Less Barking, More Purring – Client Communication Tips for Veterinary Professionals
Client communication can be challenging at the best of times, but lately, it has become increasingly difficult. Many veterinarians are busier than ever before (VetSuccess reported an estimated 18% increase in revenue from 2,800 clinics over last year for the month of July1), but with COVID-19 having restricted the ability to interact face-to-face with clients, it has become necessary to rethink communication strategies, including looking for new and better channels.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that one of the most common sources of complaints when it comes to veterinary care are friction points related to communication. According to a report that looked at 1000 Yelp reviews, “More than one-third (35 percent) of negative reviews are related to a bad experience with a veterinarian. Common complaints include a lack of communication skills, being (or seeming) uncaring and uninterested with patients, rushing appointments and making incorrect diagnoses.”2
We’ve been working with veterinarians for a long time and see the struggles (and know that the findings of the Yelp reviews are not a reflection of the deep caring and compassion that goes on in your daily lives). Veterinarians have an abundance of focus on their patients, which sometimes reduces the quantity of communication with the pet owner. Short appointment times, tons of dynamic cases and evolving priorities all add to the challenges, and truly make being a veterinarian one of the most difficult jobs around. But here’s the good news! If you can get communication right the positive impact is incredible, including greater pet owner compliance, increased referrals, and client loyalty that can only be matched by that of our canine companions.
Even better news for you? It’s not hard to improve client communication! We’ve come up with 3 easy tactics that you can start tomorrow to make a real impact: meeting people where they are, making communication a team effort, and taking advantage of technology.
Meet People Where They Are
It’s hard to remove yourself from your own perspective, especially when you’ve been in practice for a long as you can remember. However, being able to see things from your client’s perspective is crucial to effective communication. This means taking into account not only their level of understanding on the topic you are discussing, but also their emotional state, so that you can really “meet them where they are”.
Here are 3 key points to remember:
Speak on their level
This can be tricky, because it requires a delicate balance between simplifying things so that the client can understand, while not sounding like you’re talking down to them. As the Handbook of Veterinary Communication Skills states, “Given growing clients expectations, the strong attachment between people and their pets and increasing consumer knowledge demands a shift in communication style from the traditional paternalistic approach to a collaborative partnership.”3 One of the easiest ways to address this issue is by simply saying something at the beginning of the conversation like, “Let me know if I’m going too fast or too slow, or if there’s something you don’t understand.” It can also be helpful to pause along the way and ask is what you are saying makes sense.Give them a moment
When a pet owner has just been informed that their pet has a serious disease like cancer, one that will likely end up be being very costly and may end up taking their pet’s life, they will likely be processing their thoughts for a few moments after you first tell them. So, make sure to give them a moment to collect their thoughts before continuing with the important information that they need to know, and ask if you need to repeat anything at the end of the conversation. Consider also sending home helpful information (either print, or even better, electronic – which we will talk more about below) for them to review once they’ve had a bit more time to process.Ask them if they are comfortable
After you are done detailing the plan of care, ask the client if they are comfortable with the plan. This may seem like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in helping the client feel more in control over their pet’s future, which will lead to greater satisfaction and compliance.
Make Communication a Team Effort
The veterinarian is not the only one responsible for good communication – it is really a team effort. Everyone at the practice has an important role in making sure clients are appropriately informed and that proper expectations are set.
To make sure everyone knows their communication role, it can be helpful to lay out some guidelines. This will ensure that all the necessary information is being communicated, without duplication or anyone dropping the ball. To help with this, consider creating a document that clearly outlines standard operating procedures related to communication, so that when staff turns over, you can seamlessly maintain the same communication process and not miss anything.
It’s all about expectation management. When you are proactive about giving information, it lessens the chance of people being surprised and reacting negatively. For example, if you know that clients get upset when you are running late, but are much less upset when they are told so upon arrival at the office, then you can implement a procedure that says that whenever the clinic is more that 10 minutes behind, the person working the front desk will let the clients know when they arrive. This then sets the doctor up for greater success because the client will likely be less aggravated by the time they are seen.
Take Advantage of Technology
Your clients’ pet problems don’t always stop when they leave your practice, so your communication with them shouldn’t either. And with these innovative technologies on your side, it doesn’t have to.
One technology you should definitely lean on is a marketing automation system. Systems like these are great because they allow you to communicate more effectively with less work. So, let’s say you want an automated email to go out to any clients whose pet has just been recently diagnosed with a certain illness that contains important treatment information. With a system like HubSpot, you can create an email, and then have the email automatically send when a staff member simply checks of a field on the pet’s record that indicates the pet has a given condition. So now, with the effort of just a single click, the pet owner has all the information they need to help them make decisions related to their pet’s future (which they have likely forgotten since leaving your office) right at their fingertips.
Get more communication tips (all dog-approved!) with this free eBook:
Make Communication a Team Effort
The veterinarian is not the only one responsible for good communication – it is really a team effort. Everyone at the practice has an important role in making sure clients are appropriately informed and that proper expectations are set.
To make sure everyone knows their communication role, it can be helpful to lay out some guidelines. This will ensure that all the necessary information is being communicated, without duplication or anyone dropping the ball. To help with this, consider creating a document that clearly outlines standard operating procedures related to communication, so that when staff turns over, you can seamlessly maintain the same communication process and not miss anything.
It’s all about expectation management. When you are proactive about giving information, it lessens the chance of people being surprised and reacting negatively. For example, if you know that clients get upset when you are running late, but are much less upset when they are told so upon arrival at the office, then you can implement a procedure that says that whenever the clinic is more that 10 minutes behind, the person working the front desk will let the clients know when they arrive. This then sets the doctor up for greater success because the client will likely be less aggravated by the time they are seen.
Take Advantage of Technology
Your clients’ pet problems don’t always stop when they leave your practice, so your communication with them shouldn’t either. And with these innovative technologies on your side, it doesn’t have to.
One technology you should definitely lean on is a marketing automation system. Systems like these are great because they allow you to communicate more effectively with less work. So, let’s say you want an automated email to go out to any clients whose pet has just been recently diagnosed with a certain illness that contains important treatment information. With a system like HubSpot, you can create an email, and then have the email automatically send when a staff member simply checks of a field on the pet’s record that indicates the pet has a given condition. So now, with the effort of just a single click, the pet owner has all the information they need to help them make decisions related to their pet’s future (which they have likely forgotten since leaving your office) right at their fingertips.
Get more communication tips (all dog-approved!) with this free eBook:
You can also use marketing automation to run general wellness programs that foster lifelong loyalty. When someone calls in to schedule a new puppy or kitten visit, you can set up a drip campaign that sends them an email (before they even come to their first appointment) with information they should know about vaccines, feeding, spaying/neutering, etc. You can then take it a step further by automating different helpful pieces of information that correspond to specific milestones, so that your client is more likely to think of you and your expertise than that impersonal online store next time they need something for their pet.
The Benefits of Caring for Your Patients and Your Clients
At the end of the day, your number one job as a veterinarian is taking care of animals - and building better communication strategies can help you do that. When pet owners have a better understanding of what’s going on and feel more in control, they are more likely to comply with your care instructions and bring their animal back to see you. This not only benefits the health of your practice, but also that of your patients.
If you want to improve your client communication using custom content and state-of-the-art marketing automation, but don’t know where to start, we can help! From getting you set up in your own marketing automation system, to building content tailored to your needs, Red Brick Partners will provide you with the infrastructure needed to support your client satisfaction success.
Schedule your free consultation here and find out what Red Brick Partners can do for you.
References:
1. Kliff, Sarah. “A Rare Economic Bright Spot in the U.S. Health System: The Vet’s Office.” The New York Times. August, 10, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/upshot/pets-health-boom-coronavirus.html
2. Zeltzman, Phil. “Getting to the Root of Client Complaints.” Veterinarian’s Money Digest. October 24, 2017. https://www.vmdtoday.com/journals/vmd/2017/october2017/getting-to-the-root-of-client-complaints
3. Gray, Carol, and Jenny Moffett. Handbook of Veterinary Communication Skills. United Kingdom, 2009.