Phasing out phone calls

[Eforcer]

Since our customers can contact us from so many ways (in person, work phone, personal cell phone, email, social media, Texts), how are some of you navigating through it all and staying sane?

I'm strongly considering using our work phone as more of an answering service to direct customers to a communication that all of my employees monitor more often and that won't distract us from actual work. Like email or some sort of web portal.

I'm not going to pay someone to answer the phone just so I will end up having to return all of these calls at some other point. Phone calls are always more lengthy than any other method of communication. I don't want to hear your whole life story, just tell me what you want! Not to mention the miscommunications of "I know I said I needed it installed on Tuesday morning at 4 AM".

Work is work but this it's all getting out of hand. I don't want to punish people for using the one tried and true method of communication but something has to give.

I prevent anyone from giving out their cell numbers. I've providing my cell number & tell them only for business hours. I've blocked these people after thy try contacting me 10 pm for Next day orders. I would be interested in this IP phone system. Can someone direct me?

TIA




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[Solventinkjet]

A two minute phone call can weed out more bullshit than twenty three text messages and fifteen emails, and I can talk while I drive. Automated answering is why I hate my doctor. You are in the service business. Serve.

I can serve 4 customers with email in the time it takes to serve one on the phone and I can go back and reference the emails to serve them better in the future. I get why some people like phone calls better which is why we still do it but at the end of the day, more customers get what they need over email in a shorter time.

 

[Grizzly]

We have an IP phone service with a virtual assistant. Every calls are recorded and could be sent by email to save it in the customer folder and CRM. Each person in the shop have their extension and the call is send on their office phone + the cell phone at the same time. So I don't give my cell number to the customers. They compose my extension and if I'm on the road, my cell phone ring. Our lines also close and go directly in the general voicemail outside our business hours. So no more calls on my cell at 9pm.

Which Service do you use?

 

[bigben]

Which Service do you use?

I'm in Canada. I use Voicemeup.com but almost any IP service will have those options.

 

[Stacey K]

I prefer email...and I like text for quick things like photos.

What I HATE WITH A PASSION is voicemails. I have a VM that tells people if they want a faster response, email or text.

I hate FB business suite messenger as it seems like a lot of clicks and I miss half of them. I have lots of customers that friend me on FB and if they see I'm active they start personal messaging me. Drives me nuts but it's better than going through the FB business suite.

Email is still the best.

 

[rydods]

Seems there are quite a few differences in opinion. There are times when a quick call really resolves an issue or answers a question better than anything else. Sometimes it's just the initial order or the confirmation of an order that I would prefer not be a phone call.
I'll get a call right after I send a proof, stop an install and run over to the phone and the customer says, "yeah, that looks good go ahead with it".

Maybe it really doesn't matter how an order comes in, it would just be nice to take that order and process it into a different less intrusive mode of communication that works best for us and them.

 

[visual800]

if you call me, as quick as I can I will tell you Im on an install or driving and to text me address of install and any layouts you have.

 

[CanuckSigns]

There is no good way to do it, other than balancing multiple forms based on the customer and their preference. My biggest issue with phone calls, and it has burned me in the past, is when you have a customer that approves things over the phone, but when you get the end result and they object to what the final outcome is. Then you have no proof to show that it was suppose to be the way you have done what ever the job is. I had a jewelry store where this happened, owner/husband would always call me after I had sent out an email, and was a yes man. When everything was completed, his wife through a fit. But I never got any response to my emails, other than the husband calling me and approving things over the phone. Now I make sure to follow phone calls up with, "Can you send me what we discussed and approved in an email, just for documentation purposes." But on the flip side of that coin, I don't know how many different cities that I have permitted in, that emails for some reason can't get things accomplished. Then a 30sec phone call solves the problem. So really, as much as it sucks, it's about them balancing all.

Yes! I get people do this all the time,I will email a proof, and 2 minutes later I get a phone call "looks great, go ahead" now I need to stop what I'm doing so I can mark this as approved before my lizard brain forgets in 30 seconds.

Why can't they just reply to the email?!?!