In the first part of this series, we looked at the PESTLE process, followed by exploring some of the political, economic and legal factors in part two. In this final part, we will be looking at the sociocultural, technological and environmental factors that affect your practice and its people.
Sociocultural, technological and environmental factors are extremely wide-ranging and it can be quite overwhelming to start to sift through the vast amount of information available and filter it down into what may be relevant to your own work. This article will offer some starting points for sources of information, and questions you can ask to get a handle on how each one may impact your team and your practice.
Sociocultural factors
Information about social and cultural issues can encompass news reports, opinion pieces, social research and personal values. These factors also tend to “trend”: rising in popularity or awareness for a period, before fading and being taken over by a new issue or fashion. There is considerable overlap with other factors; the important thing for the sociocultural aspect of a PESTLE analysis is to consider people’s attitudes towards a topic rather than the topic itself. This means that these issues can be much more subjective.
[Sociocultural] factors also tend to “trend”: rising in popularity or awareness for a period, before fading and being taken over by a new issue or fashion
When considering how sociocultural factors affect your business, you should consider people in terms of both clients (and potential clients) and employees (and potential employees), and society more widely.
Looking at population data can provide a wealth of information about your market. Who are your clients? Where and how do they live, work and travel around? Locally, a large new housing estate planned will present a marketing opportunity. If you are a national company, where are your clients based, how mobile are they and how do they interact with you? How might this change? Is the population growing? Is it culturally diverse? What is its age, employment or income profile and how might these affect the services you offer? UK demographic data is available from the Office for National Statistics.
To think about current and future recruitment, explore contemporary job market trends and attitudes towards work
To think about current and future recruitment, explore contemporary job market trends and attitudes towards work. For example, recent times have seen a significant swing towards working from home and flexible working options are now expected by many jobseekers. How could this affect your organisation? The NatCen British Social Attitudes survey has a section on work for information on employment trends.
All organisations will be affected by changing social attitudes and lifestyle choices. What is current and what is on the horizon? How might these change? There are very many options to explore here, so it can be more manageable to package this factor into themes, all of which may impact client or customer need (Table 1).
| Buying and spending habits | Health consciousness | Eco-consciousness | Dietary choices | Leisure activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment options | Preventative care vs. responsive | Ethical sourcing | Religious or cultural diets | Digital vs. online |
| Impulse buyers vs. relationship builders | Owner compliance | Reusable products | Vegetarianism or veganism | Local community vs. global connections |
| Levels of disposable income | Attitudes towards alternative treatments | Transport options | Farming, organic food and responsible land use | Role of animals in social life |
| Online vs. in-person shopping | Renewable energy | Sustainability | Patterns of activity and free time | |
| Choice of service provider |
Technological factors
Technological advances have had a massive impact on the veterinary sector for many decades. More recently, the move to online services, the proliferation of real-time communication platforms and developments in human and veterinary diagnostics, treatments and surgery (such as AI and robotics), among many other factors, are the main drivers of technological change that will impact how we all work.
Recently, the move to online services, the proliferation of real-time communication platforms and developments in human and veterinary diagnostics, treatments and surgery […] are the main drivers of technological change
To consider the impact of technological factors on your organisation, here are some issues to evaluate:
1. Access to information and expertise for veterinary staff
Veterinary-specific apps and websites provide a wealth of information on drug dosages, diagnostic protocols and treatment plans. Patient data can be shared easily for more efficient referral.
2. Access to information and expertise for clients
Online consultations, symptom-checkers and pet advice sites mean that clients will often arrive at a consult with ideas to be addressed. Suppliers are better able to target clients directly (for example with preventative healthcare options) rather than marketing via veterinary practices.
3. Data and analytics
Practice management systems can collate a vast amount of client and patient data for everything from capacity planning, KPIs, demographic analysis, financial benchmarking and performance review to clinical audit and quality improvement. Modern statistical methods are used nationally for collating benchmarking data. Cloud storage and the portability of devices means that client and patient information can be accessed from (almost) anywhere, improving patient care and, for example, cashflow with mobile payment options. Data protection is an increasing concern with the need for robust security and anti-cybercrime precautions.
Data protection is an increasing concern with the need for robust security and anti-cybercrime precautions
4. Apps and e-commerce
COVID-19 has accelerated the proliferation and uptake of online and video consult and/or triage apps and platforms. Clients are increasingly expecting to be able to schedule appointments online without the need to speak to someone. Online shopping is still increasing, along with demands for easy ordering options and rapid delivery.
Environmental factors
Environmental aspects affecting a veterinary organisation encompass a wide range of factors. The issue of sustainability is a very contemporary discussion point – both in the veterinary sector and globally – and initiatives such as Investors in the Environment and The 1.5oC Business Playbook can provide useful frameworks to guide improvements in organisational processes. Clients are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of responsible business practices and environmental sustainability, and this can become a selling point for your organisation if well managed.
Clients are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of responsible business practices and environmental sustainability, and this can become a selling point for your organisation if well managed
Some questions to ask when considering the impact of environmental factors on your organisation – and the impact of your organisation on the environment!
- Management: Do you have an environmental impact policy in place, with a person or team responsible for its implementation and monitoring?
- Geography and land use: How do you make use of your physical buildings and land? Is your location susceptible to environmental hazards (flood, fire, extreme weather events, etc)? How could you make your outside space more attractive for wildlife?
- Energy: Do you monitor your use of (and spending on) gas, electricity and water? Do you take steps to reduce your use of utilities and/or be more energy-efficient (heating, ventilation, lighting, refrigeration, etc)? Do you source your utilities from an environmentally friendly supplier or use a green tariff?
- Sourcing and waste: Do you reduce, reuse and recycle where possible? Do your suppliers have high standards for environmental sustainability? Do your waste service providers have high standards for environmental sustainability?
- Carbon footprints/net zero: Do you monitor how you and your team travel for work? How can you reduce the amount of travel with efficient timetabling and flexible working options? Do you monitor how clients travel to reach you and are there incentives for greener travel?
There is a wealth of resources available to explore environmental factors. Vet Sustain have resources to help veterinary professionals work more sustainably. The Federation of Small Businesses has a Small Business Sustainability Hub with information to help SMEs become more environmentally friendly, including streamlining vehicle use and achieving sustainable procurement.
Conclusion
What might the impact of these factors be, whether positive or negative? What are the potential opportunities or threats? What actions could you take as a result? This type of review is useful for setting business strategy, workforce planning, predicting future trends and prioritising marketing efforts, so it’s really valuable to take a regular step back from the day-to-day in practice to look at the bigger picture.
