From Clinic Floor to Customer Support

What I didn’t know as a Shepherd user (that I know now)

When my small practice closed its doors unexpectedly, I found myself at a crossroads.

Like a lot of people in veterinary medicine, I knew one thing for sure: I wanted to help people and pets. I just wasn’t sure what that would look like next.

One of the very first thoughts I had was Shepherd.

I had used Shepherd as a tech. I trusted it. I liked it. And I knew that working there would still be a “vet tech” role… just a different kind. So I reached out to Megan, my clinic’s Shepherd account manager, to see if there were any openings.

As luck would have it… there were!

That’s how my journey shifted from working on the clinic floor to supporting clinics from behind the scenes. There’s a lot I didn’t realize back when I was just a Shepherd user, things I wish more people knew.

Why I Wanted to Stay with Shepherd

I wanted to be part of something that actually wants to move this industry forward, and backs that up with an incredible support system.

From the clinic side, Shepherd already felt like a huge improvement over other systems I’d used. It didn’t just store records. It removed friction from the day.

Before Shepherd, mornings were chaos. I spent hours filling out forms with clients before surgeries or drop-offs — easily 15–20 extra minutes per pet. When you’re short-staffed and trying to get surgery started, that time matters.

With Shepherd, those forms could be sent ahead of time. If a client missed the email, we handed them an iPad. They were done in minutes. No standing around waiting. That alone changed our mornings.

But what really stood out to me was support.

Shepherd was the only software I’d used where support responded quickly and genuinely cared about making things better. If I had an idea to improve workflow, they didn’t brush it off. They helped me submit it to the product team. And I’ve seen features I requested actually make it into the product not long after.

Our onboarding experience was the same way. Megan made it fun, easy, and very human. We had a dedicated manager who helped tailor settings to how we worked. Switching from another PIMS wasn’t scary at all, which, if you’ve ever switched systems, you know how rare that is.

What It Was Like Joining the Shepherd Team

I’ll be honest: I had no idea how much went on behind the scenes.

I didn’t realize how many departments there were, how many people were involved, or that team members were spread across the world.

The transition itself was smoother than I expected. Within a week, I was already picking up a few chats. The training tools were clear, supportive, and realistic. Zero “sink or swim” energy.

And the atmosphere? Incredible.

The team made it easy to move from clinic life to a remote support role. Everyone understood what it’s like to be on the floor, juggling patients, clients, and a hundred interruptions. That shared experience matters more than I realized at the time.

What Surprised Me Most

The biggest surprise was how quickly I was able to contribute.

Because I worked in ER, mixed-animal GP, and small-animal GP, I could jump in and offer practical advice to clinics right away. Sometimes it’s just showing someone a feature they didn’t realize could solve a problem they deal with every day.

Another big surprise? Who’s actually behind the chat.

From the clinic side, I’ll admit I thought support was either AI (like Sheppy) or people who were trained on the software. I didn’t realize that nearly everyone in support has veterinary experience. Former techs. Former assistants. People who have lived the chaos.

These are people you can trust with your practice, because they’ve been there.

I also didn’t realize how much work goes into even the smallest changes. Moving a button for better workflow isn’t “just moving a button.” There are layers of testing, development, and checks to make sure changes don’t break something. 

And the support resources are next level.

Help articles, Sheppy, training checklists, videos, and a support team that is genuinely fast and knowledgeable. I’ve never worked anywhere else where an “emergency” issue was addressed so quickly.

What I Wish People Knew

I wish people knew that everyone at Shepherd is here for the people and pets at the end of the day.

We’re humans. Almost all of us have been in your shoes. We’re not just a software company, and when things don’t work, we’re upset too. We do everything we can to find the easiest solution as fast as possible.

When outages happen, it’s truly all hands on deck. There’s a well-developed emergency plan, and the response time is incredible. Seeing the team mobilize in real time was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed.

The fact that clinics can still access information in read-only mode during an outage is huge, and not something every company offers.

Most of all, I wish people knew how many moving parts it takes to make Shepherd what it is. Every feature, every workflow improvement, every support interaction is built by people who care deeply about this industry.

From One Vet Tech to Another

I still think of myself as a vet tech. I’m just in a different role.

I may not be on the floor every day anymore, but I’m still helping clinics run smoother, helping teams get home sooner, and helping people feel a little less overwhelmed by their software.

That feels pretty amazing.