Unfiltered Story #290453

*I work internal IT for a retail company. Due to the fact that we’re going into the holiday season, there are several new seasonal hires that need passwords/setups (along with a couple other factors), so our hold times have unfortunately been pretty lengthy. Something that the end users love to lecture us about. I recently had a call from a user:*

Me: Service Desk, this is [my name]

User: Hi. I’m a newer employee and I was told not to sign up for benefits until I reached a certain number of days after hire. I just got an email thanking me for making my choices but I didn’t sign up for anything because I was told not to. I didn’t choose anything because I was told not to but I need my benefits.

*We have specific numbers for HR and Benefits questions because we’re mostly trying to keep calls to SD down and let us focus on the IT related questions. Also due to the potential sensitivity of that information, they just don’t want SD to handle it, since we’re not HR.*

Me: Okay, I’m going to have to send you to our benefits center for that. Service Desk doesn’t have any ability to see that information so I have no way to see if something was accidentally put through or if you may have hit the threshold they were talking about

User: This is stupid! I waited almost an hour! Why can’t you help me?

Me: Service Desk doesn’t have access to see your benefits information, so I’m unable to see what’s going on with your account

User: Ugh. This is so stupid. I just waited an hour for you to tell me I have to call someone else? My manager told me to call you!

Me: I apologize for the miscommunication, but Service Desk doesn’t have any way to see your benefits information. Let me get your their number but then I can transfer you over

User: I just waited an hour for this! Ugh. Fine. Who do I have to call and wait for now?

Me: You’re going to want to call the benefits center. Here’s the number: *rattles off phone number*. If you can wait just a second, I’ll get you transferred over

User: No, I’ve already waited an hour, I’ll call myself *click*

*I can understand her frustration (we’re right there with the users because we have to hear about it all the time), but what did she want me to do? I mean, I probably could have come up with an answer for her but I can guarantee it would have just pissed her off more*