Top Marks for honesty!
Whilst writing this, Marks and Spencer are coming out of a particularly challenging few days in the UK. Stores were thrust into chaos as the retailer’s systems were hit by a cyber-attack that took out its gift card handling systems, Click and Collect order fulfilment and contactless operations. Of course, it was a nightmare for both consumers and store teams, and of course news quickly spread of angry customers and frazzled managers.
Rather than pretend everything was fine, or play the blame game, M&S executives got out in front of the news cycle and owned the problem. The company issued a statement to investors and apologised to customers for the inconveniences they were encountering, assuring them that there was nothing they needed to do whilst M&S worked to fix the problem.
From the outside looking in, this seemed to be a pretty textbook handling of a terrible situation – acknowledging the pain caused to shoppers, thanking colleagues for their hard work and assuring everyone that the company was working quickly, with expert help, to find a way back to normal as soon as possible. And it’s also a great example to veterinary professionals as to how we can deal with difficult situations.
Difficult situations are almost always down to process failures, not people
When the Onswitch team speak with practices, we often hear about ‘difficult clients’. Digging into what has been difficult, it is never because the owner has set out to deliberately cause trouble or delivered an unprovoked outburst in reception. A client may have raised their voice or rolled an eye or two, but these actions are symptoms of a bigger problem. A bill that was far higher than an estimate, a wait of an hour to see the vet, a repeat prescription that can’t be located when the owner has made a special trip in. It’s a process failure that has caused the problem, an unknown emotional context that has magnified it, and a mismatch of personalities and approaches that has led to the client being perceived as difficult.
Working in practice every day, it’s easy to forget that the clinical environment is not normal to others. You are used to working with animals who are scared or in pain, but your client is not used to seeing their beloved family member behave this way. Emotions are heightened and people respond differently to stressors – it is entirely conceivable that the client you think is angry is actually terrified and trying to hold back tears. Empathy for what the person in front of you is going through will help diffuse most tricky situations early.
Listening and hearing are not the same
We’re big advocates for active listening – so a client can tell that you are hearing what they say and not brushing off their concerns. After all, they know their pet or horse best. This means:
- Giving the conversation your full attention
- Resisting the urge to jump to what you think is the obvious conclusion
- Making and maintaining eye contact
- Nodding at key points
- Placing your body at an appropriate distance and angle to theirs
- Not doing other things at the same time
You can also try using the KLARDOC approach to help both parties get the most out of the situation (especially if it is any way fraught):
Keep calm
Listen Put assumptions aside and really hear what the client is telling you
Acknowledge Repeat what you have just heard, for clarity
Refine and Define Summarise the key facts, aside from the emotion
Overcome Present possible solutions and alternatives
Close Thank the client and detail the timings of any further action
Acknowledging is what M&S have done so well, owning the fact that there has been a problem and apologising for it rather than give a wishy-washy excuse or pretend everything is actually fine when it clearly isn’t. This gives credibility, which regular readers [TB1] will know is a key part of the trust equation.
Fewer words better said
Almost always, a ‘difficult’ conversation stems from the fact that your client is frustrated, confused, worried or distracted. Understanding their state of mind and looking at the situation from their perspective will usually help inform a solution, and it always helps to use calming, reassuring language:
- Don’t use technical language or practice jargon
- Keep your body language open and professional
- Speak at the same pace as them
- Repeat key words and phrases back to them
- Use open questions to ascertain what the problem is
- Ask politely for clarification of the issue, don’t assume
Onswitch run a regular workshop teaching skills and approaches that will not only help you manage difficult situations when they happen, but also to minimise their occurrence. You can find out more and book a place here.
