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When I’m asked to deliver client service training to veterinary nurses, the first things I ask are ‘Where do you think your service is lacking?’ and ‘What are your most common client complaints?’.
It’s not easy to critique ourselves. Complaints are a fact of life and the tendency is to resolve them as best as we can without incurring too much collateral damage. Training is delivered, team members are counselled and consoled, and life goes on. Until next time.
So what is the easiest way to review and improve your client service practices so that the same complaints don’t keep recurring?
The good news is that we can simplify the process by looking at complaints in terms of how the client feels. Regardless of whether the complaint is about cost, wait times or patient care, the outcome is still a disgruntled client.
Mistakes are the most forgivable causes of complaints, and if handled honestly with a sincere apology and sometimes a small compensation, the odds are very high for retaining the client. They may even become one of your best advocates. This is about examining the impact of poor service practices on our clients and looking at ways to do them differently.
Client perceptions generally fall into one of these 5 categories:
I felt ignored/stupid/unimportant. The staff were too busy, they didn’t listen to me and they were dismissive of my concerns.
Nobody called me back. I had to keep calling them to find out my dog’s lab results.
I had to repeat my story to a different person every time I called.
They told me that they don’t offer grooming services anymore but when I asked for a recommendation they said I should just Google it.
The vet promised that she would stop my dog’s skin from itching but I’ve paid a fortune for consults and tests and it isn’t fixed yet.
By tracking your client complaints and measuring them in terms of customer perception, we can begin to identify problem areas and implement remedial actions.
Log your complaints in a spreadsheet and make it a habit to sort them by category once every quarter. By colour coding them you will soon see which areas of concern are having the most impact on your client retention.
There’s an old saying that ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.’ We will never be able to prevent complaints altogether, but by capturing data and analysing our client perceptions we can take back a measure of control and become more proactive about preventing and minimising complaints.
Do you have a system for reviewing your client complaints? What have been the most successful complaint mitigation techniques for your practice? Share them in the Comments section below.
This post was originally published on the Waggy Dog Blog and has been reproduced with full permission.
Donna has over 15 years of sales and marketing experience in the veterinary and pet care sectors. As a previous wholesale rep in the veterinary industry, she understands the challenges faced by veterinarians wanting to not only attract new customers in a highly competitive market but to keep them coming back. She has also recruited, trained and coached teams in the corporate, retail, fundraising and veterinary sectors for over 30 years. Her knowledge of veterinary practice marketing and the local landscape enables her to deliver successful marketing strategies and content that keep pet owners engaged and loyal to your practice. Donna’s mission is to help veterinarians grow their practices and to facilitate easy access to quality, affordable health care for pet owners.
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Easter is a great time to connect with and educate your veterinary clients… Over the years I’ve collected some great resources to share on social media …
Thanks for posting this blog – I found it really helpful. I think the main driver of vets leaving the industry is clients. I am still working as a veterinarian, but many times I feel like I want to leave the veterinary industry due to clients high expectations, overworked and limited consultation times.
Hi A.W, Unfortunately without clients there wouldn’t be a veterinary industry, so they’re the most critical and essential component. It’s sad to hear of pet owners abusing veterinary staff and that’s never ok under any circumstance. But as a client myself, I’m not sure I’m solely to blame for vets leaving the industry and I certainly don’t set consultation times. Yes, I guess I do have high expectations as veterinary care doesn’t come cheap, however, those expectations can generally be met when my vet communicates with me and explains exactly what and how my pet is being treated. I can’t value what I don’t see or understand, so I rely on vets and nurses to communicate that information to me so that I can understand and remember. But it’s not easy I agree!