The 6 Must Do Steps to Client Complaints
It doesn’t matter how great a clinic you have and how amazing the veterinary care is; you’re going to get client complaints. How you handle them is what will make the difference with your reputation management.
First, let me say that you should encourage candid communication with your clients. Complaints typically have some fact in them. Though we all have clients that are “cra cra” and live their life to complain, for the most part you should be thankful they’ve taken time to express their dislike for the situation they’ve experienced and if you follow these steps, you should be able to find resolve and not have the dreaded “transfer file” call.
Studies have shown that for every single complaint there are 25 you have not heard of. Those 26 complaints are shared on average with 10 people they know. Those 10 then on average share their friends experience with 5 more people. Let’s not even touch on the popularity of neighbourhood Facebook groups that people often aren’t shy about posting negative experience with local business. So if we do the basic math, 1 complaint that we’re being made aware of, could potentially reach upwards of 1,300 people!
As the saying goes, “a bad review travels fast. A good review takes the scenic route”
Have a Client Complaints Procedure in Place
Go above and beyond to ensure complaints are handled efficiently. Putting a procedure in place can save time and ensure those handling client complaints know exactly the steps to take to find resolve that coincides with your clinic mission statement.
Make Contact
I know it becomes a “drawing of the short straw” but somebody needs to promptly make contact with the client. It should be either your practice manager, practice owner or someone seen as an authoritative figure. When making contact, put your listening ears on. Often, just letting the client be heard will leaps and bounds make the situation better. Be sure you ask open ended questions so they are the ones doing the talking; “can you tell me a little bit about what happened”?
Finish the call by saying you’ll make contact with them in a few days with a follow up. This opens the door to a further discussion and continued relationship building by letting them know what they’ve expressed is important and you’ll be working on resolve.
Be Sorry
Be sorry … and not “off the cuff” sorry. Be genuinely sorry. Be sorry they’re upset, sorry they’re frustrated, sorry they’re not happy with something that happened in the clinic or something someone in your clinic did, sorry they’re experience was not as they had expected. Saying “I’m sorry” is an expression of empathy and will begin to diffuse any negativity they may be holding. Assuring the client the problem will be fixed will begin to repair the damaged trust factor.
Fix The Problem
Take a look internally at how you can fix the problem that brought about the complaint. Is it a protocol that needs review or a training or coaching review with staff? Again, most complaints have merit on some level. This is an opportunity to make adjustments to clinic protocols to ensure our client experience is always a great one! When reviewing the complaint, think about the what, how and why to determine where things may have gone wrong. Remember, if you have 1 complaint, there’s typically 25 you’ve not heard of.
And don’t forget to document, document, document what happened and how it was resolved, on the client’s file. This helps to keep the situation objective, and all staff will be able to take steps to make the clients return visit an exceptional one.
Follow Up
Make that follow up call to check in with the client a few days later. You can advise them you’ve made steps x, y, z to ensure the problem does not happen again. Thank them for bringing the matter to your attention. I like to say to my clients “I so appreciate you sharing your experience with me. We can’t fix what we don’t know is broken, so thank you for helping us do better.” That old saying “kill them with kindness” could not be truer in a situation with a customer complaining. But rather than smile and pretend to care, genuinely let them know you are thankful they are sharing their complaint with you.
Put Your Ego Aside
Don’t dwell on the complaint. Put on your superhero vet cape. You have pet lives to better and save! Whether it’s someone trying to tell you how to do your job better (with the best of intentions), or a disgruntled client ready to erupt in rage, the best way you can handle any client complaint is without your personal emotions getting in the way. When the complaint is dealt with to a satisfactory level to the client and the clinic, get on with life and be the best you can be so this doesn’t happen again …. though it likely will, but now you’ll be prepared. Any further emotion spent on the complaint is for someone else to own, not you. You’ve done your part.
Please share this article with everyone on your team. A relationship (any relationship) that’s had a problem and that’s been handled well is a stronger relationship than one that’s never had a problem.
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