Stacey Deacon — Senior Receptionist, Energy Vets

Stacey Deacon [00:00:00]: I'm Stacey Deacon and I'm the senior receptionist at Energy Vets.

Julie South [00:00:07]: Stacey, you say senior — how many receptionists are there?

Stacey Deacon [00:00:11]: Five or six.

Julie South [00:00:12]: Wow, that's huge. Do you change clinic locations like the nursing and vet teams do?

Stacey Deacon [00:00:20]: We've got two people who are based in Inglewood, and then the other three of us rotate between Inglewood and Waitara. There's also someone based in Waitara who comes to Inglewood a few days here and there. It's quite good that we do have that rotation — for the clients' benefit as well.

Julie South [00:00:38]: When you're at Waitara, are you also part of the contingent that takes their jandals to work and spends lunch at the beach?

Stacey Deacon [00:00:49]: No — I'm guilty. No, I don't do that.

Julie South [00:00:53]: You grew up on a dairy farm and came back to Taranaki. What brought you back?

Stacey Deacon [00:01:01]: I still had grandparents here, so it was moving back somewhere familiar where I still had some family support — because I was moving away from my parents.

Julie South [00:01:12]: How long ago was that?

Stacey Deacon [00:01:14]: Over 10 years now.

Julie South [00:01:15]: And you're not a vet nurse covering reception — you're a dedicated, specialist receptionist. What's that like?

Stacey Deacon [00:01:31]: That's a very nice way to put it — vet specialist! It's actually quite a unique role when you think about it, because you're managing quite a lot of expectations from clients and from the vets' days. It keeps you on your toes for sure, because there's always something happening.

Julie South [00:01:49]: How did you happen to land in veterinary as a career?

Stacey Deacon [00:01:56]: I was looking for a new career path but still wanted to stay within the realm of animals. There was a job advertised at another vet clinic and I ended up getting accepted — and that's how I ended up in the industry.

Julie South [00:02:13]: Without making reference to the other clinic, what's different about Energy Vets? And how long have you been with them?

Stacey Deacon [00:02:23]: It would be over two and a half years now. I think the biggest thing is the people — it really feels like a big family. You don't feel like you're below anyone; you genuinely work together with nurses, management, and vets. We're all quite supportive, and that's really been helpful, especially this last month when we've been very, very busy.

Julie South [00:02:58]: What's brought about the busyness? Is it seasonal — because people might be listening to this 10 months down the track.

Stacey Deacon [00:03:07]: A bit of both. We've been really busy on the small animal side, and we've also been in the thick of scanning season for the dairy and beef farmers.

Julie South [00:03:17]: Is there a part of you that wants to be out on the farm?

Stacey Deacon [00:03:21]: Sometimes you feel bad because you can see the vets are really busy and you just wish you could do more. But you can only try with the diary and make their day better — unfortunately I don't have the qualifications to hop on the tools for them.

Julie South [00:03:37]: You've said the people make the difference. Can you give me an example of how people have actually made a difference?

Stacey Deacon [00:03:55]: Everyone checks in with each other — especially when you can see someone's having a bad day. The teamwork is also real: when you're trying to figure out how to make things better for everyone and get a job done for the animals' welfare, we all put our heads together and see how we can make it work. It's teamwork and support.

Julie South [00:04:20]: As a receptionist, are you and your team contributing ideas to make things work?

Stacey Deacon [00:04:27]: If we're really busy and something urgent needs to fit in, we'll work to get the vets' input on what might work better — trying to keep areas together so they're not driving from one end of North Taranaki down to Inglewood. It's about working together to keep things seamless while still delivering the quality of service the client deserves.

Julie South [00:04:53]: When you're not at work, what do you do in Taranaki? What's great about living here?

Stacey Deacon [00:05:03]: I go to F45, I do a bit of running along the walkway because it's beautiful, and I hang out with friends and family — go to the beach or do a bit of gardening.

Julie South [00:05:17]: Talk to me about that beach — the Tasman Sea is pretty chilly.

Stacey Deacon [00:05:23]: It is definitely fresh when you get in, especially in summer. But once you're in, it's fine.

Julie South [00:05:28]: Fresh is another word for cold.

Stacey Deacon [00:05:30]: Yeah.

Julie South [00:05:31]: What sort of person do you think would fit best into Energy Vets, personality-wise?

Stacey Deacon [00:05:40]: A positive person who's happy to work with everyone and not against everyone. Someone who can see the bigger picture — because we all work within each other, and some things can have a flow-on effect on the rest of the team, the diary, and everyone's workload. As long as someone can work as part of a team and stay positive.

Julie South [00:06:14]: As a receptionist, what is your favourite piece of kit?

Stacey Deacon [00:06:19]: It's probably going to have to be a pen — they're in very short supply around here. Some of the vets come out to the front and poach them, so I've resorted to keeping a stash in my pocket. You'd think it would be a phone, but it's a pen.

Julie South [00:06:35]: What do you think is Energy Vets' best kept secret?

Stacey Deacon [00:06:42]: Probably the care we put in for our clients.

Julie South [00:06:49]: And what's Taranaki's best kept secret?

Stacey Deacon [00:06:53]: Probably not a secret, but the mountain. You really do get the best of everything — the bush, the ocean, the walking trails. Everything is right here, to be honest.

Julie South [00:07:07]: How long is your commute?

Stacey Deacon [00:07:08]: It's 10 minutes from my place to Waitara, and about 15 minutes to Inglewood.

Julie South [00:07:17]: Any traffic lights?

Stacey Deacon [00:07:18]: No. It can get busy heading to Waitara from New Plymouth in the mornings, but it's nothing to worry about.

Julie South [00:07:27]: Ten minutes — it might feel like a long way if you compare it to Northwood, but for big city people it's nothing at all.

Stacey Deacon [00:07:37]: You're right. What I think of as bad traffic is nothing compared to a big city.

Julie South [00:07:42]: Sometimes you can spend 5 or 10 minutes in a long queue waiting for the lights to change. Three words, please, that describe Energy Vets.

Stacey Deacon [00:07:59]: People. Professionalism.

Julie South [00:08:03]: If somebody asked you what working at Energy Vets is like, what would you say?

Stacey Deacon [00:08:10]: I really enjoy working here. You get quite a bit of enjoyment out of day to day — when you have a really good day and you can give a smile to a client who's dealing with high emotions around their animal. Obviously there are hard days where that's not always possible, but I think the clients probably give you the reward.

Julie South [00:08:39]: You mentioned you'd worked at another clinic before Energy Vets. What prompted you to apply here — had you heard anything?

Stacey Deacon [00:08:51]: I was looking at moving in with my partner at the time and he lived in the Bell Block area. The commute from my current job was getting difficult, and then this position came up and I took the opportunity.

Julie South [00:09:06]: Are there any questions I should have asked that I haven't — things you wished you'd known about Energy Vets before you started, good or bad?

Stacey Deacon [00:09:21]: I didn't know what the team environment was going to be like until I got here. It was just a nice surprise — you look at it as a job to begin with, but when you get here it's quite different.

Julie South [00:09:32]: In some clinics there's a hierarchy — vets almost walk on water. Does that happen at Energy Vets?

Stacey Deacon [00:09:49]: No. That's what I really enjoy — we are a big team. If the phones are ringing off the hook and a vet walks past, they'll pick up and answer. They'll help book appointments, and if they're having trouble they'll grab us. I can even put vets in reception when someone's away and there's a gap in their schedule. It's quite refreshing that they're willing to help — you really do feel like part of a team.

Julie South [00:10:19]: And how do they respond to that?

Stacey Deacon [00:10:23]: They just take it in their stride. That's what I value the most — you really are part of a team and everyone works together.

Julie South [00:10:33]: You mentioned you'll shoulder-tap a vet. Any vet?

Stacey Deacon [00:10:38]: Usually it's the large animal vets, because they walk past our phones quite often going to and from calls. They're really good at answering the phones. Not to say the small animal vets aren't — but they tend to be the most booked up with consults, which are quite consistent. With the large animal side, it can be very seasonal; in winter they might be busy in the mornings but have a quieter last hour in the afternoon. Not that they're not busy either.