Companion animal veterinary practices in China and service quality
Abstract
The companion animal market in China is a developing one but little is known about the quality of the interaction between the veterinarian and the client. Managing customer service quality is of great importance to any veterinary practice and there are several ways in which it can be assessed. This study used Importance–Performance Analysis to evaluate the service quality of veterinary practices operating in Beijing. Suggested areas for improvement were for Beijing veterinarians to pay more attention to their attitude towards their clients and costs of treatment.
With the rapid development of the companion animal market in China, and especially in the cities, more pet owners are focusing their attention on the quality of veterinary services. There has been limited study of veterinary care in China and little is known about the provision of veterinary services or the attitudes of pet owners. Consequently, this study set out to evaluate companion animal owners' perceptions of veterinary service quality in Beijing using primary research techniques.
China is the largest veterinary market in Asia and has been characterized by a rapid growth in the number of pets to over 200 million. This increase of 500% between 1999 and 2007 is the result of a rapid rise in personal disposable incomes (Liu, 2007) and recognizes the growing importance to Chinese pet owners of the human–animal bond. By 2015 the number of pets is estimated to reach 500 million. Accordingly, the companion animal market has risen in value from 10 million Yuan in 2004 to approximately 100 million Yuan in 2009 (Petmsn, 2009). The top five cities with regard to pet numbers are Beijing followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan (Li 2005).
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