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Phone fun: Educating clients
Each ring of the phone is a chance to educate a pet owner and elevate the level of veterinary care pets receive.
When the phone rings, you never quite know what to expect. But how you respond to these calls can bond clients to your practice-and create more educated pet owners dedicated to their pets' health. Last month, we introduced a few strange but true phone calls. (Check it out at dvm360.com/phonefun.) Below you'll find more real calls from pet owners. Take a minute at your next team meeting to review these scenarios-and brainstorm your own-and answer these questions for each situation:
> What's the client's primary concern, regardless of how it's presented?
> How can you help the client and the pet?
> What's your primary goal for this conversation? For example, do you want to correct a client's misinformation or to schedule an appointment for the doctor to examine the pet?
> What are the steps you need to take to educate these clients without offending them?
One final thought: Remember that every client conversation is an opportunity to teach clients to offer the care their pets need to stay happy and healthy. So stay positive and professional on the phone. And it's OK to laugh later in private, too.
Oriana Scislowicz, BS, LVT, VDT, is a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and a technician in Richmond, Virginia.
