Last year I met a fellow veterinarian who had a problem. Her scheduler erred in booking a house call. As a result, she arrived at the gentleman\u2019s home at the wrong time. She sent the client a few text messages and waited. When he didn\u2019t respond, she informed him that she had to leave and that he would be billed for the visit. When the client later saw the texts, he became irate.<\/p>\n
We can all probably relate to the client\u2019s feelings. Who hasn\u2019t felt a flash of anger when accused of a mistake that was someone else\u2019s fault? It\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s not understandable \u2014 and definitely not OK \u2014 was the client\u2019s vocabulary and aggressive tone. He called the veterinarian names that have never been published in this journal and never will be. The vet hung up the phone after being berated and thought, \u201cGreat, and now I have to go back and do this appointment for free.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re like me, right now you\u2019re feeling a lump just behind your thoracic inlet. That lump is the formation of the words, \u201cNo, you don\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve never cared for the saying \u201cThe customer is always right.\u201d I\u2019m sorry, but it\u2019s baloney. Customers should always be listened to, respected, appreciated and honored as the people who pay our salaries and bring us pets to care for, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re always right. Sometimes they do things that are just plain wrong.<\/p>\n
As burnout and depression among veterinary professionals gain attention, it\u2019s high time to reconsider our personal and professional boundaries. Yes, we must do all we can to serve pet owners, and that means supporting them when they are frustrated, scared or angry. But are we obligated to accept verbal or physical abuse from a pet owner? Must we take unjustifiable punishment simply because a client wields both a credit card and Yelp account? The answer must be a resounding NO!<\/p>\n
Abuse is difficult to define cleanly and often exists in the eye of the beholder. Examples would include:<\/p>\n
The damage to you and your clinic from ongoing interaction with abusive clients manifests in three distinct ways.<\/p>\n
No one should be abused at home, at work or anywhere else. The psychological toll of dealing with an abusive person varies by individual, and it is important to remember that even if a client\u2019s threats do not upset you, someone else in your clinic may be affected.<\/p>\n
Imagine the most horrible client. This person says the nastiest things, screams the loudest and ultimately leaves you the worst online review possible. Now imagine your most wonderful client. Imagine the smile on her face and the cookies she left simply out of kindness.<\/p>\n
Now ask yourself: Which of these two people has a bigger impact on how you operate your clinic?<\/p>\n
For most of us, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Abusive clients get your attention, hold your attention and make you question everything you\u2019re doing. You may find yourself or your team making decisions under this influence that you wouldn\u2019t normally make.<\/p>\n
Consider what it\u2019s like for other pet owners as they watch a red-faced client scream at the front desk staff. Think about how those witnesses feel to be greeted by a veterinarian and employees who are flustered after dealing, yet again, with someone who tore into everyone in sight. These pet owners may not feel abused themselves, but their experience in your practice is undoubtedly marred.<\/p>\n
The decision to fire a client is not easy, and it should not be taken lightly. Never forget that we often see people on one of the hardest days of their lives. When someone is losing his furry best friend to cancer and he can\u2019t scream at the carcinoma, that grief and anger may be redirected unfairly at others. In cases like this, we must remember our compassion and commitment to those families we serve.<\/p>\n
We never know what pet owners are truly going through. I met a Texas veterinarian who had practiced for 50 years. He told me he had only one client in all that time with whom he simply could not reason. She screamed and yelled at him and finally said, \u201cThe next time you hear from me, it will be through my lawyer!\u201d She then stormed out. About 45 minutes later, the phone rang. It was her lawyer, who told the veterinarian, \u201cListen, she\u2019s going through a divorce and she\u2019s furious at everyone. Don\u2019t worry too much about this. I\u2019ll talk to her when she calms down.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case of a person who was obviously hurting from something our colleague had nothing to do with. As the saying goes, everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s bear in mind that our most difficult clients are often a product of our own creation. I frequently hear practice owners complain about clients who demand discounts on goods and services. When I ask, \u201cSo, what do you do when they make those demands?\u201d the answer often is, \u201cGive them what they want.\u201d If we repeatedly offer positive reinforcement for bad behaviors, we cannot be surprised when clients exhibit them over and over.<\/p>\n
While maintaining our compassion and commitment to clients is of paramount importance, we must remember that we go through this life one time only. If you or your staff members live in a state of dread because of one regular client, you are paying too large a toll for that pet owner\u2019s business. This can burn out talented people and increase employee turnover. If we must choose between a great receptionist and a single abusive client, that choice should not be difficult.<\/p>\n
Finally, we must reject the idea that losing a client equals failure. Some clients are simply not a fit for your practice and would be happier somewhere else. Perhaps they are adamant that veterinary care should be as affordable as possible and that your focus is on providing the gold standard of care. In this case, neither party is wrong. They simply have incompatible philosophies.<\/p>\n
When the time comes, the most important aspect of terminating a client relationship is to approach from a place of compassion. Try to avoid making moral judgments about the person; that will almost certainly escalate the problem. For example, instead of telling a pet owner, \u201cYou are an abusive jerk and I don\u2019t want to see your face again,\u201d try something like, \u201cWe do not allow people to use language like that toward our staff. We will therefore no longer be able to serve as your veterinary health care provider.\u201d<\/p>\n
Generally, there are two approaches I have found effective when terminating a client relationship. Which one you use depends on the nature of the problem at hand.<\/p>\n
Some instances of abuse warrant a zero-tolerance policy. Threats of (or actual) physical violence, racial slurs, or aggressive and obscene language would generally fall into this category. In these instances, the best approach is to communicate a clear message that the client\u2019s behavior was unacceptable and that you are terminating the relationship. Be clear and concise. Do not verbally attack the pet owner, argue or offer an extended explanation. Say it. Mean it. Be done. Delivering this message in writing has the benefit of documenting your position as well as decreasing the chance of immediate further verbal abuse. Alert law enforcement if necessary. (I hate to even write that line, but we must remain safe in this crazy world.)<\/p>\n
Everyone has an occasional bad day. Unfortunately, some people seem to have bad days every time they come to your practice. They leave angry each time, and your employees feel frustrated or hurt for the rest of the day. At some point, enough is enough.<\/p>\n
In these cases, it\u2019s best to reach out to the client as if you\u2019re offering a service. Talk about their experience, how you want them to be happy and how your clinic is not making that happen. Tell them they will need to find care elsewhere, and ask where you should send the medical records. An example of specific wording might be:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to me that you are happy with the veterinary services you receive. Our practice does not seem to be meeting your needs. At this point, I do not feel that continuing our relationship as your veterinarian makes sense. I believe you need to find another veterinary care provider who can better serve you. We will completely support you in this transition and will transfer your records to you, to another veterinary clinic or both. Thank you for giving us the chance to serve you up to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here is some additional advice:<\/p>\n
What will happen after you cut ties with this person? Generally, one of four things:<\/p>\n
Breaking up is hard, but with care it can be done smoothly and with as little fallout as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When clients behave badly, sometimes the right thing to do is tell them goodbye \u2014 permanently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":1548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-december-2017-january-2018","column-features","clinical_topics-client-communication","clinical_topics-practice-management"],"acf":{"hide_sidebar":false,"hide_sidebar_ad":false,"hide_all_ads":false},"yoast_head":"\n