Mistakes, pt 3: speaking to the client

What do you say to clients when a mistake has occurred? Do you tell the truth; just discuss the basics, but leave out any incriminating facts; or go full Donald Trump mode?

Studies into what influenced the decisions of patients, who were the victims of medical error, to take legal action show litigation is most often associated with a perceived lack of care or collaboration.

In other words, we are sued when our clients feel we don’t care about them.

In their shoes

So, how do we show we care when we’ve made a mistake? What do our clients want, and how can we give it to them?

Start by getting your head right. An attitude of genuine empathy towards the client is likely to deliver the best outcomes for both you and the client in question.

Ask yourself: “If I was in this client’s shoes, how would I feel? What would I have liked to happen in this situation?”

Rehearse what you’re going to say to them – accept their initial response may well be anger, resentment and accusation; and resist the temptation to become defensive.

An emotional client may also not be ready for logical reasoning. Instead, try to acknowledge his or her feelings by using statements of empathy, like: “I can see you are very upset with me, and I understand why.”

Face to face

If possible, have the conversation in person. Apologise if it has to be done over the telephone.

Be upfront from the start: “I have some difficult news to share. I’m very sorry to say we’ve had some complications with Rover’s treatment. Would you be able to come in so we can discuss the details and talk about how we are dealing with the situation?”

When we’re having that difficult conversation, what do clients want to hear from us in these situations? Again, by collating the research, we get some very clear guidelines on this…

What to do

Clients want us to:

• Be very clear that a mistake has occurred.
• Give an explicit apology. We can differentiate between two types of apology:
  1. If something has gone wrong because of a treatment error or a breach of standards, an apology of responsibility is most appropriate: “I’m sorry we made this error and that it has had negative outcomes for your pet.”
  2. When an unexpected adverse outcome has occurred, but no errors have been made, a heartfelt apology of sympathy is still appropriate: “I’m very sorry this has happened to your pet and that you have to go through all of this.”
• Explain the facts. What exactly happened that led to the event in question?
• Explain the medical ramifications to their animal in both the short term and long term.
• Tell them how the care of the animal will be managed.
• Be clear about who’s going to pay for it. If a genuine error has been made, the expectation is generally that ongoing care will not be the financial responsibility of the client. Compensation over and above medical costs should also be discussed. This does not mean money has to be offered immediately, but a statement that acknowledges you are conscious of the fact the client may have suffered because of what has happened will go a long way towards stopping an immediate escalation of the situation. Ask “is there anything we can do to help resolve this situation?”. Actual compensation will then need to be worked out with the insurer, but research shows the dollar amount of any compensation eventually paid is often less if an offer of compensation is made early on.
• Tell them how a similar event will be prevented in the future. Patients who have been affected by medical error indicated that simply knowing “something good has come of this” reduced their negative feelings about the event.

Career-defining

Effectively communicating with clients in these emotionally charged situations can be challenging; but an approach of empathy, collaboration and transparency can steer these career-defining moments away from catastrophe, and towards personal growth and increased trust.