We've all called an automated line at some point, right? Everyone knows it's a machine, right? Right? Then why do so many people call or come in to the pharmacy and yell and curse us out because "She told me it would be ready today?!"
Sir, you do realize "She" is not a real person, correct?
You are aware "She" is a computer?
Are you mad because "She" sounded too much like a real person?
Do you have flashbacks to that online date you made, with a computer?
It was different back in the day of the answering machines, remember? Your stupid friends would have the message "Hello? I can't hear you. Speak up. Haha Gotcha. I'm not really here right now so leave a message..." Yeah. At least that sounded like someone you knew.
Instead, we get...
Joe Customer: She hung up on me.
CP: Wow. You must be real boring then for a computer to dump you.
JC: She promised me noon tomorrow.
CP: Did she also promise you we'd call your doctor? She's such a tease.
JC: I was giving her my number and then she transferred me to you.
CP: Yeah. I'm the "friend" who's in charge of letting you down slowly. She doesn't really want you to call her. Ever.
JC: She said I had no more refills, but my bottle says...
CP: First, your bottle can't talk. Second, you can't argue with her. She's a woman. And a computer. You don't stand a chance. Just tuck your tail between your legs and walk away. Then call your doctor for a refill.
Feel free to press "0" or whatever number gets you to speak to a real person. Please do not press the number for doctors. There's nothing I hate more than hearing that special chirp that signals a doctor is on the line, dropping everything I'm doing to scramble to find an Rx pad, only to find out it's a customer who wants to give me a refill number. There's an option for that. Use it. But remember...She's a computer, so talk nice to her and don't press her buttons.
At my pharmacy "SHE" tells them a pick-up time on their refill. I know they have heard it because it prints out on the label with the date/time for pick-up or "hung up" if they didn't get that information.
ReplyDeleteApparently more than half of the patients think that once they've put in their Rx number and get a date/time for pick up that it's ok to race down the pharmacy where they expect it to be ready for them. The shortest time so far was about five minutes. We had not even printed the label yet. When I asked if the lady was in the parking lot when she put in the number, she said no... she was at the front door.