It was 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Six hours after I left a message at my Doctors office I called again. Since I had not received a call back and the pharmacist had not received my prescription, I was afraid the matter wouldn't be handled before they closed for they weekend.
The on-call doctor had prescribed painkillers and an MRI for my injured back. His last communication had been to tell me to call a neurologist for an immediate appointment. I was able to schedule an appointment for 6 days later - a special accommodation.
I was in pain and knew the meds would not last me 6 days - or even through the weekend. The on-call doctor left early and his nurse told me to call my own doctor first thing in the morning to get the prescription I needed. I called, as instructed, at 8:30 Friday morning.
Okay, sometimes things take longer than I want them to. But I didn't think I was committing a transgression by calling again 6 hours later. The telephone receptionist let me know how wrong I was! She immediately informed me that the nurse was busy and did not have time to return my call.
Message I heard: "You are not important."
When I (in pain) tried to explain the problem, she cut me off and told me how busy the office was. She implied that I was being completely unreasonable by asking her to do anything to make sure the nurse had received my message.
Message I heard: "You are stupid for thinking you deserve any help."
Then she informed me that by law they had 48 hours to respond to a request for medication (not true, I learned later). She then told me (sternly) to stop blaming her; she couldn't do anything to solve the problem.
Message I heard: "I (telephone voice) am right and you are wrong. There is something wrong with you for wanting a narcotic."
That's when I lost it. In tears, I said, "You could at least be nice about it," and hung up the phone.
I left another message for the nurse who called back immediately and helped me solve the prescription problem.
I told the nurse about the discourtesy and she told me that the telephone receptionist had just complained to her about me! (The nurse also told me that the 48-hour law was nonsense.)
Wouldn't it have been a lot easier for the telephone receptionist to simply say, "I'm sorry for the delay; I'll ask the nurse to call you?"
Message I would have heard but didn't: "I care and I will do my best to help you."
A tiny bit of empathy would have gone a long way.
I called later and left a message about the discourtesy for the office manager. The person I spoke with at the business office was polite, professional and helpful.
I have consulted with many professional offices and I know how hard they usually work to maintain good client relations - and how a single employee can ruin a company's reputation. I'll also send the office manager a copy of this article.
Perhaps someone you know should read it also... Please pass it on.
What Customer Service Means
Last week I went to a local pharmacy to have a prescription filled. As I approached the prescription counter I noticed a sign beside the cash register that said, ? Let's Talk.? Considering it an invitation I said in a friendly, cheery voice, ? OK let's talk.? and proceeded to say ? How are you today?? The woman waiting on me was not amused. She looked at me in frigid, non-responsive silence and finally said cooly, ? Can I help you??
It didn't take a degree in nuclear physics to figure out that she was totally ignoring my humble attempt to be friendly so I too immediately responded to her icy tone with one of my own. I gave her the information regarding my prescription and was told curtly that I was at the wrong counter. I was at the ?PRESCRIPTION OUT? counter when I should be at the
? PRESCRIPTION IN ? counter. How silly of me to make such a mistake. Maybe that's why she was so unfriendly to me. I had committed a huge unforgivable sin in Pharmacy Land.
As I approached the proper counter I once again saw the sign, ? Let's Talk.? and decided to give the place a second chance. I looked at the lady waiting on me and said once again in an upbeat and friendly tone, ? The other woman who waited on me wasn't really in the mood to talk so I came down here. So ?Let's talk.?
Again stone cold, icy silence followed by ? Can I help you?? If you can't beat them, join them so I too became cool, abrupt, assertive and said, ? Mike Moore/ Doctor Quinn/ asthma medication/ repeat required please. She checked the computer and found that I did have 4 repeats left. I told her that I would be in at 10:00 a.m. the next day to pick it up and I left. I know I shouldn't have responded in kind but I was ticked off at the way a paying customer was being treated.
I wanted to hand the woman my card and tell her that I spoke to companies and organizations on customer relations and would be more that happy to conduct a seminar for their employees on the topic. But I didn't.
I'm not saying that dealing with the public is easy. It isn't. In fact it can be very stressful but you can neutralize the stress with a simple smile and a bit of humor. All these people needed to do when I responded to their invitation to talk was smile and say in a friendly tone, ?OK. Let's talk. What can I do for you??
Simple, easy, effective and it leaves your customer wanting to return to do business with you. Isn't that what customer service is all about?
Both Laurie Weiss & Mike Moore are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Laurie Weiss has sinced written about articles on various topics from Burnout, Travel and Leisure and Guide Guitar. Communicate skillfully about sensitive subjects in business situations. Have the challenging conversations that lead to cooperation and success.Laurie Weiss,. Laurie Weiss's top article generates over 27100 views. Bookmark Laurie Weiss to your Favourites.
Mike Moore has sinced written about articles on various topics from Public Relations, Brand Name and Public Relations. Mike Moore is a speaker/humorist who speaks on ? Humor and Stress? Humor in the Workplace? and ?Customer Relations? motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?motplusa. Mike Moore's top article generates over 40500 views. Bookmark Mike Moore to your Favourites.
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