If You Need Anything Else, Call Me!
This past weekend, I was in New Orleans celebrating my - um - 29th birthday…I had previously called Commander’s Palace for a dinner reservation. Not only did they answer within two rings, they were both efficient and effective. No being put on hold while they found the book, no transfers, no long waits. And, when finished (this all took about a minute), the woman said, “My name is _________and if you need anything else, darlin’ - call me.”
(Being called darlin’, honey, sugar, and sweetheart is just the way it is in New Orleans. You find yourself doing it with waiters, cab drivers, shop keepers…and it works there.)
So, once again I ask why is it so hard for companies to:
A. Answer the phone?
B. Prepare their employees to both efficiently and effectively handle callers? (Those godawful “policies” you can’t go against are efficient.).
C. Understand that every inbound customer call is a golden marketing opportunity? Somebody wants to talk to you!
And, note to all sizes and types of companies: please don’t tell me “we can’t afford it.” I know all the rationales - I used to develop, package and manage call center and software support services - and have run my share of cost analysis spreadsheets.
Everything You Do is Marketing! Can the commercials and focus on the inbound calls.
Read More: Seth Godin’s insightful semi-rant post, Who Answers The Phone?
Related Posts:
Why You Didn’t Get My Business - The Phone List
Customer Service Tip: Hire Grandmothers
Customer Relationship Management: Control or Comfort?
Tags: customer service, business development, marketing troubleshooting
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