How our client care advisor brings calm to difficult calls, helping distressed pet owners feel heard and supported with compassion that never falters.

Johanna van Talligan
Client Care
Doorstep Vet

The context

As a client Care advisor for Doorstep Vet (mobile practice) Johanna receives more calls than a standard practice regarding elderly pets due to us carrying out home visits. She speaks daily with people who are frightened, distressed or grieving because of concerns about their pets. Many are facing difficult decisions about end-of-life care, struggling with uncertainty, or needing someone to listen when their emotions feel overwhelming. As the first person they speak to, she supports clients at some of their most vulnerable moments. This requires sensitivity, patience and emotional resilience, particularly in a busy practice with competing demands. What makes her deserving of recognition is the consistency of her compassion: however busy the day becomes, her calm manner and empathy never falter.

The action

Her exceptional compassion is demonstrated through the unwavering care she brings to difficult conversations every day. She listens closely, acknowledges each person’s feelings and responds with warmth and understanding. She has a natural ability to relate to people, offering reassurance without dismissing their worries or minimising what they are experiencing. Even when the practice is busy, her manner remains calm, patient and compassionate. She makes space for distress and treats each caller as someone whose feelings matter, rather than simply another call to answer. It is this consistent kindness that makes her contribution exceptional. Supporting distressed clients is emotionally demanding, yet she continues to offer empathy and reassurance, conversation after conversation.

The ripple effect

Her calm, compassionate approach gives clients something invaluable during difficult moments: the reassurance that they are being heard and do not have to face their worries alone. Although she cannot remove the sadness or uncertainty surrounding a pet’s illness or end-of-life care, she can make those conversations feel less overwhelming. Her kindness helps build trust between clients and the practice, showing that we care about the person as well as their pet. For the team, knowing that distressed callers are met with such sensitivity is deeply reassuring. She sets an example of compassion through everyday actions, reminding us how much the tone of a voice and the willingness to listen can mean to someone who is struggling.

Voting opens 13 November.