I lost my composure yesterday.
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 wouldnt 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 didnt 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 couldnt 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.
Thats 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.)
Wouldnt it have been a lot easier for the telephone receptionist to simply say, Im sorry for the delay; Ill ask the nurse to call you?
Message I would have heard but didnt: I care and I will do my best to help you.
A tiny bit of empathy would have gone a long way.
Since I have consulted with many professional offices and I know how hard they usually work to maintain good client relations, I called later and left a message about the discourtesy for the office manager. My contact with the business office was polite, professional and helpful. Ill send the office manager a copy of this blog post too.
Perhaps someone you know should read it also
Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. is a Master Certified Coach and communication expert. Dr. Weiss has spent 35 years helping clients resolve conflict in business and personal relationships. Email feedback@laurieweiss.com
[tags]Business Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Customer Service[/tags]
