Hopefully The OBGYN Forgives You
Call Center, Hospital, Impossible Demands, Jerk, New York, USA | Right | March 11, 2021
I work in a small hospital as a switchboard operator. My office deals with all incoming, outgoing, and internal calls, we act as the answering service for all the doctors associated with the hospital, and we track and call all codes and alarms.
Me: “[Hospital], this is [Ny Name]; how may I help you?”
Caller: “I need to talk to my doctor.”
Me: “What is the name of your doctor?”
Caller: “I don’t know; you need to look it up!”
Me: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have that ability. There is no database listing the patients of each doctor associated with us.”
I try to help him remember.
Me: “Where is the office located?”
Caller: “Upstairs.”
I literally look up, thinking, “That’s radiology.”
Me: “Upstairs of what building? There are multiple buildings on our campus.”
Caller: *Getting belligerent* “Of the hospital. What are you, stupid?”
Me: “Sir, there are no doctors’ offices in the main hospital building. Do you know which office building it is located in?”
Caller: “Why can’t you just look it up and tell me who my doctor is? Stop being a b**** and just tell me who my doctor is.”
It is standard policy at this hospital that if a caller becomes rude or swears at us on the phone, we are allowed to hang up on them.
Instead of hanging up, I transferred him to an office I KNEW was not the one he wanted: the OBGYN.
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