How To
Respond To An Angry Complaint And preserve
your relationship by Susan Keane Baker
An angry complaint can
ruin your day. You have to spend extra time
dealing with the patient. Extra time spent
listening to your colleague's side of the
story. Extra time spent thinking about the
situation and how you could have responded
differently. Here are some steps for handling
angry complaints so that they don't consume
more time and energy than necessary.
* Move the patient to a quiet area. In a
low, calm tone of voice, say to the person,
"Let's step over here to talk. That way,
we won't be interrupted." The angry patient
with an audience will be less likely to
accept your point of view.
* Let the patient speak his mind without
interruption. Otherwise, you may fix the
problem, but not fix the relationship. You
may be encouraging the patient to embellish
and repeat his story to others, as he hasn't
been heard by you.
* Avoid rationalizing. There are usually
a few oft-repeated rationalizations that
come immediately to mind when a patient
has a complaint. "It's the insurance company's
fault." Or, "this is the way we've always
done it." Put yourself in the patient's
showes for just a moment and consider whether
your rationalization is an explanation or
an excuse.
* Respectfully use the patient's name in
your reply. When a person is very angry,
using his or her name in a respectful way
can ease the situation. Using the person's
name in a condescending way fuels anger.
* Demonstrate your understanding. If sincere,
use the "feel, felt, found" technique. For
example: "I understand how you feel. I've
felt that way too when I've received a bill
that didn't seem to make any sense. What
I've found is that writing down my questions
for the billing specialist helps us both
understand where the misunderstandings are
and resolve the problem without anyone's
feelings being hurt."
Using these strategies will help you resolve
conflict more positively, and give you peace
of mind that you handled the situation in
a professional, dignified manner. And that's
what frees up your mind and your time for
more positive, productive activities.
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