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Own a Business? Answer Your Damn Phone

Scot

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I immediately thought of this thread today. We just bought our first home yesterday and are in the process of making a few improvements to it before we move in.

Holy hell. Local businesses are ignorant.

I've called 6 dry wall guys today, 3 on word of mouth recommendation. One person answered his phone. He even laughed when I told him he was the only one "yeah, I get that a lot"

I even submitted 2 "request a quote" forms on some jenky old websites with no response.

Do these guys know how much business they're missing?? I'm not price shopping. If someone shows up today and their quote is affordable, they're hired.

Answer. Your. Damn. Phone.
 
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amp0193

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Do these guys know how much business they're missing??

85% of small businesses fail. It must be because it's hard to start a business.

Or maybe it's because 85% of businesses don't ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE.
 

Scot

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85% of small businesses fail. It must be because it's hard to start a business.

Or maybe it's because 85% of businesses don't ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE.


I wish I was rich enough that when someone is shoving $3,000 cash in my face I can shrug and ignore them.
 

G-Man

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Holy hell. Local businesses are ignorant.

I wish I was rich enough that when someone is shoving $3,000 cash in my face I can shrug and ignore them.

Unfortunately, the problem is that often the calls/voicemails/contact us messages go to an employee. That's why they don't get responded to. To your average employee, even in a small business, a new customer doesn't represent more money, just more work. It's one of the most fundamental examples of the disconnect between the selfish incentives of a business and employees.

How do I know this? I witness our receptionist and supply chain manager get annoyed with customers trying to make orders on nearly a daily basis. I know for a fact that one of the ladies that works for one of our vendors does everything she can to ignore me when I try to put in a PO just because she doesn't want to be bothered with it.

For a lot of these folks, it's probably a broken human resource system, and the owner may be blissfully unaware of how much money walks out the door every day.
 
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Scot

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Unfortunately, the problem is that often the calls/voicemails/contact us messages go to an employee. That's why they don't get responded to. To your average employee, even in a small business, a new customer doesn't represent more money, just more work. It's one of the most fundamental examples of the disconnect between the selfish incentives of a business and employees.

How do I know this? I witness our receptionist and supply chain manager get annoyed with customers trying to make orders on nearly a daily basis. I know for a fact that one of the ladies that works for one of our vendors does everything she can to ignore me when I try to put in a PO just because she doesn't want to be bothered with it.

For a lot of these folks, it's probably a broken human resource system, and the owner may be blissfully unaware of how much money walks out the door every day.


Ugh. That just hurts my soul. Most of these guys that I've called, the number goes straight to their cell phone too, which IMO is worse. If it's your business, shouldn't you care about getting another job?
 

G-Man

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Ugh. That just hurts my soul. Most of these guys that I've called, the number goes straight to their cell phone too, which IMO is worse. If it's your business, shouldn't you care about getting another job?

Ok, yeah, that's definitely worse. Part of the problem might just be the classic conundrum of a guy that has built a business that he can't separate from his individual time, so he either consciously or subconsciously turns down work, because he can't make the day have 48 hrs in it.
 

amp0193

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Unfortunately, the problem is that often the calls/voicemails/contact us messages go to an employee. That's why they don't get responded to. To your average employee, even in a small business, a new customer doesn't represent more money, just more work. It's one of the most fundamental examples of the disconnect between the selfish incentives of a business and employees.

Now there is a great point. I had never even thought about my calls creating more work for an employee.

For a lot of these folks, it's probably a broken human resource system, and the owner may be blissfully unaware of how much money walks out the door every day.

This sounds like a problem with a fastlane solution waiting to happen.

Phone software that tracks inbound calls. Tracks if it was answered. Connects to a CRM system where employee must type the name of the customer and the summary of the call. Owner can review the logs once a week, and see if someone is being lazy.
 
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G-Man

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Phone software that tracks inbound calls. Tracks if it was answered. Connects to a CRM system where employee must type the name of the customer and the summary of the call. Owner can review the logs once a week, and see if someone is being lazy.

This is definitely a solution.... there's money to be made selling CRM to small town and/or blue collar businesses.
 

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I think 80/20 sounds about right.

I emailed at least 20-30 freight forwarding companies in Western Canada. I had about 4 email me back. One even went so far as to mention that she spoke Cantonese and would be happy to call my manufacturers to get exact details as I needed them. She got my business.

Oh, and funny enough. About a month after I emailed all these companies, one of them finally emailed me back and asked if I was still interested. No, no I was not still interested.
 

Ecom man

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I've experienced small business owners not calling back a lot when trying to do remodels. What it has come down to is they really don't want your business. There is such a lack of people to do the trades that those who do a good job can charge whatever they want and still be swamped in more business than they can handle. We have had far better luck with people returning calls in Arizona then we ever did in the Midwest so it possibly depends on where you are at and the amount of businesses in the location.
 
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Scot

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I've experienced small business owners not calling back a lot when trying to do remodels. What it has come down to is they really don't want your business. There is such a lack of people to do the trades that those who do a good job can charge whatever they want and still be swamped in more business than they can handle. We have had far better luck with people returning calls in Arizona then we ever did in the Midwest so it possibly depends on where you are at and the amount of businesses in the location.


This concept just blows my mind. I get that there's a shortage of skilled workers out there, but I feel like the good ones just have a complete lack of business sense.

It kind of reminds me if the medical field. You can be a good doctor or run a good business, you can't do both. Most doctors are happy to sell their practice because they just want to practice medicine and let someone handle the admin work.

Is it time for skilled work to consolidate like we're seeing in so many industries?

Is it time for a firm or a corporation to start buying small shops and bringing them under one umbrella?
 

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Reading this thread made me ponder... the phone gives u voice access to millions without leaving the room... wow...
 

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Eh, Im doomed then I guess. Screw the phone. Im way better replying via email then I am on the phone. Can just get my thoughts out in a more clear manner. I dont even give phone as a option. Just make sure to have emails answered quickly.
 
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Scot

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Eh, Im doomed then I guess. Screw the phone. Im way better replying via email then I am on the phone. Can just get my thoughts out in a more clear manner. I dont even give phone as a option. Just make sure to have emails answered quickly.

It depends on your business. If you're a web development firm, email is cool.

If I'm calling you because a pipe burst in my bathroom and I need a plumber, I expect to talk to a live person.

If your business is the type that relies on phone calls, suck it up buttercup.
 

Shades

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It depends on your business. If you're a web development firm, email is cool.

If I'm calling you because a pipe burst in my bathroom and I need a plumber, I expect to talk to a live person.

If your business is the type that relies on phone calls, suck it up buttercup.

Thats true. Im not doing anything like that now. I ran a pool business for years and did have to answer the phone to eat. So I get the point there. But Im happy to not have to be a slave to the phone now.
 

G-Man

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This concept just blows my mind. I get that there's a shortage of skilled workers out there, but I feel like the good ones just have a complete lack of business sense.

I have an Uncle that's a painter/wallpaperer that's 60+ and still has more work than he has time for. There's a couple dynamics here:
  • For tradespeople, there's an almost endless supply of pickup truck handyman types willing to work for nothing that drop the bottom out of the market - unless you're an artisan type.
  • For employees, you end up getting the bottom of the barrel, so you end up with an operation that isn't iterative because you can't hire any more people than you can literally personally supervise, and then you end up having no shows when their car breaks down or they end up in the drunk tank.
The way he's partially gotten around the first problem is that he no longer does residential work. Businesses are willing to spend money to have their shit done fast and right. Everyone thinks they can paint/ hang wallpaper and these folks drop the bottom out of a lot of the residential market (except developers with new construction), so if you call him wanting your living room wallpapered, he's not going to even call you back, because there's no point.

The second problem: He clearly hasn't solved or he wouldn't be his age and still working like he does.

EDIT: This is all in the context of the depressed Midwest.
 
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Scot

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I find myself revisiting this thread way too much.

Want to know how to lose a customer?

Stupid processes.

I have been trying to contact Heinz (the ketchup dudes) to find a particular brand of Mayo they make to find out if they offer it in bulk sizes.

Website 404's out constantly. So I call Heinz directly.

"Do you offer this product in a gallon size or bigger?"

"Let me take down your name, number, email, zip code, business name, shoe size, grandfathers country of origin..."

And you know what the answer to the simple question was?

"I'm forwarding your information off to our Food Service department. You'll be contacted by a sales rep in.... 7-10 business days"

7-10 days to ask a simple yes or no question?!

I flat out told the guy, this is stupid and inconvenient. If I find someone today through their website or someone calls me back today, I'm buying their product. Expecting someone to wait 2 weeks to even start the process is absurd.

Takeaway lesson from this:
Don't put stupid processes into your business that slow your customers down. If someone wants to buy something from you, if you put even the slightest inconvenience in their path, they'll run.
 

G-Man

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I find myself revisiting this thread way too much.

Want to know how to lose a customer?

Stupid processes.

I have been trying to contact Heinz (the ketchup dudes) to find a particular brand of Mayo they make to find out if they offer it in bulk sizes.

Website 404's out constantly. So I call Heinz directly.

"Do you offer this product in a gallon size or bigger?"

"Let me take down your name, number, email, zip code, business name, shoe size, grandfathers country of origin..."

And you know what the answer to the simple question was?

"I'm forwarding your information off to our Food Service department. You'll be contacted by a sales rep in.... 7-10 business days"

7-10 days to ask a simple yes or no question?!

I flat out told the guy, this is stupid and inconvenient. If I find someone today through their website or someone calls me back today, I'm buying their product. Expecting someone to wait 2 weeks to even start the process is absurd.

Takeaway lesson from this:
Don't put stupid processes into your business that slow your customers down. If someone wants to buy something from you, if you put even the slightest inconvenience in their path, they'll run.

LOLed at this. We've been trying to get French's to sell us a bulk retail item that we already know they sell bulk, and still haven't been able to place an actual full order six months in.
 

mws87

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I find myself revisiting this thread way too much.

Want to know how to lose a customer?

Stupid processes.

I have been trying to contact Heinz (the ketchup dudes) to find a particular brand of Mayo they make to find out if they offer it in bulk sizes.

Website 404's out constantly. So I call Heinz directly.

"Do you offer this product in a gallon size or bigger?"

"Let me take down your name, number, email, zip code, business name, shoe size, grandfathers country of origin..."

And you know what the answer to the simple question was?

"I'm forwarding your information off to our Food Service department. You'll be contacted by a sales rep in.... 7-10 business days"

7-10 days to ask a simple yes or no question?!

I flat out told the guy, this is stupid and inconvenient. If I find someone today through their website or someone calls me back today, I'm buying their product. Expecting someone to wait 2 weeks to even start the process is absurd.

Takeaway lesson from this:
Don't put stupid processes into your business that slow your customers down. If someone wants to buy something from you, if you put even the slightest inconvenience in their path, they'll run.

THIS is a great example of finding pain points! "I hate when . . . I'm tired of . . . "

Looks like Heinz is too busy drowning in all that sweet, sweet ketchup money that they've overlooked one of the most important things: service.
 
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MidwestLandlord

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@Scot

If I remember correctly, Kraft only bulk sells Kraft Mayo, and not their Heinz brand. It's the same stuff as far as I know. (same company)

Heinz focuses on single serve for restaurants and such, while Kraft is the wholesale side. Kraft and Heinz merged in 2015 I think.

Don't quote me on any of that though, been out of the restaurant biz for a long time.
 

Azure

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When you guys refer to "bulk", are you referencing pack size or order volume? Heinz definitely makes 5/10 lt tubs of mayo though. Not sure why you'd use Heinz over Hellman's though, the quality is generally considered to be lesser.

I deal directly with both French's, Heinz etc and may be able to help you out. I am in Canada though, so that may be prohibitive.
 
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Scot

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When you guys refer to "bulk", are you referencing pack size or order volume? Heinz definitely makes 5/10 lt tubs of mayo though. Not sure why you'd use Heinz over Hellman's though, the quality is generally considered to be lesser.

I deal directly with both French's, Heinz etc and may be able to help you out. I am in Canada though, so that may be prohibitive.

Haha oh lord I turned this into a Mayonnais thread.

Long story short, it's for use in a specific diet. Most mayos have ingredients not allowed in this diet. I found a specific one that Heinz makes that's compliant for the diet.

If I was going by taste alone, I'd use Helmans for sure.

Edit: my copacker has a direct line to them so they're checking into it.
 

InspireHD

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Check out Just Mayo. Vegan friendly and tastes the same.
 

Scot

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Check out Just Mayo. Vegan friendly and tastes the same.

Thanks, I'll have to look into their ingredients list more and find out if they make foodservice size.

Btw, this is now a Mayonnaise thread.
 
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Great and bright example of unprofessionalism and how business owners lose their money due to the service management. The best way out in this case, would be an integrated service management software, which keeps records of all calls and customers' queries. Moreover, it is easier in such a way to keep all the things under control and understand why your company does not have an increasing number of customers.
 

Peta of JamRock

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Wow.

So I came here to ask where and how you'd go about learning customer service skills apart from having good manners and home training, and I learned "Answer your flipping phone!". It's common sense but that isn't all that common. I could recount my own cruddy experiences but I'd rather make notes instead.

tenor.gif


I'll throw out a general question: what resources (whether free or cheap) would you recommend for a fledgling micro/small business with just one person running the show (for now)? I'm taking stock of what skills I currently possess and if they're enough to carry me through or if I need to strengthen them with knowledge/training as I forge ahead. For right now, I'm concentrating on providing services. I might be tiny, but size is no reason to not be as mighty as I can.
 

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Could it be that some employees don't answer their phone because we've all gone VCS (vocal conversation stupid) with texting and tweeting?

Or does it boil down to that age old question: will you put in the work?
 
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When I had my cleaning business we answered calls 24/7. You would not believe the number of calls I received at 2am from people wanting to know if we could come do an estimate. With my current business I am not dependent on the income so I can set my own rules. So here is what I did, since I drive a lot nowadays I can't really take calls or text and drive so I changed my voice mail to this:

Text me please ###-###-#### Thank you.

Almost everyone that gets the message does text me. Since I've gone to this method I actually found that I helped myself in more ways than one. Now I don't have to remember who called and about what as I am on the road. Plus, now I have the date/time stamp of the text for future reference. It is working great for me. I know it might not work well for others and some people might not like the idea at all. But, that's why I'm in the position I'm in and not having to depend on this business is because I've always tried to stay ahead of my time. By the way, 50% of all the washers/dryers that we sell are sold around midnight. Luckily my sales people start around noon and stay up LATE!! :)
 

MattR82

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When I had my cleaning business we answered calls 24/7. You would not believe the number of calls I received at 2am from people wanting to know if we could come do an estimate. With my current business I am not dependent on the income so I can set my own rules. So here is what I did, since I drive a lot nowadays I can't really take calls or text and drive so I changed my voice mail to this:

Text me please ###-###-#### Thank you.

Almost everyone that gets the message does text me. Since I've gone to this method I actually found that I helped myself in more ways than one. Now I don't have to remember who called and about what as I am on the road. Plus, now I have the date/time stamp of the text for future reference. It is working great for me. I know it might not work well for others and some people might not like the idea at all. But, that's why I'm in the position I'm in and not having to depend on this business is because I've always tried to stay ahead of my time. By the way, 50% of all the washers/dryers that we sell are sold around midnight. Luckily my sales people start around noon and stay up LATE!! :)
Just curious, do you promote that you have a 24 hour contact? Or are there just a lot of weirdos out there lol.
 

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