triage

[Benjamin Barrett]

It might be worth mentioning that "triage" also refers to screening (the public), as well as giving an initial assessment such as when a bureaucrat needs to decide which station to send someone to. 

Once when I was requesting a building permit from the city, I was first seen by someone for their triage procedure, in which they figured out what I needed and who I needed to talk to.

-----
For the first, see http://www.linkedin.com/in/charleshpenney:

Administrative Assistant - Mayor's Office - City of Haverhill, MA.
City Of Haverhill, MA
January 2009 – March 2012 (3 years 3 months)

Liaison with Mayor and direct liaison with constituents in City of Haverhill. Interaction with all other departments within City Hall. Telephone triage of large volume of incoming calls. Intake for constituent concerns/complaints to Mayor, correspondence for Mayor as assigned, other duties as assigned.

-----
For the second, see http://coablog.ashevillenc.gov/2010/07/one-stop-development-services-shop-brings-permitting-under-one-roof/):

Adding to the customer attention are two new Project Managers, positions created in the formation of the Development Services Center. The positions are designed to provide personal attention and help developers navigate the different permitting processes, including addressing any snags, from start to finish.
“I do a lot of triage for a customer if they have a problem,” says Project Manager Susannah Carver.
-----

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Jan 30, 2013, at 4:43 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> This might bea new meaning or just goofy application of the old one. (But
> remember that change begins somewhere....)
> 
> Ashley Banfield reports that BlackBerry shares have lost 76% of their value
> in the past couple of years, "and that's what we call *triage*!"

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org