I don’t know what it is about insurance customers (not health, btw but property/casualty) but they are some of the WORST people I have had the misfortune of dealing with and I have been in customer service jobs for years. Retail from when I was 17 until I was 33 when I got into insurance. I wanted weekends, nights, and holidays off.
Well just to give you some examples, just the other day I got called “unprofessional” by a lady who I forgot to call back right away. Nevermind we had one person out because her sister was having open heart surgery and it was just two of us in here with the phones going non-stop for days. Nevermind I was overwhelmed. Nevermind I was stressed. Nevermind I was beating my brains out trying to make absolute sure all my i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed and missed one thing. Sorry it happened to be your call back. It wasn’t “unprofessional” it was an honest mistake. People forget things sometimes, especially when work has piled up to nearly unmanageable levels and you cannot keep up no matter how hard you try. One is bound to forget at least one thing. But I am sure she has never made a mistake in her life. I am sure she is perfect and never forgets a single thing.
Today I was cussed at (this guy used the F bomb on me more than once) because a couple of his recent payments declined and now he owed back pay. I was very empathetic with him, as declined payments can be embarrassing. He demanded to know why they declined. I explained we have no way of knowing for sure, he may want to talk to his bank. He then proceeded to cuss me out and yell. Because, I guess to him, the fact HIS bank account was insufficient it was apparently my fault.
These are just two examples and I am TIRED OF IT!! Why the hell people think it is okay to harrass and verbally abuse people in service, who are just doing their job, is beyond me. It is NOT our fault your payments are late. It is NOT our fault you keep getting traffic tickets and in at fault accidents, and your insurance is going up. It is NOT our fault you do not understand how your insurance works. If you would stop interrupting, stop yelling, stop cussing, and LISTEN when we are trying to help you, maybe you would learn something. You being frustrated, worried about bills, etc. does absolutely not give you the right to use other human beings as punching bags.
At the office I am at now (we are a small local agency) the customers don’t even want us to take lunch breaks. If they try to call us, or come in without an appointment, while we are out to lunch they complain we were not available to them. I‘m sorry. I didn’t realize we had to work around the clock 9 hours and not take any time to ourselves and eat, so you could be waited on hand and foot at the snap of your finger. We will return your call if you leave a voicemail. You will get helped. If you choose to come to the office without calling first, during a very common lunch hour (12-1) and we’re not here, that’s kind of on you. Have a little patience. We will be back. We just want to eat. We want a break we are entitled to. We are people too. Not your hired robots.
Edit: I do understand insurance is frustrating. And sometimes downright unfair. Prices are on the rise right now, like everything else. I am an insurance customer myself. Have been since I was a teenager. But RARELY is your problem something that is the representative’s fault. We are just messengers. You screaming, cussing, calling names to us is like treating the waitress at a restaurant like shit because the price of the steak is too high. She’s just there to serve you. Not make executive decisions on behalf of the company.