CASE STUDY
How a 32-Location Veterinary Network Automated Its Uniform Program
Companion Pet needed one uniform program that could give 32 practices across 6 states control over their own brands, colors and allotments — without creating work for anyone at the center.
CLIENT
Companion Pet
INDUSTRY
Veterinary Care
FOOTPRINT
32 Locations, 6 States
EMPLOYEES
500
PARTNER SINCE
2021
RESULTS
500
employees ordering the uniforms they want
32
locations, each with its own program settings
6
state running on one platform
“Uniform Stores gives each location so much autonomy over their employees and their allotments, it has made the process so much easier!”
Holly Avila
Operations Support Manager, Companion Pet
The Organization
Companion Pet is a network of best-in-class veterinary practices with talented people collaborating to solve industry-wide problems and deliver exceptional care. In order to provide the best care possible to pets and clients, they invest in technology, infrastructure and equipment to make sure their hospitals have what they need to meet the demands of their communities.
The Challenge
With 32 locations across 6 different states, Companion Pet was looking for a way to streamline the management of their uniform program for their geographically dispersed practices. The solution they were seeking needed to be easy to use for their admins and employees, offer employees choice in their uniforms, and solve for the logistical complexities they were facing with each location having different uniform and embroidery requirements.
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Employees did not want to pay up front for their uniforms and wait for reimbursement.
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Administrative staff were frustrated by out-of-stock products and how time-consuming it was to order uniforms.
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Leadership wanted to increase employee retention and satisfaction with more choice in uniforms, including inclusive sizing.
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They needed a one-stop shop uniform provider who could give 32 different locations autonomy over their employees and allotments.
“Size inclusivity was a huge factor, and it’s been helpful that each location can customize their storefront with their desired brands/products,” said Holly Avila, Operations Support Manager.
The Uniform Stores Difference
Due to the frustrations they were experiencing with their previous uniform program, Companion Pet decided to test out Uniform Stores at the end of 2021, starting with just one of their locations on a trial basis. After experiencing the reduction in logistical burden for their admins and its ease of use, they soon moved all of their locations to the Uniform Stores platform.
“The ordering process of our previous company was very difficult, there wasn’t a streamlined process where the employee could actually choose their own scrubs. Being able to allow each employee to choose their own uniforms, without requiring that they pay up front and get reimbursed, cut out a lot of steps.”
Holly Avila
Operations Support Manager, Companion Pet
“With previous companies you would have to search their entire database,” Holly added. “You couldn’t just set it and forget it, you’d have to search the correct colors/brands and get the item number and then you’d have to hope that it was in stock in the size you need. It was really tedious and time consuming. It was very inconsistent.”
The Solution
With Uniform Stores, Companion Pet received:
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A uniform management platform with a modern shopping experience for employees that offered them choice in their uniforms.
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A dedicated team to handle the setup of the uniform website and assist with ongoing maintenance.
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Streamlined logistics from embroidery to direct delivery, and responsive employee support.
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Access to a variety of market-leading scrubs, with inclusive sizing and a wide selection of brands, styles and colors — all curated within their individual locations’ program requirements.
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Streamlined embroidery, voucher management and direct delivery to employees, eliminating the logistical burdens for admins.
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The ability for all 32 locations to order through the same website, with each location’s unique program requirements — colors, brands, logos, allotments — set for their employees.
The Results
Happy employees. “New employees are always pleasantly surprised that they receive an annual uniform allotment, they like the options and that they still get to order to their individual taste. I’ve only heard good things from staff,” said Holly.
Administrative efficiency. Managing the uniform program is essentially automated, allowing them to “set it and forget it”, eliminating time-consuming and tedious tasks from their workload.
Streamlined processes. The logistical burdens are all covered with Uniform Stores, including product selection, embroidery, voucher management and direct delivery to employees. Even onboarding new employees is fast and simple.
In conclusion, Companion Pet admins and employees are thrilled with their uniform program and how Uniform Stores addressed their pain points.
“Uniform Stores has continuously made improvements to our ordering process and tailored the company’s scrub site to fit our needs exactly. They’ve been wonderful to work with!,” said Holly.