• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

7 tips to defuse angry clients

July 1, 2008
Sheila Grosdidier, RVT

Review these techniques to help you prepare for your next encounter with aggressive clients.

When tempers flare, it's your job to soothe pet owners' savage feelings and create a more reasonable tone for conversations. Use these strategies to reframe the situation.

1. Review what happened. Give clients the chance to describe what occurred while you listen closely. This shows your interest in their description of the events and gives you more time to consider how you’ll respond.

2. Meet in person. Sometimes your first discussion with angry clients is over the phone. It's often best to delay this conversation to give the client time to calm down, so ask to meet in your office later. Your goal is a calm, constructive meeting.

3. Involve an objective third party. When personalities or other issues prevent a resolution, it's time to call in an intermediary such as the practice manager or owner. Explain to the third party that you're looking for an objective perspective. Often this person's presence helps cut the tension.

4. Develop solutions that work for everyone. Don't get caught up in "he said, she said" accusations. Focus on resolving the issue. Once you can determine what went wrong, you can create a reasonable solution that makes clients happy.

Advertisement

5. Be open to clients' ideas. Sometimes clients aren't happy with any resolutions you offer. If you think you can manage the situation, ask clients for possible solutions. But be careful, if clients haven't been happy with the ideas you proposed, they may suggest unreasonable solutions.

6. Tell clients you'll consider their suggestions. Everyone appreciates an empathetic person. So acknowledge you don't want a similar situation to occur again. And tell clients you've heard their suggestions and if you can apply them at your clinic, you will.

7. Remember your goal. Don't let egos or loud voices determine the outcome. Forget who's right and wrong. Your goal is to resolve this conflict. And the more you include clients' thoughts and feelings in this discussion, the better.

Related Content:

Client Relations & Marketing
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind
 BluePrints Veterinary Marketing Group awarded 2 Gold VETTY Awards
BluePrints Veterinary Marketing Group awarded 2 Gold VETTY Awards
3 tips for marketing veterinary dental services
3 tips for marketing veterinary dental services

Advertisement

Latest News

Pet Advocacy Network honors outstanding contributions to the pet care community

Traditional and holistic treatments for giardia

ASU trustees approve the creation of a new veterinary school

6 tips for first-time dog owners

View More Latest News
Advertisement