Tender Foot

Tender Foot Story

Founded in 2014, Tender Foot started as a sole proprietorship with a humble mission: to offer the best possible foot care in the community. After initially focusing on wound care, Pam Cote, its founder, quickly realized the demand and satisfaction in providing a higher quality foot care service. With the core goal to offer efficient service at fair prices, the business thrived until 2021, when it briefly closed. However, 2022 saw a strong comeback and an ambitious vision: to expand the services and build a foot care clinic run by professional nurses. Today, Tender Foot provides a diverse range of services, from managing corns, and calluses to dry skin.

Challenges Before CompanyOn

“Before adopting CompanyOn, our processes were entirely manual. Charting and scheduling were laboriously handled with pen and paper, lacking efficiency. This method was far from ideal and unsustainable for our growing needs.”

Managing the practice manually had its limitations. The primary system involved pen and paper for charting and bookings, which while manageable for a sole proprietor, posed security and scalability challenges. The vision to expand the business was clear, but so were the impending logistical challenges. There were hurdles to overcome – from the COVID-19 pandemic to finding a compatible system that could support the unique business model without breaking the bank.

The Tender Foot Transformation

“Opening a new business during COVID was challenging, but not impossible… The main issues were cost and compatibility of marrying a system to my business model.”

CompanyOn  entered the scene at the perfect time. Even before Tender Foot reincorporated or established its clinic location, Pam was keen to explore what solutions CompanyOn could offer. The results were impressive. CompanyOn addressed many of the pain points:

Patient Experience & Overall Impact

“CompanyOn has enabled Tender Foot to incorporate an EMR platform at a reasonable fee and with exceptional customer service that is prompt and listens to our needs.”

The impact of CompanyOn was evident in the enhanced patient experience. Clients benefitted from the ability to access files and schedule appointments anytime, anywhere. With CO’s mobile compatibility, the team could make real-time changes, reflecting the clinic’s commitment to exceptional service. The founder’s role also evolved – shifting focus from mundane tasks like scheduling to delivering quality service and growing the business.

“By using CompanyOn I have been able to step back from scheduling and focus on providing service and other aspects of the business.”

“I think the fact that we can produce professional looking receipts is significant as that reflects on our professionalism… creates a standard of practice.”

“Our ability to access files anywhere anytime is a huge advantage for our clients. This makes it possible for us to schedule, make changes or give information on the fly.”

Looking Ahead

“In the past year, we have seen a revenue growth of approximately 66%. In part, this has to be attributed to schedule management.”

Tender Foot aspires to amplify its product sales and fortify its digital footprint. Central to these ambitions is CompanyOn, with its standout features such as online booking. Pam’s endorsement, as the founder, not only highlights CompanyOn’s user-centric design but also celebrates its Canadian roots and its unique inception—crafted by nurses, specifically for nurses.

“Tender Foot has not yet tapped into the full potential of CompanyOn and as we continue to grow and get better acquainted with our needs, we are finding that CompanyOn is set up to provide us with the items and platforms that we need to be successful.”

Achieving Work-Life Balance

“A paper-based platform is labor intensive… Often information needed was back in the office and thus nothing could be done until I arrived back at the end of the day.”

Prior to CompanyOn, work-life balance was a distant dream. Manual paperwork consumed personal time, often stretching beyond regular working hours. With CompanyOn, the paradigm shifted dramatically. Charting could be done immediately after a visit, preparations became efficient, and the flexibility offered by CompanyOn was unparalleled. Today, Pam enjoys a well-earned balance between professional commitments and personal relaxation.

“It is like night and day. I can chart confidently right at the visit… So I work smarter, not harder.”

In Conclusion

“I would absolutely recommend this platform to other foot care nurses, agencies, or sole practitioners alike. I love that this company is Canadian, and it was created by nurses for nurses.”

Tender Foot’s journey with CompanyOn is an inspiring testament to how the right technological intervention can transform a business. From optimizing operations to enhancing patient experience and improving work-life balance, the partnership has been nothing short of transformational. For other practitioners and agencies, this story stands as a beacon of what’s possible with dedication, vision, and the right tools.