On Gratitude

In assisting me to navigate governmental red tape my dentist’s receptionist spent one and a half hours on hold to Medicare, Australia’s public health scheme.

I go to my dentist to have my oral health checked. I expect their customer service to be limited to meet-and-greet at appointment times, booking future appointments  and the occasional follow-up as needed.

Not only do they regularly text appointment reminders (admittedly, this benefits their practice as much as their clients as they can then work to capacity), in this instance they have certainly gone the extra mile by patiently staying on hold for an exorbitantly long time, then speaking with Medicare representatives for a further hour or more to clarify my issue. (This is in no way a slight on Medicare or its call centre staff: I recognise how complex the health system can be, and how much toing-and-froing between different databases some issues require.)

So here’s a huge shout-out to all the people who go the extra mile, above and beyond the expectations of their jobs, to help out people like me – who, without this diligence, would not be able to navigate the red tape on our own.

Your efforts are certainly appreciated!