If you are tempted to think that how you handle in-coming calls as a business isn’t top priority…think again.
I had an experience recently to prove my point.
I called into a big box company to try and order a waterfall for my backyard. I don’t want to mention names but I’ll give you a hint…it wasn’t Home Depot.
The department I wanted to reach wasn’t listed in the company’s phone directory, so I hit zero for the Operator. After not one, not two, but count them…five attempts to get through without being cut off, misdirected or simply left holding a ringing phone, I finally found someone to help me.
As I was wading through my five attempts to complete what should have been a very simple and straight-forward request, I made the decision to cross this company off my list of potential vendors to hire for remodeling a rental property I was preparing for market.
WOW! That’s the power that lies in the balance between a well-handled call and a bungled one. All told, as a rough estimate, I could have easily thrown over $10,000 their way in remodeling business, but I won’t be doing any contract business with them at all. That sale (and future sales) was lost while I was on interminable hold. I figured, “Hey, if trying to buy a waterfall is this hard, what hell would I be in for, if I decided to remodel a bathroom with these people?”
This is EXACTLY what YOUR customers are thinking when they are on eternal hold…they start to question you as a company and then they start to question whether you are worthy of their business, since you seem so willing to waste their valuable time. It’s in this moment that they may decide that it’s time to find another vendor/contractor/supplier/retailer, etc. altogether.
How my call is handled speaks VOLUMES about the quality of the infrastructure within your organization and its overall dedication to providing great customer care from points A to Z.
So the next time the phone rings, answer it as if your paycheck depends on it. It does.
P.S. I decided not to buy the waterfall.
Karyn Ruth White is an Organizational Humorist, Funny Keynote Speaker, Comedian, Author and Speech Coach. When you call her office you will be handled with care, either by Karyn Ruth personally, or by her trusty assistant, Ms. Voicemail. (Quick responses promised.) Visit her at karynruth.com, email her at info@karynruth.com or if you’re feeling brave, give her a call at 303-369-8277.
Leave It Better Than You Found It
Tomorrow we elect a new president. I know who I am voting for and why, do you?
I am amazed at how many people seem to look to leaders to “fix” the problems in their own lives. Sure, great leadership is an asset, but the ultimate responsibility for your life and your happiness lies in your hands alone.
There is a little old man who walks in the same park I walk in. He always has a white plastic bag in his hands and he stops to pick up litter as he walks. I love that he has taken it upon himself to better his immediate environment. My prayer for him is that he doesn’t let his anger toward the litterers eat him up inside.
When I see him, I am reminded of the power of individual initiative. If each person on the planet just decided to do the best they could in their own realm of influence, the world would transform.
Instead of cranking up your leaf blower and blowing leaves off of your lawn into the street and making them someone else’s problem, instead of leaving a shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot and creating chaos for the rest of us– we could decide to become a more mindful people. We could think about our actions and the consequences they create, and we could exercise our freedom to make a grander choice.
Never, ever, ever underestimate the power of personal accountability as a change agent for peace and progress.
The boy scouts have a great mantra- “Leave it better than you found it.” This applies to camping, living and voting.
I love America (faults and all), and I will do my part, and more, to keep her great. Even if it means walking those five extra steps to put away my shopping cart…because…hey, that’s just the kind of patriot I am.
Karyn Ruth White is a thought-laugher in the exciting field of Human Potential. She calls herself a Success Humorist (a job title she made up.) She energizes Conferences around the U.S. with her hilariously poignant Keynote talks. She is an author, a comedian, a proud American and the owner of Laugh and Learn Productions, LLC, an enterprise helping people to live and work from their greatness Visit her on-line at karynruth.com or email her at info@karynruth.com.