Re: Customer Service Scenarios

[Guest guest]

Sit at any retail pharmacy on a Monday morning, Saturday night or before closing

on a Sunday. Enjoy the free floor show. You will see the worse behavior any

human can muster.

Things I have gotten blamed/dealt with, because you are the front line person to

keep the pharmacist from handling this nonsense.

1) Customer doesn't have insurance card, and is mad I can't make miracles

happen, as in getting your script to go thru with insurance coverage.

2) Mad your co pay jumped from $4 to $10 dollars.

3) I can't make the pharmacist give you your CII script three weeks early.

4) I don't believe your cat enjoys the taste of Oxy. No, I doubt the cat ate it.

(Why doesn't Metformin hit the sink, toilet or some animal's stomach as often as

Soma, Xanax and Vicodin?) This will get punted to the pharmacist to handle.

5) Customers plane leaves in 2 hrs. He is 1 hour away from the airport. He dumps

8 maintenance meds scripts on the counter. 3 have pre authorizations, and

expects us to rustle them up in 10 minutes. It is a Friday evening, and we are

slammed as it is the 1st of the month.

6) A woman lifts her shirt up, sans bra, and asks you to diagnosis " this rash " .

7) A person carts something in a food container, puts it on the counter. Do you

dare open it? Poop, something coughed up, or something from another other

orifice? Do you even want to know what is the question?

6) I had a mom show me a kid's gastroenteritis diaper, and asked if " she should

take him to the ER? "

(I don't know, 15 watery diapers in 2 hours...hmmm...)

Anyway, that's some of the worse. Your job is to diffuse, and placate the

irate/unreasonable customer. 90% of the time I can. The true loons, the one with

altered RXs, or the ones are 3 neuron snaps away from getting the police called,

those go to the pharmacist.

You need for customer service

1)Skin like a rhino

And

2)A sense of humour.

Nanci

~It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really

quite busy....~

[Guest guest]

people who don't understand that if you give a partial on a c2, they need a new

rx for the rest (currently there is an adderal shortage we are dealing with) 

another is the patient doesn't understand that you aren't denying them the drug

(overcharging them etc.) but its their insurance who won't cover it.

 

What types of customer service situations do pharmacy techs encounter?

I'd like to know and learn how to deal with them before I apply to retail

pharmacy, which will be my first job.

[Guest guest]

Personal favorite: preauthorizations, especially when both the doctor AND

customer are clueless, and I get a scream fest from both.

" Just let me speak to the Pharmacist... "

(He's not going to tell you anything different or make it go thru any fast)

Taser me in the head to take away the pain...

The biggest problems are 1) people CLUELESS about their prescription coverage

(pick any of these-what is covered, generic substitutions, lapses in coverage,

no card, wrong card, expired card, newborns not put on insurance..pre auths)

2)How long it takes to fill an actual script. No we just don't toss pills in a

bottle, and you screaming at me is taking time away from me actually filling

your script.

3) CII scammers. We don't get many tampered scripts, but boatloads of people

trying to job the system. " Lost script " , pills falling into sink, toilet, down a

sewer grate, pets eating them, can you front me some until my doctor calls on

Monday, people who do the ER rounds for CIIs. (Never ever for insulin, HCTZ,

Catapres-those NEVER go missing)

And if you say NO, wait for the on slot of verbal abuse.

95% of the time, it is a really fun job, and the customers are pleasant and

grateful for your help. It just when it heads south, you see how nasty a person

can be to a total stranger.

Nanci-->no, really, I do like my job.

~It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really

quite busy....~

[Guest guest]

Thank you for answering this Karin!

 

I think the main thing to know is that the patient who does not feel well and

may not be not necessarily thinking clearly, then misunderstands a lot. That

even includes pharmacist counseling. One reason why we also give medication

guides.

 

Karin can you 'speak' a bit about med guides?

 

We must learn to be tactful and polite; posses a Will DO MY BEST at ALL

TIMES attitude when assisting the patient in community pharmacy and that the

patient comes FIRST.

 

I agree with Karin, it is important to say the insurance denied coverage and if

you can say why without embarassing the patient this is a good thing to do. It

helps them to understand. Break it down into easy to understand terms: 

 

- the plan has changed and does not cover this drug

or

 - the plan has changed and no longer covers this drug

 

Most patients do not understand:

-the drug is no longer on the formulary

 

Any other ideas any one?

 

Hope this helps,

 

 

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner

Copyrighted

 

 

   

     

     

      What types of customer service situations do pharmacy techs encounter? 

I'd like to know and learn how to deal with them before I apply to retail

pharmacy, which will be my first job.       

   

     

   

   

 

[Guest guest]

Love all of your scenarios!

Jeanetta Mastron

Founder/Owner

>

> Personal favorite: preauthorizations, especially when both the doctor AND

customer are clueless, and I get a scream fest from both.

>

> " Just let me speak to the Pharmacist... "

>

> (He's not going to tell you anything different or make it go thru any fast)

>

> Taser me in the head to take away the pain...

>

> The biggest problems are 1) people CLUELESS about their prescription coverage

(pick any of these-what is covered, generic substitutions, lapses in coverage,

no card, wrong card, expired card, newborns not put on insurance..pre auths)

>

> 2)How long it takes to fill an actual script. No we just don't toss pills in a

bottle, and you screaming at me is taking time away from me actually filling

your script.

>

> 3) CII scammers. We don't get many tampered scripts, but boatloads of people

trying to job the system. " Lost script " , pills falling into sink, toilet, down a

sewer grate, pets eating them, can you front me some until my doctor calls on

Monday, people who do the ER rounds for CIIs. (Never ever for insulin, HCTZ,

Catapres-those NEVER go missing)

>

> And if you say NO, wait for the on slot of verbal abuse.

>

> 95% of the time, it is a really fun job, and the customers are pleasant and

grateful for your help. It just when it heads south, you see how nasty a person

can be to a total stranger.

>

> Nanci-->no, really, I do like my job.

> ~It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really

quite busy....~

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Jeanetta,

Where is a good place to find information on the Medicare medical coverage

plans. You know thanks to Obama care it is the baby boomers are suffering

medical cuts daily, now they don't want to pay for breast exams or lipid

profiles; which you have to have for most cholesterol medications or doctors

won't represcribe them. Are you going to any conventions this year? If so, which

ones and when? Could you send the links, please. It would be good to see you

again. I haven't been to a seminar in awhile.

Thanks,

Debbie

Re: Customer Service Scenarios

Thank you for answering this Karin!

I think the main thing to know is that the patient who does not feel well and

may not be not necessarily thinking clearly, then misunderstands a lot. That

even includes pharmacist counseling. One reason why we also give medication

guides.

Karin can you 'speak' a bit about med guides?

We must learn to be tactful and polite; posses a Will DO MY BEST at ALL TIMES

attitude when assisting the patient in community pharmacy and that the patient

comes FIRST.

I agree with Karin, it is important to say the insurance denied coverage and

if you can say why without embarassing the patient this is a good thing to do.

It helps them to understand. Break it down into easy to understand terms:

- the plan has changed and does not cover this drug

or

- the plan has changed and no longer covers this drug

Most patients do not understand:

-the drug is no longer on the formulary

Any other ideas any one?

Hope this helps,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner

Copyrighted

What types of customer service situations do pharmacy techs encounter?

I'd like to know and learn how to deal with them before I apply to retail

pharmacy, which will be my first job.