I was visiting a startup last week and I was very surprised by a specific situation that happened. I walk in and sit with the CEO on the one room they rent and all work, where they have a small table on the side for people that come for meetings.
On the middle of our conversation the phone rings. Didn't sound like an iPhone or Android. I was puzzled by hearing a landline since I haven't had one in a long time. It was the “company phone” that was ringing. The typical wireless phone. Everyone was looking at each other but no one would pick up the phone. It seemed like an eternity and at the same time it went as in slow motion.
The CEO had to go an pick up the phone. She asked if someone else could do it next time and a guy (millennial) doing marketing offer himself. But not without first mentioning that this action was not part of his job. This first situation make me wonder how times have changed.
The meeting kept going and the phone rang again. The guy went to pick it up and the conversation went something like that (on his side):
Startup guy: Hi, [startup name] good morning. What can I do for you?
Customer: bla,bla,bla
Startup guy: No, she is not here right now. Please call back later. Thanks
It probably last less than 30 seconds. I understand this is an efficient way to go back to your code or your designs and forget about having human interactions but this is not the right way to pick up the phone.
What about: “What can I do for you?”, “She is not here, but maybe I can help you.”, “Can you please leave me your name, phone number and tell me a little about how she can help you.”, “We can help you”, “I'm here to help you”, “Thank you for calling, we appreciate your time”, “Hope you have a great day”, “If you have any more problems or troubles don't doubt in calling back again, we are here for you”.
This may seem as basic manners, but it’s very important. People care a lot of how they are treated, and phone calls today should be very appreciated, specially coming from a client. If someone is willing to call you instead of writing you an email or text, they are interested in what you have to say. Give them the same respect they are giving you.
I understand many of them are millennials and are not used to pick up the phone and answer. They don't even like to call their friends, they rather text them or snapchat them. But this is a basic skill you need to all learn if you are going to deal with clients. You can't escape from the human interaction, you can't hide from it. If you are building something (even technology) that people want, then you are serving people, not code. So, learn how to pick up the phone. This is the first thing you need to get right.
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