April 2018 – Unhappy client, unhappy vet
Sometimes I forget I’m only 9 months out of vet school, when the routine of each week seems wearing and the on-call phone rings in my dreams. But other times I feel so out of my depth it’s like I graduated just yesterday. However I’m feeling, I obviously always try to do my best for the animal in front of me and think through the problem logically. Sometimes I get it wrong, and that feeling of inadequacy is the worst thing I can feel. Or, at least I thought it was…
But what about when you think something went well but the client is unhappy with the service you provided? This happened to me recently and I was completely unprepared for the blow, it felt almost physical and certainly ruined the rest of my week. It’s one thing to know I’ve made a mistake but quite another to think everything was fine only to find out afterwards it was not. I suppose these mismatches in vet/client expectations happen to us all, but do you ever forget the first time? I know that I am still dwelling upon it. And what do you do when you get a client complaint? The first thing I did was look to my friends for reassurance, even if they don’t have much of a choice but to say the right things it still feels nice to know someone is in your corner! Then I looked back on the notes I made at the time, could I have done more? What did I do that disappointed the client – do they have a point? Luckily (and I never thought I would say this) the reflective entries in my final year portfolio finally came in use.
Throughout university we had to reflect on every EMS placement and then in final year reflect on each piece of feedback we received. All these reflections were kept as part of my evidence of learning submitted as a portfolio and graded as part of my final year exams. I’m not sure you could find a single vet student that enjoys writing these reflections or even sees them as anything else than as an annoyance, to be done as quickly as possible. So I feel particularly traitorous now in saying that I can see the use in them! I treated the complaint as a piece of feedback and reflected upon it, I worked out what I did right and what I could have improved upon, and why the client was upset. I tried to do this with as much emotional detachment as possible with the aim of taking what I learnt forward with me. This sounds straightforward and simple but alas, nothing in life is that easy! Despite my practice manager’s advice not to take it to heart, it’s hard not to dwell on the setbacks in my professional life. But time marches on and I’ve come to realise that while I should reflect upon my failures, I shouldn’t dwell. There are plenty of occasions where I do a good job and clients are happy; and it’s important to remember this! The recent nice weather which has meant by job out on visits has been pretty enjoyable and definitely perked up my mood and I hope you all enjoy the sunny weather this weekend too!
But what about when you think something went well but the client is unhappy with the service you provided? This happened to me recently and I was completely unprepared for the blow, it felt almost physical and certainly ruined the rest of my week. It’s one thing to know I’ve made a mistake but quite another to think everything was fine only to find out afterwards it was not. I suppose these mismatches in vet/client expectations happen to us all, but do you ever forget the first time? I know that I am still dwelling upon it. And what do you do when you get a client complaint? The first thing I did was look to my friends for reassurance, even if they don’t have much of a choice but to say the right things it still feels nice to know someone is in your corner! Then I looked back on the notes I made at the time, could I have done more? What did I do that disappointed the client – do they have a point? Luckily (and I never thought I would say this) the reflective entries in my final year portfolio finally came in use.
Throughout university we had to reflect on every EMS placement and then in final year reflect on each piece of feedback we received. All these reflections were kept as part of my evidence of learning submitted as a portfolio and graded as part of my final year exams. I’m not sure you could find a single vet student that enjoys writing these reflections or even sees them as anything else than as an annoyance, to be done as quickly as possible. So I feel particularly traitorous now in saying that I can see the use in them! I treated the complaint as a piece of feedback and reflected upon it, I worked out what I did right and what I could have improved upon, and why the client was upset. I tried to do this with as much emotional detachment as possible with the aim of taking what I learnt forward with me. This sounds straightforward and simple but alas, nothing in life is that easy! Despite my practice manager’s advice not to take it to heart, it’s hard not to dwell on the setbacks in my professional life. But time marches on and I’ve come to realise that while I should reflect upon my failures, I shouldn’t dwell. There are plenty of occasions where I do a good job and clients are happy; and it’s important to remember this! The recent nice weather which has meant by job out on visits has been pretty enjoyable and definitely perked up my mood and I hope you all enjoy the sunny weather this weekend too!
Comments
Post a Comment