There are days when it just feels that no matter how hard we
try we cannot make every client happy.
In some cases we do not even get a smile or a “thank you” for the
amazing services we provide. This
may leave us feeling discouraged and dejected.
You may think we don’t deserve a thank you because we are just doing our job. But I think everyone deserves a smile and some level of gratitude. It is such an important part of human
interaction and makes us all feel better.
I talked about this last week in my blog, but I thought that we should dig into this subject
a bit more this week because it is the week of our Thanksgiving holiday. As this holiday of “thanks” and “giving”
approaches, I think we should explore how an attitude of gratitude helps us to
have a better outlook towards our clients, our team and our family.
Gratitude is defined as “the
quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return
kindness.”
The second part of that
definition really gets to me - the “readiness to show appreciation for and to
return kindness.”
I experienced a lack of client appreciation just this week
and it turned into an opportunity for me to be more grateful.
A client was visiting the office with a young puppy. The technician team attempted to educate him about intestinal parasite control and
the importance of fecal parasite exams to diagnosed and eradicate intestinal
parasites in young pets. The team
members that were involved in the interaction felt that they had communicated
well and were confident that the client understood why we recommend two consecutive
negative fecal tests for his puppy.
After the client left the office I discovered that he left a negative review for us on Google. His review basically stated that it was laughable that we should run the same test twice. He obviously had misunderstood the
explanation as to why we repeat samples on young pets.
When I read the snarky review it took me a minute (maybe
more like 10) to find a valid reason to be grateful for the fact that he left us
a negative review. Once I thought more
carefully about it, I realized that if he had not left the review, I would have
been unaware that there was a misunderstanding about our protocols. It gave me the
opportunity to develop a better system of client education and a new subject for
our next hospital blog. He had given us the opportunity to improve. I was grateful!
In contrast, we have another client that has been loyal to
our hospital for many years. He is one
of the kindest and most positive people that I have ever met. He has a variety of pets that he treats
them as his animal children. He is
warm and kind and generous. He
faithfully presents his babies to us for their annual examinations and always
shows up with a gift for the team.
He frequently brings us large sheet cakes and coolers full of ice cream
as an expression of his gratitude.
He has even brought us presents from his overseas business travels. He is
without fail the person that I think of when I think of living with gratitude.
My point in contrasting these two very different veterinary
interactions is to demonstrate that we have a choice when it comes to living
with gratitude. We can choose to
feel just as grateful for the first client as the second.
As you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday with your family try
to remember to be grateful for every interaction. Even something that appears negative on the surface can lead
to positivity if you can just manage your mind around it.
“Develop
an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you,
knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and
better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Julie Cappel
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