The other day I called a software company to discuss an upgrade to their service offering that I purchase. They passed me though two lead “qualifiers (b”ad move guys) and then told me “a sales person will call you back”.
Brooke called me back from her mobile phone in an area that had a poor signal. Literally every other sentence was dropped. I finally told her to call me from a land-line. What did she do? She moved to a new location and called me back. She was not going to be back at her desk until tomorrow. I get that; so set a phone appointment.
This call went a little better from a reception standpoint with the technology. But the reception to their message was poor. I am looking for a new supplier.
So what went wrong? A seller returned a call and tried to pitch over a poor quality mobile line. We have a hard enough time as sellers breaking through the noise to get a buyers attention, why would you add to that with poor reception? But see it wasn’t about me the buyer it was about the seller crossing the call off of her list of things to do in a manner that was convenient to her.
A better choice would have been to say, “I am sorry I am on my mobile, is there a time and place we can schedule 15 minutes to answer your questions?” What happens now is that instead of her interrupting what I am doing with a poor quality cell call, she is acknowledging my call and scheduling an appointment. What happens now? I see that call on my calendar, I am prepared and receptive and the reception of her message improves.
I have a number of colleagues that have gone mobile only. And I am sure they have a different opinion. What about you?
Take Good Care
Interesting and timely comments about cell phone technology. I have a home office with my desk phone, but I also have a remote office where I may work several days a week. On those days I forward my office phone to my cell.
Problem solved, right?
Nope. Because as you point out here, cell technology is still not mature enough and garbled transmissions are much too common. When I’m talking to someone on my cell and I THINK they are hearing every word I say, and the nuance of every word. But that is often not true, and some folks are too polite to tell you.
A few weeks back I called someone from my cell in my office. I got their voice mail and left a message. A few hours later they returned my call.
“Your message was entirely unintelligible”, they said, “but I recognized your number and that’s why I’m calling back.”
Cell phones are a great convenience and when they work well they are a great tool. But the problem is that we don’t always know when they are NOT working well. And that not knowing could kill your sale, your job hunt, or your business.