Mystery solved: Handling hotheaded patients

Editor’s Note: Welcome to “Eye Catching: Let's Chat,” a blog series featuring contributions from members of the ophthalmic community. These blogs are an opportunity for ophthalmic bloggers to engage with readers with about a topic that is top of mind, whether it is practice management, experiences with patients, the industry, medicine in general, or healthcare reform. The series continues with this blog by Joy Gibb, ABOC, an optician at Daynes Eye and Lasik in Bountiful, UT. The views expressed in these blogs are those of their respective contributors and do not represent the views of  Ophthalmology Times or UBM Medica.

 

There’s an old business adage that says, “The customer is always right.” But what happens when you know they aren’t?  Those are the moments when you might find your stomach in knots, your blood pressure rising, and at a total loss for words.  You’re in a moment of conflict and chances are you flip into fight-or-flight mode.

I really don’t believe anyone enjoys conflict, particularly with our patients.  We want them to have a positive experience in our practice and hope they will refer their friends and families.  But there are times when conflicts with customers need to be addressed not to only guard your finances, but also to protect the morale of your team. 

Did you see this? Here are the worst places to practice in 2015

Training your team how to handle these potential conflicts empowers them to act in a way you feel comfortable with.  After all, we know the customer isn’t always right, but they need to be allowed to be wrong with dignity.

You can avoid conflicts by following a few simple rules:

Communicate, communicate

The first is to always be an active listener and communicate as a team what you learn about your patients.  When your patients schedule an appointment, they may tell the scheduler why they are seeking an appointment and hopefully those concerns are noted.

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