Comments on: Who’s This? -or- How to Answer the Damn Phone

By: Eileen in Selkirk

Eileen in Selkirk — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:13:00 +0000

I worked in many doctors offices and that is not how you greet people on the phone. You are to give the dr’s name or practice name, your name, and ask how you could help them. If you need to put them on hold, you ask their permission and when, you come back thank them for waiting and even if you aren’t sure if it is an outside line, you ask how you could help them. I have worked with many competant and watch many incompetant people get fired for exactly the same thing as what happened to you. I can guarantee you, one word to the dr and either she would change the tone or she would be gone.

Hint to the wiser commenters: you usually know what line is blinking and if it is an outside call or not.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:41:42 +0000

Ridiculous and it’s everywhere from doctor’s offices to the supermarket. Customer/client/patient services is a lost art. Rudeness and lack of manners prevails. A shame.

By: Roz

Roz — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:13:10 +0000

@16: The correct way to answer is: “How can I help you?” not “Who’s this?!” Especially if it is a professional office. The staff in Kevin’s Doctor’s office doesn’t sound very professional to me. I see several doctors and each one has a top notch staff—none of this “Who’s this?!” nonsense.

By: nolan D

nolan D — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:11:46 +0000

I handle it by asking “Whom are you calling?” Love the answers. Might be fun to be them instead of me!

By: Kevin Marshall

Kevin Marshall — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:53:54 +0000

tiredofthehorrorstories – I think you should read things before commenting.

By: tiredofthehorrorstories

tiredofthehorrorstories — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:34:41 +0000

Here is how I do it. The Person i am calling answeres, they say “hello” I say “Hi, this is (insert name here). Remember, you are calling them, not them calling you. If some question remains as to who each of you are, Then clarify with a little more detail. Especially if it is a professional office. Odds are, they have no idea who you are. Even though you may believe you are so important that everyone should know you simply by your voice. Oh yeah, that’s rigth! You can’t speak in your normal tone because you are sick. Hmmmmm, a bit of a qaugmire. Oh Well. suck it up buttercup. you aren’t the only one with a cold, nor are you the only one who probably got frustrated after having called the werong number multiple times. Besides, ‘Don’t they know who you think you are?”

By: M.L. Cullen

M.L. Cullen — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:12:25 +0000

Damn e-cigarettes!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:28:11 +0000

It could have been worse. They could have hired Roger Daltrey to answer their phone. Or J. Cole.

By: Apathetic

Apathetic — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:52:16 +0000

When I lived in a Fraternity house in college, we used to have an issue. Someone would answer the phone, “Hello,” and the response was “Who’s this?” We were able to resolve this matter when people called and said, “Who’s this?” by stating, “Poor phone manners…*Click*” Most people got the message and called back saying, “Sorry, this is so&so, is blank there?”

By: Eddie

Eddie — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:45:42 +0000

Sadly, this is just one more symptom of a society that is in freefall and largely abandoning notions of common courtesy and civility. From the way people drive to just the general manner in which they interact (or don’t interact) in public, it’s a throoughly depressing spectacle to witness on a daily basis.

Hopefully it’s a local thing, beacuse I will not be staying here when I retire. If it’s national trend, I’ll at least be spared our lousy winters!