Other challenging customers

There are other types of 'challenging' customers who may not be angry or aggressive in their nature but still need to be managed effectively when they are in the pharmacy, for their own benefit and the productivity of the pharmacy.

Uninterested customers

You may have to deal with customers who are disengaged when you talk to them or appear to not listen to what you say, e.g. when asking WWHAM questions. Although they may not be particularly 'challenging' in the same way that an angry customer may be, if you need to ensure that they have listened to some information or instructions before they leave this can be hard to achieve. If a customer is not listening this also implies that they are unable to respond to questions which would affect the quality and accuracy of information that a recommendation is based on. The key to dealing with these customers is to determine why they are not listening and ask yourself is it within their control or not.

For example, when a customer is talking on a mobile phone whilst you are serving them and they are clearly not listening. In this situation you will need to give them a clear reason why it is important for them to hear what you need to tell them and therefore you may wish to ask if they can put the phone down just while you explain some information for their safety or alternatively ask them if they wish to finish their call first and then come back up to the counter so you can ensure they understand everything.

For other customers it may be out of their control, especially if they are elderly or have conditions affecting their ability to listen or focus their attention. This is where knowing your customer is beneficial and it would be useful to consider in these situations if the customer would benefit from having something written down to take away with them, or if they would like you to pass on the information to a relative or carer. Of course, you may not know the customer and this is where observing, listening and picking up nonverbal signs from the customer will help you determine their understanding. It can be useful to ask them questions after you have provided them with information to check they have understood, e.g. "Could I just check you understand how many tablets you should take each day?".