The smooth consultation (Part 1)

Vet practitioners frequently concentrate on the pet and forget about the owner… Client centricity requires some preparation and training. The consultation should follow a process where conditions are created to have a positive interaction with the pet owner, starting with a warm-up and using the communication skills explained in the chapter “Communication is a clinical skill”. In this first section, we look at warm-ups and how to establish a good relationship with owners.

Pre client warm-up

Just as athletes warm up their muscles before training and competitions to strengthen their motivation, a veterinarian should mentally prepare himself for clients before the consultation. This time is well invested because:

• The veterinarian understands what the last contacts and transactions with the client have included and can pick up directly from there.
• The veterinarian reads what he has written regarding the client or the treatment case, i.e., what he still wants to address and offer – things that he might have forgotten without preparation or would have remembered when the client is homebound again.
• The veterinarian takes a break between the individual consultations and cases, which he often simultaneously deals with, in order to adapt and focus on the new case.
• The veterinarian is completely focused on the client. The client recognizes that he is important and the veterinarian gives his best to help him and his pets.

This “warm-up” should include at least the last 3-4 contacts with a client, including telephone calls and discussions with the practice team that the veterinarian may not have heard (Figure 1). It may happen that clients entrust the practice team with information, opinions and wishes that are important for the attending veterinarian. Often clients may not share their needs and concerns to the veterinarian, especially if the veterinarian acts rather authoritatively and decisively with the client.