Focus on: Business Strategies Twenty years of steady growth and smart acquisitions have propelled Doctors Foster & Smith to the top spot among pet-supply catalogers.

By Reported Donna Loyle

Additionally, CSRs get extensive training on the products and their usage — up to 14 days per employee, in fact. They learn about the informational resources available to help them answer unusual questions, in addition to the order management system currently in use.

No doubt, keeping highly educated vets and technicians on staff, and offering extensive CSR training, adds significantly to the cataloger’s costs. Yet they claim they’ve never added it all up to see if the return on investment has been worth it in strictly financial terms. “The editorial supports our overall brand image as a company run by licensed and experienced veterinarians,” says Voellinger. “The articles represent who we are and what we stand for, which is high-quality, value-priced merchandise sold by pet experts.”