True Tales of a Talker #6: The Birthday Girl

 

When people ask me what my favorite holiday is I always answer the same: my birthday. Mine is October 6^th and I love celebrating it! I guess for one day a year it makes me feel special. In my family it marks the beginning of Christmas. Yes, the holiday is still over two months away from that date but I am the only one in my family with a birthday after July if you don’t count my dad’s which is in August. I get to signal the start of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the decorating it brings.

On this particular day, I was calling Medicare for information on how to fix an MSP claim. That’s when another insurance is primary over Medicare. Things have to be just right in order for it to pay.

Gina, the representative, was very nice. It sounded like she was having a good day already. And, being me, I wanted to find out why.

I asked her flat out “Just what has you in such a great mood today?”

She answered back “It’s my birthday!”

I immediately sang the ‘Happy Birthday’ song to her. I refrained from the “Are you 1? Are you 2?” and so on.

She let out a little squeal and thanked me. I could tell she wasn't working from home as so many employees are doing at call centers during the pandemic. She was using her inside voice.

I inquired as to how she was going to celebrate. She was eager to say she celebrates for an entire week. Last week her family took her out for dinner. Another day, her husband spent the entire day with her going to their favorite places. A few nights before the kids had made her favorite for the family dinner. Just last night she went out for drinks with her coworkers.

I was amazed. "You've had quite the week! What do you plan on tonight?"

She took a deep breath and let it out. "To tell you the truth, I hope we just stay home. It's been a wonderful week but I'm kind of tired. A night in with my family relaxing would be the best thing right now."

Totally get you, girl.

She went on to help me with my claim and when we were finished I, again, wished her a very happy birthday.

I have worked on my birthday before. In fact, I remember a long time ago on my 20th birthday I was working at Ames Department Store and, much like I do now, if work needed me I never said no. Well, I can't say NEVER because I am getting better at saying no for the sake of my family and my own sanity. Back then, though, I didn't miss an opportunity to work because we had no money when my first husband and I got married. Minimum wage in 1995 was $4.25 an hour. We needed to make every penny we could.

On my birthday that year, I remember my manager, Mr. Scott Finnemore, calling me and asking me to work. I knew we had a band practice that night (or so I thought). We needed the money more than I needed to practice. I said yes and I told my husband at the time that I was going in. The person covering the front desk called out sick and they had no one.

While I jumped in the shower to get ready, my husband quietly called my workplace and explained the situation. When I came out of the bathroom I got another phone call saying they didn't need me and that the other person was coming in anyway. I thought nothing of it. I asked if they were sure because I would cover for anyone. I didn't mind. He laughed and said "Enjoy your night off." 

We went to a band member's house and it looked like no one was home. We walked into the house and the lights came on. It was a surprise party! I literally had no idea. My husband said "I had to call Ames and tell them you couldn't work tonight. We all had this planned for you." 

The next day when I walked in Mr. Finnemore wished me a belated happy birthday. I thanked him and asked how he knew. He told me that my husband had called in a panic last night and explained everything. "That's why I called you back and said we were covered." He then said "Sharon, what would ever make you think to work on your birthday?" 

I told him what my father always told me.

When you work hard and give 150% every day you WILL be rewarded. Your boss will recognize this and see the dedication you have to your work. Never slack off. You'll be better off for it.

He just looked at me, nodded and said "Okay...but next year you are not working your birthday."

I have used my father's advice every day of my life. It HAS paid off. I think every supervisor I have ever had has realized the good work ethic my parents installed in me from a young age. From working 4 jobs at once to put my first husband through nursing school to still working 4 jobs...somethings never change. Granted 3 of the jobs I have now are per diem: the radio station Cruisin' Country 93.5, the tv station WABI-TV and my band, Sharon Hood & Dixon Road. I have the best full time job in the entire world here at Maine Veterans' Homes. 

And I now take my birthdays off.

 

 

True Tales of a Talker #3: The Windy Edition

I was born to talk. Not just talk but sing. Not just sing but singly loudly. And often. So when I’m all alone at work in the morning I take advantage of the empty building and belt it out.

Each morning at 4 am, I wake up, brush my teeth, get dressed and head to the central office of Maine Veterans’ Homes. I’m usually there by quarter to 5. I clock in, take my temperature (it’s required due to the COVID-19), write it down then head to my desk to work. The lights turn on automatically with every step I take. I feel like I am walking onto a stage.

And what a stage it is. A few thousand square feet on hallway, offices and cubicles.

I sit down at my desk and turn on my heater because it is always cold. I use the heater all year long. I keep sweaters, blankets and such nearby. I try to always wear long sleeve shirts, too. During the summer I can usually get by with just the heater blowing.

I plug in my phone, my iPod and my headphones to charge. I log into my computer and get ready to start the day. My days always begin with a song.

While things are booting up I log into my Pandora or Accuradio account and put on music to break the silence. I have always worked better with music. I even studied in school better with it on. The only thing I can’t do with music is fall asleep to it. I wind up singing along whether it’s in my head or out loud. The out loud can make for a very irritable hubby. Silence it is.

There are so many styles of music to choose from. I usually start with the oldies. 50s and 60s are so much fun. I have to travel back and forth to the printer multiple times for the first couple of hours so dancing my way from chair to the printer and back again makes me a much happier employee.

I must admit my dance moves aren’t the most recent but anything that can get you moving and your blood pumping is a great way to start the day. There is definitely time to kill when reports are running  so Motown is my jam. With the downward snapping of the fingers combined with front stepping action and some head bobbing I could have been a Pip or a Coaster or a Top. I put on quite the show.

A show for myself.

Before the pandemic hit, my coworkers would see me from time to time pony from place to place. My earbuds make it possible to take the music with me wherever I go. Jitterbugging down the hallway is always fun. If I meet up with a fellow employee on the way it never stops me from dancing. I am pretty comfortable with myself to keep on keepin’ on.

Music on a phone call really helps put the person on the other end of the line at ease. I remember calling an insurance to discuss a claim and the representative’s name was Wendy. I also have a sister named Wendy. Growing up we were very close (we still are) and with being born in the 70s the song ‘Windy' by The Association was synonymous with her name. If it came on the radio we would sing it at the top of our lungs and Wendy enjoyed it.

This particular Wendy on the other end of the line had a very monotone voice. No inflection nor excitement was heard on my receiver. It sounded like a person who really didn’t want to be working that day. I couldn’t let her day be that sad. Granted, I didn’t know what was happening in her life to make her sound that way but what I COULD do was possibly take away some of the boredom or dissatisfaction of having to talk to me. I had to try, right?

I started out with my usual chipper voice and asked how she was. She said in her flat tone that she was “fine”. I’m a woman and I know that when a woman says she’s “fine” she isn’t.

I decided to pounce on the opportunity of trying my best to make her day. I asked her while she was looking up the information “Wendy, has anyone ever sang a song to you?”

“No, ma’am.” She replied dryly.

I told her “I hope you don’t mind but I can’t resist. I have a sister named Wendy and each time my family heard a certain song we sang it to her.”

She laughed. The laugh that sounded like she didn’t know what she was in for. And she didn’t, I’ll give her that. “Okaaaaay….” It sounded like she thought I was a little crazy. Aren’t we all?

So I started singing “Who’s walking down the streets of the city smiling at everybody she sees? Who’s reaching out to capture a moment? Everyone knows it’s (and I changed the lyric) WENDY!”

There was quiet on the other end of the line.

Finally, there was a burst of laughter!

“Oh my God!” she laughed. “No one has ever done that before!” And she kept on laughing.

I told her ”Wendy, thank you for letting me do that. I miss my sister very much. She lives far away from home and we don’t get to talk often enough. It made my day I could do that!”

She responded “Well, it made my day that you did it.”

After that, the tone of her voice changed, the claim was sent back for reprocessing and it paid a few weeks later. When I got the payment in the mail, I remembered our phone call. With my headphones on I googled the song. I pressed play and the bass guitar started to play. Sitting at my desk I did my best air guitar impression and jammed out. My supervisor walked by at that moment, shook her head and smiled and proceeded to the copier.

Just another normal day at work for this talker.  

True Tales of a Talker #2: The NY Edition

Another day at work and another tale to tell.

When you deal with insurance companies you are eventually going to get some characters. This phone call did not disappoint. This customer service representative even had ties to Maine.

From my cubicle at Maine Veterans' Homes, I called United Healthcare for help with a stubborn claim. You can call them stubborn when it takes multiple phone calls and over a year to have the insurance company FINALLY see where they’ve gone wrong and pay a claim according to the guidelines associated with it. Stubborn little things. I hate it when they hang around for longer than they’re supposed to...like black fly season.

As the call connected, I would have bet my last dollar I heard a New York accent on the other end saying “Thank you for cawling You-neyed-ed Healthcare. This is” for this instance we’ll call her ‘Rhonda’ “Rhonda. How are you doin’ today?” That last part sounded like a legit imitation of Joey Tribiani on F*R*I*E*N*D*S.

I answered “Absolutely fabulous, Rhonda! How about you?”

“Oh, well, that is fabulous to hear! I’m doin’ alright! How may I help you?”

I poured out my claim troubles to ‘Rhonda’ and she was ready to help. While giving her all the information she would ever need and then some, she went to work researching the phone calls I had previously made and dug into the claim like the Golden Girls digging into their nightly cheesecake.

While she was scanning her system for information, I asked her if she was working from home. She revealed that she had been working from home since March and was glad she was. Living near Tampa, she felt safer working from home. With Florida being one of the hotspots of the COVID-19 pandemic, she hadn’t been to the gym or the beach since the lockdowns had started. She was really sad about it because in the beginning of the year (my guess it was probably due to a New Year’s resolution) she wanted to get healthy so she started going to the gym 4 to 5 times a week. In the 3 months prior to the pandemic, she had lost 40 pounds and was so proud. Now, she was home with her teenage son and her cats and searching for a treadmill to get back on track of her fitness regimen.

She also missed going to the beach and I told her I used to live in Saint Petersburg for three years. I could hear her typing away as she said she didn’t understand why everyone thinks Clearwater Beach is better than Saint Pete Beach. I totally agreed with her. I used visit John’s Pass and visit the Red Skelton store (which no longer exists).  

The one thing I regretted not seeing in Florida when I lived there was a rocket launch. I asked her if she watched the NASA Atlas V launch with the Perseverance Rover aboard this morning. She said with living a few hours away and starting work as early as she does she was unable to. I told her I had signed up my son and myself on the names to go to Mars and we were on that ship! She asked me if I had seen and I said yes. She then assumed I lived in Florida. I said “No, ma’am, I live in Maine.”

That’s when the joy in her voice became full blown.

‘Rhonda’ jumped at the chance to say she loved Maine. She grew up in Brooklyn (I KNEW IT!) and used to summer in Maine with her family. Coming from the city to driving to rural Maine where her cousins lived in trailers with acres of land with trees and streams was a complete shock to her. Hearing her say that it was so QUIET in Maine made me think how lucky we are we have this kind of peace. She could see the stars and while she was here it was her only time seeing fireflies. She looked forward to visiting every summer. Autumn was quite another trip for her. Her family would head north for the fall foliage and she remembered visiting the pumpkin patches and drinking apple cider. It was her favorite time of year. If you have ever heard of the Fresh Air Fund, the exuberance for Maine in her voice must be how those children feel when they travel here to get away from inner city life for just a few weeks. A few hours north and a completely different world. One that ‘Rhonda’ looks back on with fondness.

As we concluded our phone call with the claim being sent back to be reprocessed with all the information I had given her she gave me my reference number. Then the words I love to hear came through my headset:

“Thank you for cawling You-neyed-ed Healthcare. It was a pleasure tawking with you, Sharon. I hope you stay safe and have a blessed day.”

You too, Rhonda. You too.

True Tales of a Talker: Tale #1

In my field, being the senior medical biller for Maine Veterans' Homes, I am on the phone each and every day talking to representatives from different insurance companies from all around the world about claims. I absolutely love it! If you ask my parents and siblings, talking is probably what I do best. I do a lot of it. 

A lot.

Ask anyone who knows me and I can talk to anyone about anything. I start conversations with people in the grocery checkout line, waiting at the dentist's office or getting my oil changed. I'll strike up a chat with the elderly, middle-aged and children. My friend Craig Stutzman said I should have been a teacher because of the way I engage kids. Kids are easy to talk to. All they want is to be heard. I think that's what everyone wants: to be heard. 

The best part of talking to someone is what you learn about them. When I call insurance companies I always write down their name and make sure I say it two or three times in the first few minutes. Do you know how it makes people feel to hear their name said it a nice way? It feels incredible. 

Think about it.

How many times in a day do you hear your ACTUAL name? Not 'Mama', not 'Ma'am', not 'Doctor'. YOUR name. It's very few and far between. And when you hear it, you want to hear it in a good way. It's nice to have someone call you by your name. Ask David Allen Coe. He would appreciate it, too.

The person I am on the phone with wants that same thing. You will never know who they just spoke to or if that person was polite to deal with. They could have just been chewed out by an angry biller or a policy holder. YOU are the next opportunity they have to help someone. It's not their fault your claim processed wrong. It's not right to be upset with them. It's the situation you're upset with. Do what you can to diffuse their preconceived notion about you because, if you've been in the business of answering ANY kind of phone for an extended period of time, you gravitate toward that mentality.

The person I spoke with today was "Janet". She started out pleasant and in her voice I could tell she was younger than I am. Being forty-five now, it's not hard to be. I do have a very young sounding voice myself and am mistaken for a twenty-something on the phone all the time. I don't mind it. When the opportunity arose I decided to do what I do best: talk with her.

Why not?

"Janet" works for Medicare and she was doing her best to help me with a claim. Oftentimes there is silence on the line when making these calls. And I know it's because the representative is concentrating on the task at hand.  Being who I am, I pick a topic out of thin air. For example, last night I watched a video of Scott Hamilton at the Olympics. I pipe up and say "I know this sounds weird but" and I start most of my conversations that way "you sound younger than I am. I was wondering, do you remember the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo with all the ice skating and stuff?" 

She giggled. "That's not possible. I was born in 1997 so I wasn't even around then." 

I started talking about how my family and I would watch the Olympics together and our favorite was the ice skating competition with Scott Hamilton, Katrina Witt and Torvill and Dean. I had a huge crush on Kurt Browning later on in life. She went on to tell me her Aunt actually participated in the Olympics in Track and Field during her childhood years so the Olympics are a huge deal in their home. She confided in me that she didn't like running at all; that she would rather play softball. She went on to explain she used to play year round because in Texas you can do that. 

She was from Texas! I heard no trace of a drawl so that was unexpected. I love surprises!

We then went on to talk about how we are both dealing with the "pandemic". She said when she attended high school the "swine flu" was going around and they just sent the kids to school anyway. She was a bit jealous that her brother and sister were getting the option of either returning to the classroom or virtual learning. She was even amazed how her sister was able to have her senior pictures taken. They didn't think it would be possible with all the social distancing being done. I told her that I would be talking with my son's father about the new school year and what we want to do. With this new school year and being a freshman, he won't have the normal first day jitters of experiencing the even more crowded hallways and the few minutes dash to the next classroom while trying to find your locker and your friends. She admitted things are definitely different in this day and age. "This day and age" for her was about five years from when she graduated high school herself. 

Yes, things have changed. 

As we concluded our phone call with the claim information I needed, she said it was a pleasure talking to me and that it was a nice change from the regular calls she received day in and day out. It was definitely a highlight of my day. The phone call was a quick fifteen minute conversation between two people who will never meet but I can guarantee that the next time I call and she answers, she'll remember me. 

And I'll remember "Janet".

Best Out of Office Message Ever!!!

I had to do it....I just had to!!!

 

At least I have a sense of humor...and my coworkers do, too! Everyone have a fantastic week!