The Whole Companion -

Concept Statement

Natasha Fulton

MKT341 Entrepreneurship and

New Business Venturing

Word count: 1966

Executive Summary
Consider this; its 2am, you have just got home from work to find your beloved pet sick or
injured. You live in Ipswich and the closest after hours vet is a 50 minute drive away. You know
that each minute counts to whether your fur baby lives or dies.

This is the reality facing many Ipswich residents when their dog or cat falls ill or get injured.
Considering we live in a state with many snakes, spiders, toads and more that can cause harm to
our cherished pets, a 50 minute drive can be a harrowing and costly experience. This is why The
Whole Companion was born.

The Whole Companion aims to provide convenient general and emergency vet care 24/7, with a
pet pick-up and drop-off service to the residents of Ipswich. Adding to this The Whole
Companion will provide a pet shop that sells only premium pet foods and products for customers
who want only the best for their fur baby. The Whole Companion will also provide an app to
help our busy customers remember appointments, immunizations, worming and more while also
holding a complete health record of each of their pets. Within five years The Whole Companion
aims to grow and add services to be Ipswich’s one stop pet and vet center.

This concept statement looks at the industry, which is in a growth cycle due to consumer’s
humanization of their pets. With more and more consumers putting their pet’s health in the
important basket, profit and growth are expected to remain steady.

Research was conducted and found the average pet owner want the best for their pet at any cost.
They are looking for services that keep their pets alive and healthier for longer, and want their
vet to be caring, honest, professional, compassionate and considerate. Furthermore, as the
average Ipswich resident earns $36 per week less than the Australian average, they want quality
vet care at an affordable price.
To keep The Whole Companion’s intellectual property hard-to-copy and to increase the brand,
an assortment of trademarks and copyright has been considered. Following this, the concept
statement provides a detailed operations and staffing plan that in time, will also become valuable
resources.

The marketing mix discusses the seven P’s of service marketing, examining how The Whole
Companion will overcome the target audiences perceived risks while covering how The Whole
Companion will get word out about who they are and what their vision is. Finally, the fact that
The Whole Companion will be Ipswich’s first and only 24/7 vet is discussed as the source of
strategic competitive advantage.
Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5
The Industry .................................................................................................................................... 5
Market Segmentation ...................................................................................................................... 6
Geographic .................................................................................................................................. 8
Demographics .............................................................................................................................. 9
Barriers to Pet Ownership in Ipswich........................................................................................ 11
Target Customer Identification ..................................................................................................... 11
Intellectual Property Plan .............................................................................................................. 13
Copyright ................................................................................................................................... 13
Trademarks ................................................................................................................................ 14
Operations ..................................................................................................................................... 17
Pricing and Payment Terms ...................................................................................................... 19
Staffing ...................................................................................................................................... 19
Marketing Mix Recommendations ............................................................................................... 22
Product (Service) ....................................................................................................................... 22
Price ........................................................................................................................................... 22
Place .......................................................................................................................................... 23
Promotion .................................................................................................................................. 24
People ........................................................................................................................................ 25
Physical Evidence...................................................................................................................... 25
Processes ................................................................................................................................... 27
Source of Strategic Competitive Advantage ................................................................................. 27
References ..................................................................................................................................... 28
List of Tables
Table 1. Industry at a glance ........................................................................................................... 6
Table 2. Average household expenditure........................................................................................ 7
Table 3. Vet visits by dog and cat owners per year ........................................................................ 8
Table 4. Average pet owner in Australia. ..................................................................................... 10
Table 5. Average Ipswich resident................................................................................................ 11
Table 6. Copyright information. ................................................................................................... 14
Table 7. Trademark information ................................................................................................... 16
Table 8. The Whole Companion services ..................................................................................... 17
Table 9. Pricing reasons. ............................................................................................................... 23
Table 10. Consultation price example. ......................................................................................... 23
Table 11. Communication to be used in promotions. ................................................................... 25

List of Images
Image 1. Map of after hour vet locations in south east Queensland. (MapCustomizer, 2017)....... 9
Image 2. Map of a customer’s touchpoints. .................................................................................. 18
Image 3. Staff chart. ...................................................................................................................... 20
Image 4. Staff weekly roster example........................................................................................... 21
Image 5. Veterinary clinic floor plan. ........................................................................................... 26
Introduction
TWC will provide general and emergency vet care 24/7 in Ipswich. TWC will also provide an
attached pet shop that sells only premium pet food and products. With a 5 year growth plan TWC
aims to be a convenient one stop pet center for all of Ipswich’s residents. This concept statement
has been written to explain and analyse The Whole Companion business venture.

The Industry
Growth and revenue rates are expected to continue due to the high uptake of pet insurance, rises
in household discressionary income, increasing numbers of graduate vets and vet nurses and the
increasing willingness of pet owners to spend money on their pets (IBISWorld & Allday, 2018).
Table 1 shows the industry at a glance.

Industry at a Glance – Veterinary Services 2017-2018

Revenue 3.4bn
Profit 697.8m
Annual Growth (2013-2018) 3.1%
Annual Growth (2018-2023) 2.4%
Wages 1.3bn
Businesses 3,233
Market Share Low Concentration
Life Cycle Stage Growth
Capital Intensity Medium
Regulation Level Heavy
Technology Change High
Barriers to Entry High
Competition Level Medium
Revenue Volatility Low
 Enterprises
SA TAS NT
2.30% 1.00% ACT
6.40%
1.00%

WA
11.80% NSW
29.80%

QLD
23.00% VIC
24.70%

NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS NT ACT

Table 1. Industry at a glance. (IBISWorld & Allday, 2018)

Market Segmentation
The veterinary and pet care industry can segment the market into two core segments; businesses
and households. Businesses, who use dogs and cats to conduct their work account for 19% of the
market. Households account for 81% of the market and can be broken down into rural (18%) and
urban (62.9%). As dogs and cats account for 95% of urban consumers vet expenditure, TWC
will focus on dog and cat veterinary services to help reduce start-up costs while keeping revenue
high (IBISWorld & Allday, 2018). Table 2 shows the average household expenditure on pets,
while table 3 shows vet visitation rates.

Pet owners are taking greater notice of their pets’ health and dietary needs and are increasingly
humanizing their pets, leading to high spending on premium pet foods and pet treats.
Furthermore, functionality within pet food, such as, oral health, nutritional intake and weight
reduction is becoming increasingly important (Euromonitor, 2018). Dog and cat owners believe
their pets come first. They treat their pet like a child or member of the family, consider them
their fur baby and want the best level of care for their pet (Saving Pets, 2017). Therefore, these
pet owners quickly jump on products and services that will keep their pet alive and healthier for
longer (Euromonitor, 2018).
Pet owners want to look after their pets the same way they look after themselves, leading to large
increases in pet owners purchasing pet insurance to cover large parts of their pet bills. Those who
don’t have insurance are increasingly looking for vets who provide after pay style services.
(Euromonitor, 2018; Animal Medicines Australia, 2016). Finally, many dog and cat owners see
owning their pet as a responsibility for life, with many stating they would find a way to care for
their pet, no matter what. Considering the average cat lives for 16 years and the average dog
lives for 13 years ( Animal Medicines Australia, 2016), TWC can provide a service that creates
on going wealth for themselves and pet owners.

Average Household Expenditure on Pets by Category $

Per year, per pet
Item Dog Cat
Pet food 622 576
Veterinary services 397 273
Pet healthcare products 248 159
Clipping / grooming 134 45
Products or accessories 129 98
Boarding / minding 93 80
Pet insurance 86 59
Training/ Behaviour / Therapy 49 37
Walking 44 0
Pet purchases 42 0
Transport 39 33
Competitions / membership 39 37
Other 52 47
Total
Expenditure by total population
$12.2 billion
between 2013 and 2016
Table 2. Average household expenditure. ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)
 Vet Visitation
Number of visits -2016 Dogs Cats
At least once 79% 65%
None 21% 35%
Once 36% 37%
Multiple times 43% 28%
Twice 24% 19%
3 Times 11% 5%
4-5 Times 4% 3%
6 or More times 3% 1%
Average visits 1.6 1.1
Why? – To treat illness 72%
Why? – To keep pet healthy 71%
Table 3. Vet visits by dog and cat owners per year. ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)

Geographic
As image 1 shows there are no 24 hour or after hour vets in Ipswich, causing residents a long and
often stressful journey to the closest after hours vet care. With the number of dogs and cats
expected to rise to 111,938 by 2026 (Ipswich City Council, n.d.), TWC can meet customer needs
and fill a gap within the geographical area.
Image 1. Map of after hour vet locations in south east Queensland. (MapCustomizer, 2017)

Demographics
The average pet owner owns their own free-standing house and lives with 3 or more adults or
children, is in a defacto relationship and from an English speaking background. Owners who
spent money purchasing their pet are more likely to be living in urban areas with a university
education (Animal Medicines Australia, 2016). Table 4 provides further information on the
average cat and dog owner in Australia. Furthermore, table 5 shows the average Ipswich
resident. The average weekly income was $36 below the Australian average showing Ipswich pet
owners are time poor and earning less than the average Australian pet owner (ABS, 2016).
 Average Pet Owner in Australia
Age 18-49
Employment Part-time or Full-time
Income $70,000 - $100,000
Pet ownership increase over past 3 years 6%

Dog Owners in Australia

Queensland population who own a dog 63%
Dog population 4.8 million
Average price paid for a dog $548
Average number of dogs per home 1.3
Pure breeds – dogs 52%
Mixed breeds – dogs 41%
Designer breeds – dogs 7%

Cat Owners in Australia

Queensland population who own a cat 26%
Cat population 3.9 million
Average price paid for a cat $247
Average number of cats per home 1.4
Pure breeds – cats 76%
Pure breeds – cats 24%
Table 4. Average pet owner in Australia. ( Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd, 2016)
 Average Ipswich Resident
Residents working full-time 87,104
Residents working part time 41,414
Residents who are unemployed 13,365
Residents working 35-39 hours per week 31,269
Residents working 40 hours or more per week 55,836
Residents working in blue collar occupations 37.4%
Residents working in white collar 29.2%
occupations
Table 5. Average Ipswich resident. (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2016)

Barriers to Pet Ownership in Ipswich

* The cost of owning a pet and affordable pet care
* Logistical constraints
* Getting their pet to and from the vet if they don’t own a vehicle.

Target Customer Identification

The segmentation has shown, the target audience, while of different demographics, all want an
Ipswich based vet who is open for longer hours. They want this vet to be caring, honest,
compassionate and considerate. They want this vet to provide the top level of care while also
being priced affordably. Furthermore, they would like the convenience of being able to attend to
all their pets needs in one place. Leading to the personas shown below.
Kiara Boxall, Rosewood, Ipswich, 32 years old
Kiara represents 79% of cat owners. She owns a mixed breed cat
named Oscar. She is 34, has no children and works full time as
primary school teacher. Kiara purchased Oscar from a shelter. She
purchased Oscar for companionship, but now considers him her
fur baby. She mostly keeps Oscar inside and is willing to try
anything that will keep him alive for longer and will only provide
him with the best level of care. Kiara purchases premium cat food
for Oscar. She would love to get a second cat, but worries about
the cost of 2 cats and how she would get them to the vet outside of
work hours. Kiara also worries about finding local good quality
emergency vet care, in the case Oscar was to get sick.

Hayley Bunning, Ripley, Ipswich, 35 years old

Hayley represents 73% of dog owners. She owns a mixed breed
dog named Bella. She is 35, has three young children and works
as an office admin. Hayley purchased Bella from a rescue. She
considers her dog as another child, often joking she has 4 children.
Bella is allowed to go freely inside and outside. Hayley feels only
the best will do for Bella and purchases grain free dog food for
her. Hayley has Bella covered by insurance so she can afford the
best level of vet care for her. Her biggest worries are seeing the
vet outside of work hours and getting Bella emergency after hour
vet care if the need arises. Hayley would like the convenience of
all her pet needs being in one place.
 Steven Cuthbert, Bundamba, Ipswich, 49 years old
Steven represents 41% of dog owners. He owns a
staffy cross named Max and a purebred staffy named
Milo. He is 49, living in a de-facto relationship with 3
adult children still living at home. He works long
hours, full-time, with some occasional shift work as a
tradie, often working 40+ hours per week. He
purchased Max from a neighbor and Milo from a
breeder sees both dogs as part of the family. Steven
purchases only the best for Milo and Max, feeding
them an all-natural raw diet, and will do anything to
keep them happy, healthy and alive longer. Steven
worries about getting Milo and Max to the vet and
finding after hour emergency care. Steven finds
getting Milo and Max to the vet difficult because of
his long work hours and would love a vet open late,
that prides itself on high levels of care and affordable
prices.

Intellectual Property Plan

To ensure TWC’s ideas remain theirs while increasing their brand, identity and reputation, they
will need to trademark and copyright several items. Trademarking and copyrighting will also
ensure their strategic resources are hard to copy (Bouchoux, 2006).

Copyright
In Australia, copyright is free and automatic, however an ©thewholecompanion, should be
placed on all copyright content (National Library of Australia, n.d.).Copyright lasts 70 years
from death of creator and there is no registration requirements in Australia (Commonwealth of
Australia, 2016). Table 6 shows the items that will be copyrighted.
 What Will be Copyrighted What the Copyright Will Cover
ᴥ Text content
ᴥ Images
ᴥ Source code
Website ᴥ Video’s
ᴥ Software
* Used to create online product ordering
and booking of vet appointments
ᴥ Text content
The Whole Companion ᴥ Images
App ᴥ Software
ᴥ Source code
Table 6. Copyright information.

Trademarks
TWC had to consider whether words in its name were descriptive for the business, for example;
words such as, skilled competent and trained are not allowed as they are descriptive words true
of all vets. (Commonwealth of Australia, 2014). TWC must ensure all trademarks are used in the
course of trade. If the trademark is not used, it will be removed due to non-use (Davison,
Monotti, & Wiseman, 2012). Thirdly, TWC must list all services the trademark will apply to.
Australia uses a class system for all goods and services, and, as the non-use clause applies to the
class, the trademark must be used in each class chosen (Commonwealth of Australia, 2014).
TWC chose their classes on the income source, nature of business and how they want to be
known. The table 7 below lists each trademark TWC will use, its details and costs
(Commonwealth of Australia, 2016).
Trademark Importance Usage Class Cost
ᴥ Communicates who we are ᴥ Storefront ᴥ Class 31 – Pet Application cost
ᴥ Provides branding and ᴥ Website, ᴥ Class 35 Pet sales $750
Business
identity ᴥ Marketing services via pet shops
name – The ᴥ Makes it easy for material, ᴥ Class 44 Veterinary Renewal fee -

Whole consumers to find us ᴥ Pet service services, Veterinary $400 per class
ᴥ Creates value vehicle surgeons services
Companion
ᴥ Makes our name hard-to-
copy
ᴥ The name of the app, links ᴥ On the App ᴥ Class 31 – Pet Application cost
to the business name ᴥ Marketing ᴥ Class 35 Pet sales $750
App Name – communicating the app is material services via pet shops
The Whole in conjunction with the ᴥ Class 44 Veterinary Renewal fee -
business services, Veterinary $400 per class
Companion
ᴥ Makes our app hard-to- surgeons services
copy
ᴥ Communicates who we are On storefront, in ᴥ Class 31 – Pet Application cost
ᴥ Provides branding and store, on marketing ᴥ Class 35 Pet sales $750
Business
identity material, on the app, services via pet shops
Logo ᴥ Makes it easy for on the pet service ᴥ Class 44 Veterinary Renewal fee -
consumers to find us vehicle, website services, Veterinary $400 per class
 ᴥ Communicates who we are ᴥ Storefront ᴥ Class 44 - Veterinary Application cost

Slogan for ᴥ Communicates our source ᴥ Website surgeons' services - $250

of strategic competitive ᴥ Marketing Veterinary assistance
Vet – Your
advantage material ᴥ Veterinary service Renewal fee -
vet 24/7 ᴥ Creates a valuable asset ᴥ Pet service $400
ᴥ Sends a message vehicle
ᴥ Communicates who we are ᴥ Storefront ᴥ Class 35 - Pet sales Application cost
2nd slogan –
ᴥ Creates a valuable asset ᴥ Website services via pet shops - $250
Your one ᴥ Sends a message ᴥ Marketing

stop vet and ᴥ Allows us to expand and material Renewal fee -

communicate the ᴥ Pet service $400
pet center
expansion vehicle
ᴥ Allows us to prevent ᴥ Website, ᴥ Class 31 – Pet Application cost
others using the business ᴥ Marketing ᴥ Class 35 Pet sales $750 per domain

Domain name to trade material services via pet shops name

ᴥ Prevents confusion ᴥ The app ᴥ Class 44 Veterinary
Name and
amongst customers services, Veterinary Renewal fee -
variations ᴥ Protects TWC’s image $400 per class,
ᴥ Maintains TWC’s rights per domain
name
Table 7. Trademark information. (Commonwealth of Australia, Trade mark costs, 2016).
Operations
The service TWC offers is vet care for dogs and cats. TWC will also offer a pet pick-up and
drop-off service, enabling those who don’t have access to a car to be still able to receive vet care.
In addition to vet services TWC will have a pet shop providing quality products. TWC has a
growth plan to add future services as can be seen in table 8. Furthermore a flowchart has been
provided to show a customer’s potential touch points through TWC’s services in image 2.

ᴥ Vaccinations ᴥ Desexing
ᴥ Heartworm treatment and ᴥ Soft tissue care
heartworm injections ᴥ Orthopedic care
ᴥ Before surgery and after ᴥ End of life service
Vet
surgery care ᴥ General surgery and
Services ᴥ Dentistry emergency surgery
ᴥ Blood-tests and pathology ᴥ Emergency care
ᴥ X-ray ᴥ Loyalty card
ᴥ Ultrasound
ᴥ Premium pet food ᴥ Worming tablets
ᴥ Raw pet food ᴥ Pet washes
Pet Shop ᴥ Grain free pet food ᴥ Pet supplements
ᴥ Weight loss pet food ᴥ Loyalty card
ᴥ Healthy pet treats

Service Implementation Year

ᴥ Pet first aid course ᴥ Year 1
ᴥ Outsourced dog training ᴥ Year 2
ᴥ Outsourced pet grooming ᴥ Year 2
Growth
ᴥ Doggy day care ᴥ Year 4
Plan ᴥ Other small animals ᴥ Year 4
ᴥ Rural areas ᴥ Year 5
ᴥ Businesses ᴥ Year 5
Table 8. The Whole Companion services
Image 2. Map of a customer’s touchpoints.
Pricing and Payment Terms
TWC will be based on a mix of pricing objectives designed to create revenue and profit while
building a customer base. The price will cover consultation, treatment and any medications. The
cost of items will use cost based pricing (Lovelock, Patterson, & Wirtz, 2014), however there
will be less mark-up on price sensitive items such as desexing and immunizations. This is due to
consumers being more likely to shop around for the best possible price on these items
(easyDVM, 2017).

TWC will offer Vet Pay, which allows pet owners to get treatment and pay it off over 28
fortnightly payments, while TWC receives full payment of their services within 48 hours (Vet
Pay, n.d.). Otherwise, all vet bills are to be paid in full prior to the pet leaving the vet.

Staffing
All staff will hold the appropriate lawful qualifications to work on animals and administer
medications. All vet staff will be members of The Australian Veterinary Association to ensure
they remain up-to-date and aware of veterinary changes and advances. All vets will be registered
to practice via the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Queensland. Senior Veterinarians will hold an
x-ray use license, while the practice owner will hold an x-ray possession license as per
Queensland government legislation (The State of Queensland, 2018). A staff flow chart and
roster has been provided in images 3 and 4 to show how TWC will function.
Image 3. Staff chart.
 Monday 7am-7pm Tuesday 7am-7pm Wednesday 7am-7pm Thursday 7am-7pm Friday 7am-7pm Saturday 7am-7pm Sunday 7am-7pm
Senior vet 1
Senior vet 2

Vet 1
Vet 2
Vet 3
Vet 4

Vet Nurse 1
Vet Nurse 2

Reception
Reception

Monday 7pm-7am Tuesday 7pm-7am Wednesday 7pm-7am Thursday 7pm-7am Friday 7pm-7am Saturday 7pm-7am Sunday 7pm-7am
Senior vet 3
Senior vet 4

Vet 5
Vet 6
Vet 7
Vet 8

Vet Nurse 3
Vet Nurse 4

Reception
Reception

Image 4. Staff weekly roster example.

Marketing Mix Recommendations
TWC will be positioning themselves as the one stop vet and pet care center that provides
convenient, high quality, caring, thoughtful, honest and professional services for pets and their
owners within Ipswich and surrounds. TWC wants their customers to see them as their vet and
pet care provider of choice for general and emergency pet care and needs.

Product (Service)
The service design must fill consumer’s wants and needs. It must run smoothly to remove as
many perceived risks and bothersome elements as possible. For TWC this will be ensuring the
veterinary clinic is built in a central location that is easy to access in Ipswich. The take-away for
customers will be healthier, happy pets, who were looked after and treated by honest, caring and
professional vets (Lovelock, Patterson, & Wirtz, 2014).

TWC will add value by providing an attached pet shop for convenience. The pet shop will sell
only premium products that will meet customer’s wants of providing the best possible items for
their pets. Furthermore, TWC will provide all customers with an app containing personalized
content. The app will cover

ᴥ Appointment times and booking

ᴥ Vaccination, worming and registration due dates
ᴥ Health record of pet
ᴥ Loyalty card details and barcode

This will allow TWC to personalize their services to their customers (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, &
Waller, 2014).

Price
TWC will use a mix of pricing options shown in table 9 (Douglas, 2017). Table 10 shows how
this will work. Furthermore table shows example consultation costs to explain how TWC’s
second degree pricing discrimination will work
 What
Second degree pricing
discrimination
Third degree pricing
discrimination
Penetration pricing
Other pricing
Table 9. Pricing reasons.
Where and for what
In the vet clinic, for
consultations
In the vet clinic for
immunizations, heartworm
injections and desexing for
low income earners
In the pet shop, on all
products. TWC will ensure
all items are lower priced
than competitors
In the pet shop, regular
specials for loyalty card
holders and point system to
reduce price of pet shop items
for loyalty card holders.
Why
Emergency consultations
cannot wait and don’t have
the option to go elsewhere.
Many Ipswich residents are
low income earners, this will
allow TWC to provide them
affordable vet care, reducing
some consumer’s risk.
To help reduce customer risk
and encourage customers to
purchase from TWC.
To help reduce customer risk
and encourage customers to
purchase from TWC.

Time Consultation type Cost

7am – 10pm emergency consultation $95
10pm – 7am emergency consultation $115
7am – 10pm general consultation $80
10pm – 7am general consultation $95
Table 10. Consultation price example.

Place
TWC will provide a vet clinic shop front in an easily accessible central location within Ipswich
and will allow customers to make appointments in person, via phone, website or app. For those
without access to a vehicle, TWC will provide a pick-up and drop-off service. Finally the pet
shop will provide a click and collect function via the website and app.
Promotion
The aim of TWCs promotion will be to increase brand awareness and educate customers about
the value we provide by informing customers of

* Who we are
* Where we are located
* The services we provide
* Our opening times
* The skills of our staff
* Our loyalty program

TWC will do this via several forms of communication shown in table 11.

Form of
Used for
Communication
* Will provide excellent search engine optimization
* Will use AdWords to help customers become aware of us
and find us as well as increasing click rates
* Will be very informative with opening hours, services and
location on home page.
Website
* Will contain separate pages for staff biographies, various
informative stories and articles on pet health and care and
blogs
* Will have social media buttons for a complete digital
presence
* Will use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as these are the
most popular sites of our target audience (Sensis, 2016)
* Will be used to build awareness, customer relationships
Social Media
and provide information in both written and visual format
* Will provide a complete digital presence, regularly linking
to the website and between each channel
 * Will be used to spread positive word of mouth
* Will be used to send the message of opening hours and
Radio and T.V. location

Adverts * Will provide small digestible amounts of information

* Will mention loyalty program

Roadside * Will have short messages to tell customers our location

and general and emergency times
Billboards and
* Will mention that we are the only vet open 24/7
Internet Banners
* Will be delivered to Ipswich residents monthly
* One side will have location opening times and services
Pamphlets
* Other side will introduce staff and their skills and love of
animals, changing between staff each month
Table 11. Communication to be used in promotions.

People
As TWC is a service business with few tangible products, their people are their most important
asset (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2014). TWC’s staff must be professional, warm, caring,
thoughtful, honest, compassionate and understanding. TWC will train all staff in exceptional
customer service as well as effective use of all computing systems to provide speedy professional
service when speaking with and serving customers. TWC will also provide regular on-going
training and education for staff to up-grade their skills.

Physical Evidence
TWC needs to create tangible cues that show customers their quality, values, professionalism,
compassion and understanding (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, & Waller, 2014). Imagery around the vet
will show happy healthy pets and will provide information on various pet issues. Calming
background music will be played as visiting the vet can be stressful for both pets and their
owners. Furthermore the layout (image 5) of the vets’ waiting room has been designed to keep
cats and dogs separate, further removing stressful situations. Finally TWC will ensure the vet
clinic and pet shop are clean and free of bad smells at all times.

Image 5. Veterinary clinic floor plan.

Processes
TWC will ensure they provide efficient services. While surgery and vet care times can vary
greatly as each surgery and pet is different, TWC will aim to provide general service times
without long waits. We will also ring customers and provide regular updates on their pets and let
them know as soon as their pet is ready for pick-up. Emergencies will be on a walk-in basis and
take priority. At the front desk we will have a notice that lets customers know that wait times
may vary in the event of an emergency walk-in. The van will work on a booking system and will
provide customers with a 15 minute window service time, so customers are not left to wait for
long periods and they know when to expect their pet back.

Source of Strategic Competitive Advantage

TWC is the first, and only 24 hour vet in Ipswich, allowing those who work long hours to access
the vet at their convenience. Adding to this within 5 years TWC will be the only one stop vet and
pet center in Ipswich, creating convenience and value for customers. The added benefits of a pet
pick-up and drop-off and discounted vet care for those on low incomes make pet care available
for all of Ipswich’s residents at TWC. By providing general vet care cheaper than our
competitors with unique 24 hour vet care, TWC will be positioned to succeed in a growing
market.
References
Animal Medicines Australia Pty Ltd. (2016, December 11). Pet Ownership in Australia 2016.
Retrieved June 14, 2017, from Animal Medicines Australia:
http://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AMA_Pet-
Ownership-in-Australia-2016-Report_sml.pdf
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2016). 2016 Census QuickStats Ipswich. Retrieved July
6, 2018, from
http://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat
/310?opendocument
Bouchoux, D. E. (2006). Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide to
Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets. New York: AMACOM.
Commonwealth of Australia. (2014). A guide to applying for your trade mark. Retrieved July 6,
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