Tales from the call center.

[quitcallingme]

I work for a mail order pharmacy insurance company, oh the joys........

Just getting into the blasted account

ME: "Can I have your member ID so I can access your account?"
SC: "WHAT THE &%$%$%#%&$& I just gave it to the computer!! You should have it"
ME: Sorry, but that info does not come through
SC: Why the hell not!?
ME: It just does not, can I get your ID so I can assist you with your problem
SC: fires off number in rapid mushmouthed fashion so I can't even begin to get it.
ME: *try to enter ID number I got of course it does not work* I am sorry, That isn't working, I got 123456
SC: pissed, and signing and condescending like *I* am the idiot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


ME: "Can I have your member ID so I can access your account?"
SC: *always suprised that they need that info and fumbles around for ID card*
I have the r x bin
ME: No It should be some sort of ID number
SC: ALL I SEE IS RX BIN!
ME: *wanting to stab my brain with a fork* Look towards the bottom of the card, there should be an ID number"
SC: rattles off numbers
ME: *this usually pulls up completely different accounts as they are giving the RX BIN* Uh... can you verify your name and DOB. They rattle it off, I then use that info to FINALLY open the account.
SC is, of course irritated that it took 'so long' to get their account pulled up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then there are times when nothing pulls up an account. ID does not work, nor does name and DOB, or RX number. This is, of course, somehow my fault and I get yelled at because THEY can not give me proper info.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then there was one woman who refused to fully authenticate:

She called in wanting to know why she got a bill. Of course, she is absolutely clueless about what her member ID is. I manage to get in based on name and DOB....in that case, I have to verify address, phone, and a script name or number before I can divulge ant info. She does not know the name of the script ,....which was for her adult son, which also required me asking if he knew she was calling on his behalf.

SC refused to answer the question. I told her that I could not divulge any info without the script name and knowing that SC's son knows SC is calling. she said she gave 'enough' verification and demands the info. I tell SC no. She demands a supervisor. well, a supervisor will *not* take a call that is not fully authenticated. Sup IS standing behind me and waiting for her to verify the missing info.

She then starts screaming and saying "so you are REFUSING" to give me a supervisor?"

"not at all, the sup is refusing to take the call. she will come on right after you verify."

"I gave you all the info you need and I demand a supervisor NOW!"

"she will come on right after you verify"

*rinse, lather repeat*

by now, it is the 'principle' of the matter.

SC starts to threaten legal action and calling corp. I tell her that I am acting within company policy and I will be more than happy to assist/ get the sup AS SOON AS SHE VERIFIES" Seriously, all she has to say was a little three letter word, "yes" we can even get around the name of the med issue- as long as she will accept that the 60.00 bill is 'for your son's medication that was shipped on X date" (which we know by now she would not be...)

She ends the call screaming, cussing, and saying that she will call Corp and demand that I get fired and this call be used in training as to what NOT to do. (Sup at this point has plugged in and is sitting next to me listening....I almost have to kick her off because she is LAUGHING at this point.

Well, chick got one wish. The call was indeed pulled and played in recent training as EXACTLY WHAT TO DO... IE: don't let assholes bully you into violating HIPAA/company policy I got a pretty "good going" cert to hang in my cube, too.

[Moosenogger]

Well, chick got one wish. The call was indeed pulled and played in recent training as EXACTLY WHAT TO DO... IE: don't let assholes bully you into violating HIPAA/company policy I got a pretty "good going" cert to hang in my cube, too.

Oh, if only you could tell that to the SC who called. "Thanks for being such an obstinate moron! I got a certificate for handling your situation perfectly! "

[tropicsgoddess]

Too bad there's no cert you can give to the SC for the don'ts of calling a medical company on somebody's behalf coupled with how NOT to be an asshole.

[Sonoma]

Can't tell you how many times I've had those calls too. People only seem to find their RX BIN or their group number on the ID card. The RX BIN tells me what state your plan's based in, and your group # tells me which company the coverage is through. Neither one tells me who YOU are.

Gotta' love spouses/parents calling on another adult's coverage. Just being mommy or spouse doesn't mean that they want you to know what they went to the doctor for. If you need to know that, you can bet I'm gonna' verify that you're entitled to that information.

[MoonCat]

Idiots are everywhere. Unfortunately they all know how to use the phone.

[lvceline]

I feel your pain! People are so ignorant over the phone. It's so annoying when someone calls on someone else's behalf and demands information no matter what. Good for you for sticking with your guns.

I work in a call center too and sometimes pulling up accounts is so irritating.

A couple things that annoy me greatly are snarky comments for no reason, like when I ask someone for an account # and they bark back "I already gave it to the computer, you should have it." That kind of response does no good and I don't ask for the account # unless it pulls through for me, so don't snap at me and just give it again and we can move on.

Another is when I have to verify a phone # or ask for one and they snap back "I don't know, I don't call myself." Well obviously, who does call themself, but that's not why you should know your own number. Lose the snarky comment and just tell me you need to look it up or something.

[emax4]

At some point, the rules in your rulebook should be changed that instead of wasting time and keeping other people in the queue waiting, you could say, "If the next words out of your mouth are not the verification or numbers, I am releasing this call as per the (company) guidelines..."

[Aethian]

I'm afraid I was bearing into the sc realm one day after multiple calls to the company that handles my mail order scripts. It wasn't until one rep near the end informed me that my account number is my employee number that problems were magically taken care if.

[cinema guy]

ME: "Can I have your member ID so I can access your account?"
SC: "WHAT THE &%$%$%#%&$& I just gave it to the computer!! You should have it"

I have to admit that annoys me to. Not that I take it out on the rep on the phone though.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

That's about the standard for a call center.

When I worked mobile phone support at a call center, I remember one call I took that went close to 30 minutes because this woman was DEMANDING all kinds of detailed info on an account but could not verify the proper information.

In our case, Sups would on occasion take calls without verification so one got involved in this case, but all she could do was the same I had been doing for the prior ten minutes, which is trying to VERIFY the account.

The woman finally gave up.

[Alpha Strike]

I feel your pain! People are so ignorant over the phone. It's so annoying when someone calls on someone else's behalf and demands information no matter what. Good for you for sticking with your guns.

I work in a call center too and sometimes pulling up accounts is so irritating.

A couple things that annoy me greatly are snarky comments for no reason, like when I ask someone for an account # and they bark back "I already gave it to the computer, you should have it." That kind of response does no good and I don't ask for the account # unless it pulls through for me, so don't snap at me and just give it again and we can move on....

I was nodding in agreement while reading through this entire thread. While most folks I handle at my call center aren't awful about this, lack of account information is just one of those tiny little irritants that I deal with seemingly dozens of times a day.

In some cases it's almost like a point of pride that they don't know the information I need. I'll ask for one piece of information they don't have, ask for another, and move on to a third, and all of my requests are meet with a confident "Nope!" in response to if they have it or know it.

On a related note, am I the only one who finds it super annoying when a customer responds "I'm at work, so I don't have/know anything" when asked for account information? I can't even count the number of times I've heard that excuse and each time I've wanted to respond either with "So am I!" or "What does that have to do with anything?"

[Argus]

I was nodding in agreement while reading through this entire thread. While most folks I handle at my call center aren't awful about this, lack of account information is just one of those tiny little irritants that I deal with seemingly dozens of times a day.

Whereas I generally go for the opposite extreme when I call about something like that. "I have my latest statement here in front of me, are there any numbers that would help you look up my account?" (Although the last time the answer turned out to be no; they were required to use my phone number anyway.)

[quitcallingme]

On a related note, am I the only one who finds it super annoying when a customer responds "I'm at work, so I don't have/know anything" when asked for account information? I can't even count the number of times I've heard that excuse and each time I've wanted to respond either with "So am I!" or "What does that have to do with anything?"

YES!! Am I the only one who carries that stuff in my purse?

That or "I am DRIVING (like I should know that) I can't get to that info!!!"

How about you call back when you, you know, aren't in danger of killing people?


....and for the love of GOD, if you MUST call while flying down the highway roll the blasted window up!