During a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, stress levels are high and patient expectations can be unrealistically heightened. Ricky Allen shares her top tips on how to deal with stressed-out patients.
The collective anxiety from the pandemic – with the rising number of cases and deaths around the world, intermittent lockdowns and the consequences of being isolated from loved ones and work colleagues – has aff ected us all. In the aesthetic medicine arena, this can translate to stressed-out patients: they are taking longer to be satisfied with their result and agonising over the smallest details and perceived imperfections.
So how do we turn a demanding patient into a satisfi ed patient? First, remember that you, as the doctor, are not solely responsible for making the patient happy and satisfied. It takes team work.
Customer Service 101
Dealing with stressed patients can often highlight the inadequacies of your support staff . We all know that even in good times the cosmetic enhancement patient is not the patient you learnt about in medical school and they are definitely not the normal business customer. They see themselves primarily as your client; they are paying money for a service and expect a 5-star experience.
Any staff member who has contact with the patient should be schooled in good customer service, which includes understanding and delivering real empathy for all who enter the facility.
This is why it is important that all hiring – and firing – should be handled by an HR consultant who specialises in the cosmetic enhancement industry. My go-to HR specialist when I am consulting a clinic is Lizzie Boots from Boots and All. She is highly experienced in this area and has seen it all and will hire based on the actual clinic’s needs. She can see through the job interview smoke screens.
Why should your HR consultant handle firing as well? A good example is this: one owner of a medispa I know fired a staff member. She did not follow all the requisite steps before the final firing and the person left and was clearly angry and out for vengeance. Next thing, the owner and her business were being investigated by the health department and the tax office. It was no coincidence how that had come about.
Prep Work Counts
As the doctor, it is extremely important that you consult the patient properly, which definitely includes talking about all the risks and complications.
Do not be swayed when the patient brings in a photo of someone famous and they want to look like them when it really is anatomically impossible. It is always about doing the best for the patient and their aesthetic needs. In fact, when a patient brings in a photo of someone famous they want to look like, alarm bells should go off as they will never be really happy post procedure.
If you are unsure about a patient, particularly a surgical one, bring them in for a second consultation. If a patient is having a skin treatment, do a test patch and get them to return again.
This extra time and preprocedure handling often makes a big difference to how the patient acts afterwards. I once worked with a surgeon who never had any problems with patient dissatisfaction because he would preempt any negative comments by telling his patients pre-procedure “when you are happy, I will be happy”.
Keep Money Talk Separate
Make sure you have a staff member to talk about the costs – once you start talking about money, you are negated in the patient’s eyes. You become like any other service provider and no longer a doctor.
Follow-Up Is Important, Too
Always get your nurse to ring the patient the day after any procedure to see how they are. If the patient has had a surgical procedure then make sure you as the doctor see the patient after they wake and before they go home. Patients really appreciate this.
For confidentiality, the contact number should be the patient’s and not a family member or friend’s. Any phone or text conversations should always be recorded in the patient’s notes.
Do not give the patient your private number unless you do not employ a nurse. Instead, give the nurse’s phone number as the postprocedure contact. He or she will note and report any conversations and concerns to you.
If the patient has unrealistic expectations of what their outcome should be, never argue or cut short the patient when they are trying to verbalise their concerns as this only makes the situation worse. Always get the patient in to reassess. Often that will be enough.
Dealing with problems in your practice should be about preempting any problems. Having a checklist of actions which are always followed will ensure:
- the patient is properly screened
- the patient is given the best procedure to meet their aesthetic needs
- at all times all staff provide the best customer service by not only meeting patients’ needs and expectations but exceeding them. AMP
Ricky Allen will be holding her Advanced Skincare and Treatment courses and Medispa Marketing and Management courses around Australia this year. Call 0412 700 720 or email rickyall@tpg.com.au for more information.
