Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
In the past week or so, I have called a few businesses and got a voicemail to leave a message and phone number. But the business never called me back or even texted me. Last year, I fired a landscaper I had for several years because they would never return my calls. I have owned a few businesses in the past, and I would never fail to return a call. I don't get it. Is this some kind of business strategy that actually works for some businesses? Any thoughts?
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Back when I ordered from catalogs by phone, Lands End and L.L. Bean answered phones quickly, even for returns. The people answering sounded like my best friends, spoke proper English, and knew what they were talking about. There are still companies that do that pretty well. More often, you try to call a doctor’s office and get a hospital system and bounce around trying to find a person. A few days ago, after twenty minutes of trying to do that, I reached a real person, but she wasn’t from the doctor’s office. She took a message and passed it on. A few hours later I got a call from a nurse’s aid at the doctor’s office. I know more about the surgery than she did. I never did reach the doctor’s P.A., who might have had an answer.
A couple days ago I needed to speak to a real person at the Lady Lake Post Office. After twenty minutes on the phone, without success, I gave up.
Last year a salesman at the Verizon store was trying to set up my new phone. His own company put him on hold for forty minutes while we sat there! How much money are these companies saving with these phone systems? Not hiring someone to answer cost them a lot of money in someone else’s salary they are paying.
If I get put on hold, often I’m so furious after the wait that I have to rant and sputter when the phone is answered before I calm down and apologize. It’s hard on the people answering phones to constantly face angry customers. Seems to me that these companies are making poor business choices.