Bertelsen

In this series you meet different members of the VetFamily team. We are currently over 200 people with 16 different nationalities working in 15 countries, and we are always looking for new stars to join us. This time we interviewed one of our true motivators, Bettina Bertelsen in Denmark.

What does working in the veterinary industry mean to you?
It's good to be in a growing, international business with plenty of opportunities and a positive vibe. It's an industry with a lot of good people with big hearts. And it's a perk when you walk into a clinic and can help look after puppies that are just being born. 😊

What is your role at VetFamily?
I started working for VetFamily in Denmark in January 2017 and have been working with our preventive plan solution VetPlan all the time. My job is to help clinics get pets to the vet in a timely manner so that prevention can take place instead of cure. I do this by working closely with the staff at clinics, supporting, inspiring, and motivating them in how to talk to pet owners about the benefits of preventive care. I love working with people and seeing how we drive things forward together.

How do you in your role make life better for an independent vet clinic?
I help make it easy to be a customer. Easy for the clinic to be a customer of VetFamily and easy for the pet owner to be a customer of the clinic. My job is to identify solutions and help people realize and communicate them. To offer VetPlan is a win, win, win – everyone benefits from it. And it is a really good way to make sure your pet stays in good shape.

What do you like to do when you are not working?
Cooking for my guests! 😊 I have many friends with whom I go for walks, drink coffee, and eat dinners together with. I also go winter swimming with some of them, that is a fantastic feeling and truly good for both body and mind. In the summer when there’s no cold swimming, I enjoy gardening and entertaining guests at barbecues. I guess I’m a very social person.

What future developments are you excited about at VetFamily specifically and the vet industry in general?
We are all developing and growing. I believe that 25-50% of all pets in the Western world will have VetPlan in the future. Treating pets preventively, that is a good development. As for VetFamily, the Danish organization is now part of something bigger and it is interesting to see what we can learn from each other. It’s also interesting to see how the independent veterinary clinics will remain competitive versus the corporate chains in the future - and how we can continue to support and strengthen them with new services and insights.

What is your advice or recommendation to a student at a veterinary university for her or him to be able to have a fun and rewarding career?
It is the customer - the pet owner - who pays our wages. Focus more on the customer, she decides what to do with the pet. It's all about communication and sales. Make it easy to be a customer!

I know you spend a lot of time in your car driving all over Denmark visiting VetFamily clinics. Do you have any tricks to use that time wisely?
Talk on the phone (obviously always with a handsfree) with customers and colleagues. Often most of my time in the car is spent helping staff in clinics deal with difficult situations. But if the phone is quiet, I listen to some exciting podcast or radio.