Mixed Signals
Recently I’ve noticed a trend when calling fellow professional to perform the tasks I do in my day to day work. It may be a number that is temporarily or permanently disconnected, a voicemail box that is full or directs me to call a different number, a greeting that rambles on for minutes with no option to skip, etc. Even with all the electronic mean of communication phone is still the most widely used in our industry and how it works in real life is important in a people business.
First Impressions are Everything
No matter how you decide to handle incoming phone communication, you need to keep in mind the person on the other end of the line. The more complex your method of reaching you is, usually the more frustrated both consumers and fellow professional will be and many times those feeling come through when you finally talk to them.
It’s Not What Systems You Use, It’s How you Implement Them
This pretty much sums it up and holds for other forms of communication besides the telephone. A perfect example is encouraging people to email you and then not responding in a timely manner. Sometimes it’s better to stick with what you do and do it well than do something new just because others are and completely fail at it (and have to clean up the ensuing PR mess).
