One of my consulting clients expressed frustration about trying to get her team members to be kinder and more understanding of pet owners. A few employees at her veterinary practice lacked compassion for new clients and for clients perceived as difficult communicators. Her complaint caused me to recall the negative comments I’ve heard team members say, such as “I’m not going to help Mr. Morris; he’s mean,” “I can’t believe we have to put up with Mrs. Smith,” and “You can talk to her, but I’m not going to.”
Do those statements sound familiar? For example, maybe you have a team member who isn’t always empathetic and tends to blame clients when an interaction doesn’t go well. Perhaps a tenured employee refuses to see specific clients. Or team members resist learning to communicate more positively with pet owners.
My consulting client talked to her team about being nice to pet owners, even during stressful times. The training asked team members to “Think about how you would want to be treated if you were the client,” and it covered why employees sometimes must agree to client demands. However, a few people weren’t buying into the need to change.
What can you do when a team member’s poor communication habits are entrenched or when people seem indifferent about improving their communication skills? The answer is to take a different approach to training.
You can’t force someone to change, but you can change how you talk to your team about client communication and how you train employees.
Let’s look at a few ways to alter your approach to training so that you get better results.
Get the Team Member’s Perspective
Think about why someone acts a specific way toward a client. For example, perhaps the pet owner lashed out unfairly, or the team member felt unappreciated after helping a client. Why an employee expressed negativity is easy to see in those situations.
Even if a team member didn’t respond well to a client, you can still validate feelings and acknowledge positive actions. However, avoid using “but” when speaking with the employee. Here’s an example: “I can see your frustration and know it’s stressful to talk to an angry client. I appreciate that you followed our scheduling protocol.”
Connect Before You Convince
Isn’t it interesting how we sometimes ask team members to use the skills we fail to apply with them? Whether you’re educating clients about a pet’s needs or talking to the team about communicating differently, the approach is the same. You must connect with them first. Model the expected behavior if you want the team to create positive connections with pet owners.
One of the best ways to connect with someone is to ask open-ended questions. Inquire about your team’s thoughts, training needs and obstacles to success. To elicit the most information, ask specific questions, such as:
- “What is it about Mrs. Smith that you find most challenging?”
- “How could you interact with Mr. Taylor to help alleviate his concerns?”
- “What seem to be the pain points for our clients?”
- “What is one thing you think you could have done differently to achieve a better outcome?”
Change the Story
Does anyone on your team label a pet owner as a jerk, demanding or uncooperative? What do team members tell each other about a client? That the client doesn’t care about the pet, is always mean, disrespects the team, or is wealthy and entitled? Team members might resist helping someone based on the stories they hear.
Assume that most clients care about their pets. Otherwise, they wouldn’t visit your practice, right? Also, assume the best of intentions. Just because someone behaves a certain way doesn’t make someone bad. Talk to your team about positively reframing the client.
In an American Veterinary Medical Association webinar, “Rudeness on the Job,” Dr. Jen Brandt recommends the Rule of Six to help a team member change their perception of a pet owner.
Here’s how it works:
After the first negative thought, such as “Mr. Barr is such a jerk,” consider five positive options. For example, rules 2 through 6 might be:
- “Maybe he’s having serious personal problems.”
- “I bet he’s worried about how Sophie’s doing.”
- “I guess this is just how he communicates when under stress.”
- “I wonder if he’s not sure he can afford veterinary care.”
- “He’s tired.
Don’t expect a team member to automatically run through a list when faced with a difficult client. Instead, discuss the Rule of Six during team meetings. Ask each person to offer a different reason for a client’s undesirable behavior.
Make Training Interactive
Passive learning occurs when team members watch a webinar, read an article or listen to an instructor. This training method might work well with engaged employees who have a strong desire to learn and grow. However, interactive training is proven more effective in increasing motivation, critical thinking and the retention of knowledge, particularly when teaching communication skills.
Be sure to set training expectations. For example, let’s say your team’s goal is to make better connections with clients. Ask employees, “What does it look like?” or “How can we do this?” Have everyone write an answer or work in pairs or small groups to brainstorm ideas. Then discuss specific actions, not just broad concepts.
Then, gain a commitment from each team member to practice one or two communication skills for at least a month. Focus on basic skills such as smiling more, making eye contact, and using empathetic statements and reflective listening statements.
Review, Debrief, Repeat
You should meet regularly with your team, especially if someone is entrenched in a particular way of thinking about or reacting toward clients. To maintain momentum, schedule
15- to 30-minute weekly meetings to discuss what is working well and any challenges. Ask team members to share new or different skills. In addition, be sure to celebrate success stories.
Lastly, ask your team: “Why is connecting with clients and demonstrating empathy so important?” They’ll ultimately tell you that helping clients helps more pets get the care they deserve.
NOT NICE
Dr. Christine Porath, a Georgetown University management professor, surveyed 2,000 employees in various industries about incivility, meaning rudeness, disrespect and insensitive behavior. Seventy percent said they witnessed incivility at least two to three times a month. Learn more at bit.ly/41FTJgP.