October 25, 2021

The Crisis and the Calling

How VINx became VIN^® Practice Communications

By Carrie Christner

“If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling.” – Oprah Winfrey

We were having an identity crisis, in both the literal and existential sense.

When VetVision joined the VIN^® Family and became VINx in 2013, the thought was that the “x” at the end of the new name would signify an extension of VIN^® membership. Our intentions were good, but instead, it resulted in people confusing us with a talented jazz musician sharing the same name or pronouncing it to rhyme with “sphynx” instead of “VIN-ex”. They also struggled to understand what kind of service we offered. (I guess jazzy hairless cats aren’t a thing?).

So early in 2021 it seemed a company name change was in order. After much thought and discussion (and approximately 3 million logo mockups, not that I was counting), in October 2021…

VINx became VIN^® Practice Communications.

We like that our new company name is simple, clear, states what we do, and clarifies our position as a VIN^® Family Member, which is very important to us. The fact that our values and commitment to the veterinary community align so perfectly with our parent company’s is a source of honor and pride to us.

Next we created a motto, inspired by our parent company, VIN^®‘s:

Since 1991, VIN^® has been and always will be — for veterinarians, by veterinarians^®.

Our new motto:

For your veterinary practice, by veterinary professionals.

Everyone on our client-facing team – support, sales, content, marketing, and development lead – has spent significant time working in veterinary practices. We have techs, managers, assistants, client service reps, even a RVT – and of course we’re surrounded by veterinarians at VIN^® and frequently call on their expertise. So when we say VIN^® Practice Communications is brought to you by veterinary professionals, we’re the real deal!

Then we dove deep.

With our literal identity crisis addressed, we moved on to the existential.

“Existential” may be a bit of an overstatement – but how often do you get to use that word? I took my shot.

We were needing to find a way to share why we’re here.

Because our “why” is the essence of everything we offer our users: our service, our efforts, our expertise, and our caring.

I started by doing a deep dive into our team members’ thoughts to gain some insight. I emailed an individual questionnaire and asked everyone to reply directly to me. That way no one could simply respond and say, “I agree with Katie” (Because yes, I’ve done that myself. So would you, she’s awesome and it’s way easier).

As the responses rolled in, I was struck and touched by how deeply unified our answers were.

Never mind the same page; we were all in the same paragraph.

Here’s an example of one question and a few of the team’s responses:

“Providing simple solutions to real problems; regardless of their magnitude. From something as simple as, “How do I login?” to the heartbreaking, “…my practice is on a path to failure”, we’re in a position of both knowledge and ability to help a fellow veterinary professional, which is extremely rewarding.”

“When we are able to help our veterinary peers during trying times: COVID-19, hurricanes, financial stress….taking even just one thing off their plate so they can focus elsewhere.”

“We all have experience working in veterinary hospitals and know what veterinary professionals face each day. Our experience allows us to understand what our users and veterinary professionals need and how best we can help them.”

"Providing simple solutions to real problems; regardless of their magnitude. From something as simple as, “How do I login?” to the heartbreaking, “…my practice is on a path to failure”, we’re in a position of both knowledge and ability to help a fellow veterinary professional, which is extremely rewarding."

"When we are able to help our veterinary peers during trying times: COVID-19, hurricanes, financial stress….taking even just one thing off their plate so they can focus elsewhere."

"We all have experience working in veterinary hospitals and know what veterinary professionals face each day. Our experience allows us to understand what our users and veterinary professionals need and how best we can help them."

The common thread throughout all of the responses? The sense of fellowship and camaraderie we have with our fellow veterinary professionals and our ensuing drive to support and empower them.

Clearly, our entire team considers their work helping veterinary professionals to be a true calling: work which feels strongly linked to our own personal and professional values and purpose.

And with that one exercise and realization, it turned out solving our existential crisis was pretty simple.

This is who we are, what we do, and most importantly, why we do it:

As veterinary professionals ourselves, we understand the unique joys and challenges of working in this field. We believe you deserve exceptional service and support from a team inspired and powered by shared experiences, passion, and empathy.

The way we support you, our fellow veterinary professionals, is by helping you to communicate with your clients more efficiently, effectively, and meaningfully.

We create and support innovative client communication and engagement tools and services for veterinary professionals.

We are your VIN^® Practice Communications team, and supporting you is our calling.