Take your turn

For those of you in telephone triage, have you ever found a few people who can be busy visiting, while calls were waiting to be triaged? How do you handle it? I keep looking for the Utopia where the load will be even.

[eltrip]

Yeah...sometimes it can be a royal pain...to be up to my tukkis in calls, needing to go to the loo while the "chatting" continues.

We are small & self-governing, for the most part. The stats come out each morning & are compiled & reported to our supervisor. Our data can always be verified via computer.

What does your suprevisor think of this?

[Audreyfay]

They say nothing. However, there are monthly stats that come out, including how many calls each person took and their average length. I'm sure it comes out in their yearly evaluations and the raises are thus granted. However, it's so hard to just sit back and let it go. Makes me feel "used." I don't like to feel like a rug! What do you say?

[Going80INA55]

I say take a hard look at your management, because that is where the problem lies.

I also work in a call center, but we all pull our weight. Now, we do have set daily and weekly quotas to meet, maybe that is part of it. However, I believe the other part is the group that I work with feel they should take their share of calls.

[Audreyfay]

Our staff is very interesting. It is made up of 95% part time or pool staff. Hard to believe. Therefore, some of the very part time or pool people come to play. Since it's just my every other weekend job, I figure I can put up with it and let it go. Sometimes I pipe up and say..."Wow, did you guys know that there are tons of calls to be answered?" Then they jump to it. It's not fun to be the bad guy though. You know how it is, easier sometimes to just ride the wave, than struggle through it. The last time I tried to struggle through a wave.....in Hawaii, I ended up riding it all the way up the shore, on my butt. I was still finding sand on the toilet seat a week later!

[atriage nurse]

I own a nursing triage company and all my staff works from their own homes. I feel this is more productive.

[Going80INA55]

Do you have a central system so you can track call volume?

Where I am at we have in house workers and some home workers. The call volume for the two is about the same.

Must be an interesting set up. How and where did you do the orientation for your nurses? It seems you would need a central location.

[Audreyfay]

We have some full time staff working here, who do the orientation. There has been a turnover in staff, so the same trainer has trained few. It was a good orientation. I have no complaints.

We do have a central tracking system, but it is not usually posted. It was at one point, but then the system went to Hyperspace, and no montly tracking is available...yet. However, I know the supervisors are able to check it. The results probably show up at evaluation times. I shouldn't feel bad, but sometimes it gets to me. Thanks for the input!

[eltrip]

hey, Audreyfay! (& everyone elsewho's "chained to a 'phone")

Just make sure that you're getting your breaks! I'm having to make myself leave my desk to make sure that I'm getting a break. Today I acquired a bit of color while eating outside. Perhaps I won't be so pale at the end of the summer?

[eltrip]

hey, Audreyfay! (& everyone elsewho's "chained to a 'phone")

Just make sure that you're getting your breaks! I'm having to make myself leave my desk to make sure that I'm getting a break. Today I acquired a bit of color while eating outside. Perhaps I won't be so pale at the end of the summer?

[Going80INA55]

That is one thing I make sure I do is take my lunches and breaks. My mind turns to crud after awhile and I feel I am not as productive if i dont .

[RN2007]

So, some of you work from your own homes as a tele triage nurse? How do you normally hear of these positions because I have never seen one in the paper, etc? Who are your callers? Are they from a drs. practice or are the ph #s advertised as nurses you can call for general info or to help with healh problems, etc. Sounds like an interesting option for a nurse to work as such. Are your telephone calls taped and reviewed for quality assurance by owners / management?