The Information & Referral Caller Archetypes By Barbara Buchleitner, CIRS-A Christopher Moore,...

The Information & Referral Caller Archetypes

By Barbara Buchleitner, CIRS-A Christopher Moore, CIRS-A

Image taken from “The Flame Warriors” by Mike Reed http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/

Chicken LittleChicken Little is the caller who calls in crisis mode because of something they may have seen on the news, or heard from friends. The threat is largely due to hysteria, but the actual threat to the client may be minimal. Examples of Chicken Little calls

include H1N1 callers, Bed Bugs, Health Care Reform, Snow Storms, etc.


Yeah, But….The “Yeah, But” is the caller that calls with a problem for you to

solve, but shoots down every solution the I & R Professional says, usually responding with “Yeah, but….” and then giving reasons

why that solution can’t possibly work for them. They enjoy testing your knowledge and either already know the solution to their issue

or know there is no solution.


Mass ConfusionMass Confusion is the caller that never clarifies exactly why they’re calling. Chances of them following up on any referrals (or even fully

receiving referrals) are minimal. They can range from largely silent to perseverant in speech. Often, this type of caller may have a mental

illness or age-related illness that limits their organizational skills. The fact that they were able to call you is actually a major victory for them.


The VictimThe Victim is a caller who is especially needy and sees

themselves as the chronic target of everything. They are especially prone to dependency and either through simple lack of knowledge or the desire to have things done for them, they will be especially difficult to empower. This caller may not be able to stop crying long enough to tell you their needs. It is

important to assess whether the victimhood is acute or chronic, and to not dismiss what may be legitimate bad

circumstances.


Self-AbsorbedThis caller is the extremely self-centered cousin to “Yeah, but.” They are the callers whose worldview doesn’t allow them to consider that there may be others with problems that may be worse than their own and they insist on help

right away. Their demands may be unreasonable, and you can bet that you’re not their first call. They will test your

patience with their rudeness and haughtiness.


BlowhardThis caller knows everyone that is anyone in your locality and if

you don’t help him, heads will roll, especially yours!!!


FilibusterAs an I&A specialist, calls should be kept as brief as possible so we can help the next caller. Every once in a while there is a caller that wants to tell you his life story along with the stories of his spouse

and children. They WILL get out whatever they have to say, whether you need to hear it or not!


Mr. MoneyBagsMr. Moneybags is a caller that needs services but is over scale for

financial help. When informed that he will need to pay for the service, the response is “I have paid taxes all my life so why

shouldn’t I have that service free? I’m not paying for it! Or, I guess you want me to die!”


Hard headA genealogical cousin of the Yeah-but, this caller has difficulty

understanding how the options that you are presenting are going to help his situation. No matter how you rephrase

options, he doesn’t seem to grasp the usefulness. For example, a caller is having problems with the high cost of prescriptions and likes to go to his local pharmacy. You explain that many times ordering thru the mail with a 90 day supply is cheaper. The caller admits that his physician has told him that but we

still wants to “support his local pharmacy” and wants another way to get his meds subsidized. When you explain that there

are no other options using his insurance plan, he hangs up saying, “you’re no help at all!”


The Cry-BabyThe Cry-Baby is the more malevolent cousin of The Victim. Like

The Victim, they may use tears, but they are far more manipulative. Over their lifetime, they have perfected learned

helplessness and are generally capable of doing many things independently. However, they prefer that someone else do it

for them. Of all the archetypes, they may well be the most challenging for empowerment.

The Hostage TakerThe picture above is you. The Hostage Taker is the

caller, who has something to say and refuses to let you go until they say what they have to say. They’re not calling for a particular solution, because they usually already know the answer. They just have to blow off

some steam, and unfortunately, you’re their next victim.

To Summarize…

• Accept that you may not be able to help every client, and that’s okay.

• Don’t be afraid to utilize different strategies. There’s no universal empowerment tool

• DON’T WORK HARDER THAN YOUR CLIENT!

The Information & Referral Caller Archetypes By Barbara Buchleitner, CIRS-A Christopher Moore,...

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