Consider the client phone call. That stack of messages that is waiting on your desk at the
end of a busy 12-hour day when all you want to do is go home, eat some food and
watch something on Netflix with your family.
So many times I have been guilty of complaining about
calling a client at the end of the day about some random issue or question. For
instance, Dr. what should I feed Bailey?
(After I spent 40 minutes in the exam room yesterday recommending the
perfect diet for Bailey).
The questions that we get are often commonplace and tedious to us,
however, we need to remember that the client is concerned about ONE pet, the
most important pet in the universe, THEIRS. Their pet is a precious child, and if we don’t take time to
talk to them and show genuine concern we are neglecting our primary duty and
responsibility as a veterinary professional. It is our duty, but I have found that it is more often a
privilege. It is a window into their home life, at the time of the
day that everyone is home from work, had their dinner and are more relaxed and eager to talk to me, their friendly veterinarian. It is often that phone call that brings
me closer, strengthening the bond to my clients as I get to know them better.
When I call clients back with a cheerful attitude it is
often the most rewarding time of my day. I get the most positive feedback and appreciation, “Oh,
doctor thank you for returning my call, you are working so late. I really
appreciate your time.” I get so
many kind words and affirmations from my clients during those calls. There is something special about
calling them back as requested that exceeds expectations in a world of
automated answering systems and voice mail. They are so happy to hear from me and my other doctors, even
at some pretty late hours and the call often forms a closer bond than we can
get in the exam room alone. I even
have clients that have lost their pets call just to check in with me, say hello
and tell me their plans for getting another pet. Those calls make what I do, even after a long day, well
worth it.
Remember to keep a good attitude at the end of the day, or
any time, when calling your clients and you will be rewarded with feelings of
accomplishment, appreciation and gratitude for the important job that you do.
If you have a good client "call back" story that ended with a positive affirmation, share it with me here in the comments section so we can all benefit from your experience.
Dr. Julie Cappel
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