Difficult Veterinary Clients: A Blessing or a Curse?
By reading the title of this article, you probably have a few clients in mind already.
Frequently dealing with disgruntled clients can certainly be a contributing factor to burnout… if you don’t know how to handle them!
In this article I propose a new way of looking at the difficult clients. These strategies have been very helpful to me.
You see, I have always been the veterinarian who liked the ‘difficult’ clients. Maybe it’s because I enjoy working with the clients just as much as I like working with the pets, but I have always volunteered to see the irate clients because I knew I could go in with a mindset of non judgement.
More often than not, I was able to not only make it through the case, but I was also able to have a pleasant experience with the client!
An Art or a Science
Is dealing with a difficult client an art or a science?
Heck if I know! That said, I can assure you that I have a few tips that will undoubtedly make your next experience with a disgruntled client a little better!
4 Tips to Help You Deal With Disgruntled Veterinary Clients
Tip #1: Operate from a Higher Viewpoint
This one has made my life infinitely easier! The viewpoint to have is: There are no bad or evil people, just perfectly good people who sometimes get off of the track! I know you may instantly start thinking of the people who have committed heinous acts, but I want you to be open-minded here.
It is my core belief that all people are good. Therefore, when I go into a situation where I see the illusion of an a**hole, I know better than to believe what my eyes and ears are seeing and hearing. You see, there are no a**holes in the world. There really aren’t any bad people.
I treat them like the nice person I know they are. If you were to wipe away every negative experience the disgruntled client has ever had… if you were to wipe away the pain this person has been through since the day they were born… if you were to give them positive life experiences and awesome mentors, then they would be a completely different person sitting/standing in front of you.
The more of a jerk they appear to be, the more pain they have experienced in their life. This really allows me to know straight out of the gate that the disgruntled client is hurting.
Note: If their anger is justified, then that is really easy to handle! Just resolve the issue with justice!
Tip #2: Find the Advantage in the Disadvantage
This one is another beauty that will take you the distance in regards to dealing with disgruntled clients.
The disadvantage in this situation is very easy to see — you have to deal with someone who is acting like an a**hole. However, the advantage in a situation such as dealing with an irate client takes a little effort, but if you can master this, you are instantly a master of client communication.
I’ll list a few of the infinite number of advantages here:
- By mastering the difficult situation, you officially make easy situations that much more enjoyable and easy to handle. You will be way more thankful for happy clients.
- What’s the best way to get good at doing anything difficult? Practice it frequently! Therefore, instead of dreading the irate client, be thankful forthe practice you are receiving!
- It’s a chance for you to practice and master the other 3 tips!
- This is a chance for you to improve your leadership ability. Great leaders can see the best in everyone, and they aren’t afraid of a little conflict because they know how to handle it every single time!
- It’s a great way for you to realize that you can’t win every battle! It’s O.K. to fail! Sometimes, you simply won’t be able to appease the client. What better way to work on handling your losses!
- It’s a great way for you to practice the subtle art of ‘letting it go’. My wife and I (we’re both veterinarians) had a “No [name of the hospital]” rule for when we got home. In other words, we weren’t allowed to talk about the difficulties of the day, unless it was constructive. It was cool to ask advice about a case or how to handle a client situation. But no pet, client, or co-worker bashing was allowed. Why relive the same unfavorable moments by talking about them after the fact? Instead, we had a good or cute pet rule where I’d ask her to tell me about the cutest pet she had that day or of a grateful client!
- Piggybacking off of the one above, you also can’t fix/save every case that presents itself to you. By mastering the ability to thrive in the face of a defeat, you are getting closer to being able to handle cases where you are unable to save the day. In other works, “bon voyage” to compassion fatigue!
Tip #3: Be the ‘lone’ bright spot in the angry client’s day.
This is also one of my favorites. Can you imagine what life must be like to be a person with a nasty attitude? It would suck even if you just did it for one day!
I don’t know everything about life, but I do know that with 100% certainty that you get back what you put out. Therefore, if you go around acting like an a**hole, then you likely get a lot of a**hole right back at you!
Knowing this, I can pity my disgruntled clients. More than likely, they are frequently disgruntled and they frequently get people being angry back at them.
Now, when you treat them like an amazing person despite the fact that they are being rude or having a negative attitude, you will stand out to them. They may not be able to put their finger on it, but you will be literally shocking the s**t out of them! It’s so awesome! They’re usually expecting to get attitude back from you, so when you don’t give that, it literally catches them off guard.
Tip #4: Be Mindful in the Moment
Use this time to remember that you are a sacred being dealing with another sacred being. Being in the moment will help you to realize that this too shall come to pass. Why wouldn’t it? Every difficult moment you’ve ever had in life has come and gone, and your situation with your irate client is no different. Therefore, enjoy the moment! Show deep gratitude for a few things! Be thankful that the irate client reminded you to be mindful and move on with your day! For extra information on mindfulness, read written by veterinary nurse/mindfulness and meditation coach, Renee Machel.
It’s O.K. to Have Boundaries
As you go through this transformation process of handling disgruntled clients, remember that it is perfectly O.K. that you have boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable for you! Hopefully, your hospital or organization has some general guidelines.
Some common boundaries I have are as follows:
- No threats to me or the team
- No physical contact
- Limited swearing and name calling (after the 10th F-bomb, I’m done lol)
I support whatever boundaries you have for yourself! If you don’t want clients calling you stupid, then have your rule and abide by it! I’m O.K. taking a bit of a verbal beating. My college coach was an ex-marine and still holds the title for the most curse words used in a 5-minute time frame. So until a client beats that, I’m probably fine!
Conclusion:
I really do see difficult clients as a blessing. I challenge you to do the same! If you or the hospital is in the wrong, resolve the issue fairly.
If there has been no wrongdoing on behalf of you or the hospital, then enjoy your disgruntled client, and simply move on with your merry day!
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This article is a part of my 3 Articles a Day for 30 Days Medium challenge that I created. To see if I can complete it, be sure to follow me!
Other two articles for Day 1:
2 Excellent Reasons to Postpone Writing Your First Book
Why I Created the ‘ Write 3 Articles a Day’ 30-Day Medium Challenge
