How to answer a question you cannot answer

Customer Service staff in medical centres are not allowed to recommend doctors to patients when they call in. Most medical centres have  this policy. So, what can they do when pushed for an answer?

I was at the Customer Services Counter at a medical centre last week. The lady had to multi-task — answering phone calls and entertaining walk-ins like me.

The phone lines were not busy and the Customer Service lobby was quiet. The agent signaled me to be seated right at her desk. She had just answered a call and  I could hear the phone conversation.  It went something like this: 

Caller: Hi, I have a referral letter from my GP for a ENT Specialist.

CS Agent: Which doctor would you like me to transfer your call to?

Caller: I don’t know. Can you recommend one to me?

CS Agent: Sorry, Ma’am. We cannot make any recommendations. All our ENT specialists are good. They are Dr. Ramasamy, Dr. Azahar and Dr Lim.    [Names changed to protect the innocent 😉 ]

Caller: I would like you to recommend the most famous one to me.

CS Agent: Sorry, I am not allowed to.

Caller: Don’t you know which doctor is good and famous?

CS Agent: OK, maybe I can transfer your call to Dr. Azahar?

Caller: Why him? Why are you recommending him?

I kid you not. The poor CS Agent looked so exasperated. Clearly, she had broken a rule to keep this customer happy. However, it can lead to problems later if the customer is not happy with Dr. Azahar.

What can be done in situations like this?

Do you ever come across situations like this? Here’s what you can do that will keep the customer happy without breaking the policy.

Answer these types of requests with something measurable or a fact that cannot be disputed. And example would be:

Sorry, Ma’am. We are not allowed to give recommendations. However, I can tell you that both Dr Ramasamy have been with us for the longest time – 21 years. Dr Azahar has the most number of patients in this hospital while Dr. Lim specialises in ENT problems for senior citizens.

Makes sense? Let me know what you think.

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