The negative review – Why all the hate?

Veterinarians and veterinary technicians work in a business that requires extreme levels of compassion and tolerance each day.  We deal with emotional swings ranging from the joy of a litter of healthy puppies to the devastating sorrow of sudden loss of a pet - sometimes within the same hour.   These emotional gymnastics are done while dealing with clients that are in a rush, questioning charges, acting rude, or just highly emotional about their ill pet.  No wonder we are struggling to love our profession.

This week I was reminded of one of the primary reasons that we veterinarians feel so stressed and burned out much of the time.   It is the threat of the negative online review.

I work in a 5-doctor practice that has been in business for over 50 years.  We are AAHA accredited and have a stellar reputation in the community.  Our veterinarians and veterinary technicians are extremely experienced and competent.  All of them!    We have hundreds of positive, five-star reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and other platforms.  We have very few negative reviews, probably less than five.  So, why does one negative review trouble us so much?

We go into every exam room with the intention of doing our best work for every client and pet.  We have control over what we do and say, but we have no control over how the client thinks and feels about the experience. It is often an emotionally charged experience for the client when their beloved pet is ill.  It is no wonder that we have an occasional miscommunication, but that is no reason for a hate filled review.

When a client leaves a negative review without addressing the problem with the veterinarian or the hospital manager, it leaves us unable to remedy the situation.  When a veterinarian reads a negative review about one of their cases, it leaves them feeling embarrassed, helpless and incompetent.  Those feeling follow us into our future and can have long term negative effects on our confidence.  

Studies show that we focus on the negative review because of their scarcity.  Scarcity implies value in normal everyday life, so the fact that we have hundreds of positive and only a few negatives causes us to focus our attention on the negative.

So how do we handle negative online review?  How do we read the negative thoughts of angry people and go about confidently continuing to do the difficult job that we do?

The first thing that we need to do is to remain calm. Understanding that a negative review is more about the client than about you, is key.  The client had a different experience than you expected and that is all it means.  Responding in anger or berating yourself will not help anyone and will only make matters worse.  The client experience is their experience.

If possible, address them by phone or in person immediately to try to resolve the perceived issue.  Some clients will not talk to you and will not want to solve it.  That is entirely up to them; as long as you made an attempt at reconciliation, then you have done your job and can let it go.

If the issue cannot be addressed in person, you can reply online to the review in a polite and professional manner.  Future clients will see the written response and will use your professionalism to judge your hospital.   I always try to personally respond with my name and phone number just in case the client changes their mind and wants to talk it out. 

Once you have taken these steps, the difficult mental work of letting it go is crucial. Letting one bad review experience ruin all of your future work is not necessary or productive. When you get a negative review, remember that it is not really about you.  It is about the client’s experience on that day and nothing else.   Think of it as a neutral experience.  Carrying around shame and embarrassment does not serve you and will prevent you from living your best life.

Dr. Julie Cappel

 “No matter how good you are, someone is always going to be against you. But never let them be the limit of your success.” -  Terry Mark

“Be who you want to be and not care about what others think.”   - Andrew Biersack 

Join me on the Podcast - The Veterinary Life Coach Podcast with Dr. Julie Cappel 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-veterinary-life-coach-podcast-with-dr-julie-cappel/id1451549730?mt=2