A reader-colleague has shared:
I had a refreshingly unique client experience the other day. I was doing a recheck exam on a sweet little Boston, Minnie, that had been injured when she was mushed under a closing garage door. (She's doing very well, by the way.) Her owners were just about to leave when they said to me, "When we checked out the last time we were here our bill didn't seem right." I of course instantly had the heart racing feeling that we were about to become embroiled in an angry debate about the "ridiculous" cost of pet health care. The wife continued, "When we got the total it just didn't seem like it was high enough." The husband piped up, "We wanted you to check and make sure we didn't owe you any more money. It was less than the estimate you gave us and we didn't want to leave without paying the rest." I almost fainted! I happily explained that Minnie's injuries did not end up being as severe as they might have been, so that all I had estimated had not been needed. They seemed so concerned that I had not charged them enough, and I had to repeatedly assure them that all was well and that I was glad to not have had to charge them for some procedures and treatments because it meant Minnie had not had to endure them. I have never been told the bill was not high enough before and have my doubts I'll ever hear it again! I hope they have a lot of equally sweet friends and relatives they can refer to us in the future.Doesn't it feel good to read about clients who appreciate their veterinarians? I know it makes me feel good! I'm putting this into the virtual "you don't suck" file for all of us.
Thought a story about nice folks might brighten someone's day.
Thanks!
This week I was trying to examine the ears on a rambunctious lab and she jumped up and hit me in the eye with one of her teeth. It was an accident but I had a small gash near my eye and, much as I tried to reassure them I was alright I probably looked rather unhappy at the time. I shrugged it off and went on with my day but later that afternoon I found a box of chocolates on my desk with a lovely card thanking me for being so understanding and apologizing again that their dog hadn't been on her best behavior.
ReplyDeleteI keep an "I don't suck" corkboard on the wall in my office so those special clients and pets who remind me why I love this job are easy to see and remember. Of course these people made the board!
I was examining a vintage model cat a few weeks ago with a very nice women and her two young children. She was doing her very best to keep her kids under control and still pay attention to what was going on with her cat. We ended up doing some blood work and the wait was a little long. As I was trying to apologize for keeping her waiting, she cut me off to apologize for her wild kids. After they left, she actually called back to apologize again for how distracting her kids were and explained how much she appreciated our patience. People really can be surprising!
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons that those truly bad clients seem so bad, is that we have so many truly nice, compliant, appreciative clients, and the comparison is stark. We are just finishing up the holiday season treats that showed up this year, and I have two cards sitting on my desk that I shall not read again right now, for I don't wish to be wiping tears as I enter the exam room for the next patient.
ReplyDelete*Raises hand* I keep a file of the cards people send. Favorite one so far is from a 50-60ish year old MD, very professional lady in manner and appearance... hand-drawn of her peacock that I treated, in what looks like crayon, thanking me for fixing her bird :p
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to focus on the lovely people and animals we see every day and not become embittered by the jerks.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely story. It is so encouraging when clients appreciate what we do.
One of my favourites was the day I had nearly knocked myself out on a shelf and was probably a bit concussed and obviously looked seedy. A lovely client was so concerned that I didn't look well and wanted to postpone her dog's visit as she thought I needed to sit down and have a break. A truly unique day. I worked for 12 weeks with my wrist in a cast at one stage and I don't think one client showed any concern at all.
A good reminder to pet owners to thank their vets for a job well done. I don't do it often enough. I do recall sending a note of praise for the technician who used to trim my mastiff's nails. He wasn't mean, but he was prone to sneaking in head butts that would cause one to see stars and she always wound up with slobber in her hair. Unfortunately for her, she was the only one my mastiff would allow to do the trim and so she would don her mask (she used a grinder and the nail debris made a toxic cloud) and get the job done.
ReplyDeleteI have a super gaudy notebook/journal that I tape my cards into. It was given to me by a client who asked if her preteen daughter could shadow me for a day. She came in to pick the daughter up with the a gift bag containing the notebook, a thank you card, and a bottle of high-end vodka. Bless her heart.
ReplyDeleteA veterinary technician while I was in vet school recommended it. It is one of the best things I've ever done. I also keep tons of pictures of patients and clients I know I've made a difference right behind my computer at work.
ReplyDeleteI'm a final year vet student and on my first rotation last summer (small animal surgery) and my very first patient (a middle aged feline with SCC that we performed a nasal planectomy on), I discharged the cat to her lovely owner and the owner's daughter. The head surgeon went in to just double check everything before they left and help them take care of the bill while I went about the rest of my day ... about 2 hours later the clinician came and found me and handed me a GIANT box of chocolates telling me the clients thought I was wonderful and wanted to thank me for taking such good care of their cat ... I wish it had come with card I could have saved but I'm grateful my first experience was so good because I know there will be horrible ones to come but at least I'll always have that fantastic memory, and I'll definitely be keeping every one I get in the future :)
ReplyDeleteI have an awesome 'You do not suck' client. Every time she comes in to pick up medication for her elderly Rottweiler, she brings the whole clinic milkshakes from the local Steak and Shake, and tells us all how wonderful we are and how happy she is that we're here for her and her Molly.
ReplyDelete