Wait. The Customers WERE Right!
I work in a doctor’s office. Part of my job is calling people forty-eight hours before their appointment to make sure they will be there. For weeks, I’ve been getting responses like these.
Patient #1: “What? I didn’t schedule anything!”
Patient #2: “How odd… It’s not in my calendar.”
Patient #3: “Really? Man, I totally spaced.”
[Patient #4] just starts yelling about my incompetence.
Patient #5: “I did not schedule that. You will cancel it. Now.”
Patient #6: “I know I scheduled that, but I can’t make it… sorry.”
Just patients being airheads, right? Well… not quite. I walk in on my coworker using the scheduling software. She isn’t on the phone, and there isn’t a patient at the window.
Me: “What are you doing?”
Coworker: “Making appointments.”
Me: “Without the patient?”
Coworker: “Why not? Half the people around here are too demented to remember their own birthdays. Besides, if they don’t show up, we get to charge a late fee. Win-win.”
I was speechless. I realized that the rage and confusion that had been directed at me for the past several weeks was justified. I said nothing to my coworker and instead went to the doctor. When he saw what she was doing, he fired her on the spot.
This story is part of our Best Of January 2021 roundup!
Read the next Best Of January 2021 roundup story!
Read the Best Of January 2021 roundup!
Question of the Week
Have you ever met a customer who thought the world revolved around them?
