ACA Hotline Operator Takes Call From Hannity; Gets Righteously Sacked; Wingnuts Enraged
More: Sebelius NOT Fired? but This Single Mom ObamaCare Operator Is? - Fox Nation
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We updated the website’s homepage to offer more information about the other avenues to enroll in affordable health care until the online option works for everybody. So you will find information about how to talk to a specialist who can help you apply over the phone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: That was President Obama on Monday urging people who were trying to sign up for Obamacare and couldn’t get online to call the hotline. On my radio program we took the president, we took his advice, we called the number he gave out, and a very nice, very pleasant woman named Earline Davis picked up and answered every question we had, was very patient. Here is part of the conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Hello?
EARLINE DAVIS, FIRED OBAMACARE OPERATOR: My name is Earline Davis. How may I help you?
HANNITY: You’re on the radio with Sean Hannity. Is it Eileen?
DAVIS: Earline. I’m the health care marketplace call center.
HANNITY: That’s who I want to call. You’re on the radio. Is that OK with you? You have to say yes if you want to be on.
DAVIS: It’s OK. Yes, sir.
HANNITY: Thank you. What’s your first name?
DAVIS: My name is Earline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: However, the very next day Earline was fired. She joins me now to explain why. Earline thank you for being with us. I appreciate you coming.
DAVIS: Yes, sir.
HANNITY: By the way, you were kind, patient, helpful. You answered every question. Wasn’t that what your job was, to answer the questions? The president gave out the number.
DAVIS: Yes, sir. That was.
HANNITY: Did they ever tell you that you can’t answer questions on a radio show? Was that part of your training?
DAVIS: No, sir. I never knew about that.
HANNITY: Yes. OK, so you took my call, you answered all our questions, which I think was a benefit because we have a big radio audience. We are on over 500 stations, and so that would result in fewer people calling. But the next day, what happened?
DAVIS: They fired me.
The Rightwing Rage Machine cranked right up!
However this operator was righteously sacked. Call centers have a script that operators must follow, the reason for this is simple: consistent customer service as their issues are identified and sent to the correct split.
A call from the media is not a customer service call. What the operator should have done is put Hannity’s producer on hold while she asked a supervisor the correct response. She should have never gone ON AIR using the call center phone system. “These calls are monitored for quality assurance” and every call is timed from pickup to resolution.
At the call center where I work (not answering the phone, I am several layers behind that) taking a call from the media and going ON AIR (especially if the Hotline was experiencing some performance issues that have caught public attention) is grounds for immediate termination.
The operators receive training in how to properly route the calls they receive. They have a script for answering specific issues, and anything that is outside those specific issues has to be routed further up the pipe. If an operator picks up a media call, it has to be routed to Public Relations.
This operator screwed up BIG TIME and compromised the integrity of the Hotline and its ability to deliver quality customer service.
