Dealing with difficult patients over the phone

[Mrs.LaDuke09]

So I'm reaching out because I am currently an MA in school for RN. I work in primary care, I am seriously concerned my phone customer service skills are horrible, well ive been told they are and I do know they are horrible but i work so hard to retrain myself not to angry when a patient makes me angry but Sometimes I just speak without thinking...or I stay silent and that seems to make them even more mad...or I blame the doctor (which ive been told by him I can he doesn't care) but that makes the patients mad..I try and smile over the phone (this normally helps lol) but sometimes its not enough. I am normally very good in person with angry or abusive patient's or patients in general. .I love to interact with people however over the phone I lose all control, I have no patience for the phone or a long winded patient with some sort of issue that wasn't my fault to begin with. At some point I just start to feel very over whelmed with the never ending phone calls, the phone messages (if I liked phones I would have become a receptionist) and narcotics that need to be refille NOW! Not to mention our front desk staff can NOT take a phone message to save their lives..either its wrong and patient ends up getting a message put in and it doesn't get done right away because we have to figure it out they or they Don't want to take the message and the patient gets shifted to me and is mad that they did or they get my voice mail and are mad about that and of I call them back and they are already mad that they couldn't be helped faster. Patients literally think because I was the one who picked up the phone that I am the one that can fix all your issues or at least be your punching bag because of course you would never be rude or irritate with your doctor!!! No its the girl who stays late to be sure your scripts are called in, you get a timely call about your results or just put the remaining 50 messages in that were left for me at 4:30 (our phones go off at 5:00). And might I add I DO NOT sit at my desk all day.. I just don't know what to do! Its just I can only be yelled at so much!! I do love my job..I just hate phones and I know my phone etiquette has to change. My office manager is understanding she knows the phone me isnt me but I dont want to let her down..or anyone. Please Help

[Mrs.LaDuke09]

Thank you. I think I get frustrated because I tend to take it personally! ! I will try that put them on hold see if that helps.

[Mrs.LaDuke09]

As far as asking my office manager for help....well normally see blows things like this off. I mean I know shes busy but I usually get the impression shes too busy and I can tell you shes no better than me sometimes. I don't mean to speak ill that's not the point. But I'm just saying shes not an option and we no longer have a nurse. We used too and things were better! Much better!

[Mrs.LaDuke09]

As far as asking my manager for help....well normally when I come for help its blown/dismissed. I mean I know shes busy but I usually get the impression shes too busy. I don't mean to speak ill that's not the point I'm making here. she is an amazing office manager but sometimes she cant be bothered But I'm just saying shes not an option and we no longer have a nurse. We used too and things were better! Much better!

[DawnJ]

Dealing with people, especially angry and annoyed ones, over the phone is a skill set of its own that needs to be learned.

This^^^^^

There are classes offered to people who work in call centers. That's where I learned how to deal with difficult customers on the phone. I generally look for something I can agree with them on...'Yes, I can see that waiting for a call back is frustrating' or 'I can hear that you are upset, let me see what I can do to make things better'.

You need to get them to feel that they have been heard and that you are their ally at some level.

What is is that you do differently in person compared to the phone? Perhaps you can leverage that knowledge as well.