Welcome to What's Quacking! A meet-and-greet series with our awesome humans. Get to know the people at ezyVet, what makes them tick, their role and life outside of ezyVet.
Meet Richard Martinez, Implementation Consultant, Dallas, US.
What made you want to join ezyVet?
I have always loved helping people, when I heard about ezyVet, it was right up my alley. I wanted more from my Practice Management role at the time and was looking for a change. When I found ezyVet, I jumped at it right after reading the position description. Helping practices maximize their time and money by learning how to use ezyVet was something I wanted to be a part of and could bring my PM experience to.
How would you describe your day job to a 3-year-old?
I travel around, teaching different animal hospitals how to write about the animals that come in to see them, on the computer.
What motivates you?
Helping others. Whether it is the ezyVet team or the practice’s project team I get to work with; I just want all teams involved to have everything they need to be successful.
Do you have a memorable moment with a customer?
We have some amazing clients and I have been on a lot of amazing projects, but one of the most memorable moments I have was with a large university clinic out in Connecticut. The team was built of rock stars; they planned and planned for what they needed to do before 'going live' with ezyVet. When we finally went onsite, I was astonished by how they were able to manage the number of users they had with such ease. It was in that moment I wanted to know more because learning skills from an onsite team goes both ways. Yes, we were there to help them with ezyVet, but at that moment I realized I could learn something from them. They humored my questions and I was able to get some valuable tips that help with future projects!
What project(s) are you working on at the moment and how will it help our customers?
A big customer project I'm working on at the moment is with another large university based in VIrginia, supporting their transition to ezyVet. I'm excited to be part of another large university/educational facility project.
As for projects within ezyVet, I've been helping with building content for our new customer onboarding tool, ezyVet Academy. It's still in the works and is going to be a game changer! The aim is to build confidence in new customers and clinic staff when they are first learning how to use ezyVet. Right now we host group training webinars, but with this new tool, we'll be able to personalize, train and support each user to learn at their own pace. The results are going to be amazing and everyone on the Implementation team is excited for this roll out!
How did you get involved with the ezyVet Academy project?
I started to get involved because I loved the idea that we had set to help clients with this new training protocol. I wish I could tell you an amazing story of how I beat out 4 other implementors in a read-off for the role to be 'the voice of ezyVet Academy' but it was not that exciting; I volunteered for this! It was a great move on my part as I got to learn some cool things about recording audio and some new features in ezyVet. With that said, I also learned some terrible things about the way I speak, like how I pronounce some words incorrectly and have been doing so my whole life. It is a learning process, but I love it!
In 3 years, what do you hope to have achieved at ezyVet?
Being able to support new implementors is something I am wanting to achieve, for myself. My hope is that with the training tools we are creating now, one day we can have an ezyVet Implementation Trainer in the Dallas office, and that I can fulfil that role.
How did you get to where you are today?
The path to get me to where I am today had a lot of twists and turns. From managing retail stores all the way to becoming a Practice Manager for a few veterinary hospitals. Everything I have done in the past has led me here, I use every skill I have picked up along the way to ezyVet. My position at ezyVet is so dynamic, I am not just using the skills I had learned before, but I am also continuously learning new things all the time.
If you could do any other job for one day, what would it be?
I would be an English Teacher in another country. That way I can see a different part of the world, but also still be able to help others.
If you could pick anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
Maya Angelou. She was a poet, author, and activist. She was strong and honest. Most of all she inspired and motivated others to be a better version of themselves.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to watch foreign TV shows, subtitles and all. Being from a small town in Texas and just seeing the way different cultures create new and different media just astounds me. They are usually dramatic which is what keeps me wanting more, but underneath those layers you can really learn about a certain area of the world. Not having yet traveled outside of North America, it is a nice way to venture overseas without the travel costs.
Do you have any pets, what are they like?
I do! I have one dog; her name is Regina George. She is almost 7 years old now. She acts like an old lady and is just loving the simple things… such as napping all day (as you can see in my picture above), bringing me her toy to play, and of course, more even more napping. Like her namesake, Regina is super dramatic. When we go on walks, she tends to sleep for the remainder of the day acting like we hiked for an entire day.
What is your favorite quote?
My current two favorites are from Maya Angelou:
1. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
2. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
Do you have any advice for people thinking of applying to work for the company?
In the words of Shia LaBeouf (and Nike), “Just do it.” If you can bring new and exciting tools to help others, come on over. We are a business designed to help others, and if you want to be a part of that just apply. We have an amazing group of people who work at ezyVet and we are just looking for more amazing people to join our team!
Interested in a career with ezyVet? Explore roles here.