{"id":1074,"date":"2012-05-17T12:48:03","date_gmt":"2012-05-17T17:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/?p=1074"},"modified":"2012-05-17T12:48:03","modified_gmt":"2012-05-17T17:48:03","slug":"when-the-phone-is-ringing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2012\/05\/17\/when-the-phone-is-ringing\/","title":{"rendered":""What Do I Do When the Phone Is Ringing Off the Hook?""},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the second week in a series<\/a> of responding to reader submissions, questions, and topic suggestions. I like answering your emails because they are real-world and they may relate to your job, your life, and your sales efforts. I\u2019m going to do my best to answer every single question over the next few weeks. If you\u2019ve got more questions, my inbox is open<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Captain Reman, <\/strong><\/em>
\nI need your help. At least once or twice a week we get so busy at my shop that I don\u2019t know what to do. I can have a few customers in the lobby, two calls on hold, and the phone won\u2019t stop ringing. No matter what I do I seem to upset someone \u2013 and my conversion ratio is much lower on these calls then when I have the time to really work with a caller. What\u2019s the best way to keep everyone happy?<\/strong><\/em>
\nThanks!<\/strong><\/em>
\n Tony<\/strong><\/em>
\nTony,
\nHere\u2019s the good news: you\u2019ve got a high-class problem (sometimes called a champagne problem). I know quite a few shops that wish they were so busy that they wouldn\u2019t be able to handle all the traffic. You\u2019re right to be concerned about upsetting your prospects and customers. Here a few thoughts to put you on the right track:
\n1. There\u2019s nothing wrong with being busy. In fact, it\u2019s a good sign. It helps you prove that your shop is a good shop. It\u2019s sort of like visiting a busy restaurant. When you see a restaurant is busy, it makes you think \u201cHey! That place must be good \u2013 I\u2019d like to go there. It\u2019s obviously worth the wait. Let\u2019s have a drink at the bar and see why everyone is trying to get in.\u201d
\n2. Remember that although you<\/strong> may be answering the phone for your 10,000th time, it\u2019s very possible that this is the first time your prospect is calling in. Your mission is to make them realize that they made a great decision to call you. Give the caller the confidence that they need to bring their car in by treating them with respect, patience, and empathy.
\n3. Putting your customers on hold (for longer than a few seconds) is the single best way to chase them away. They leave frustrated and rarely call back. When you leave people on endless hold, all the time and money you\u2019ve spent to get that lead in the first place goes toward helping your competition earn new business.
\n4. When you\u2019re busy, it\u2019s better to explain that up front and ask the caller for permission to call them right back. Say, \u201cThanks so much for calling. I apologize that I can\u2019t help you right now but I\u2019m taking care of another customer and you both deserve my full attention. If you\u2019d give me your name and number, I\u2019ll call you back as soon as possible and I\u2019ll take great care of you.\u201d<\/strong>
\n5. I\u2019m often asked to explain whether a customer in your lobby is more important than a customer on the phone. I think that\u2019s nuts. Everyone is important. Treat all of your customers the same \u2013 like gold. Ask your friendliest employee from the back to come out front and help out. Buy your visitor a cup of coffee and implore them to bear with you while you take a few messages.
\n6. Finally, you may want to think about training a back up who can help you at the counter or on the phone when you are blessed with too much traffic. They might not be your best salesperson, but they\u2019re better than your on-hold music.
\n

\"\u00a9westfotos.de\/

\u00a9westfotos.de\/ Dollar Photo Club<\/p><\/div>
\nI had an experience yesterday that was like a gift from above. Actually, the experience itself was horrible, but it was so much like what you described that I had to share it with you.
\nI have an older convertible that I drive in the summer and it needed new tires. I called my local tire shop because I\u2019ve gone there for years and I really like the guy who runs it. My call was answered on the second ring.
\nNote: I\u2019ve omitted the name of the store to protect the guilty.<\/em>
\n\u201cThank you for calling. Can you hold, please?\u201d<\/strong> said the guy who answered the phone. Without waiting for my response, he then put me on hold. For eternity. I held for 4 minutes and 37 seconds before I hung up. Most people would never call back. They\u2019d dial another shop and wind up taking their car to whoever answers.
\nI, however, called again because I had a relationship with this particular tire shop.
\nThis time, the guy who answered the phone said, \u201cHi \u2013 hold please,\u201d<\/strong> and instantly put me back on hold. I turned on my speakerphone and listened to their hold music and messages for a whopping 9 minutes and 12 seconds before I gave up.
\nI waited an hour before I tried again. On my third call, I was determined to talk to someone.
\n\u201cThank you for calling. Can you hold, please?\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u201cNo! I\u2019ve been trying to get through to you all morning. All I want to know is if I can bring in my car and have you swap tires for me today?\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u201cSure,\u201d the guy said. \u201cWe\u2019re not that busy in back. Bring it over anytime and we\u2019ll get it done right away.\u201d<\/strong>
\nNot that busy in back, huh? I wonder why\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the second week in a series of responding to reader submissions, questions, and topic suggestions. I like answering your emails because they are real-world and they may relate to your job, your life, and your sales efforts. I\u2019m going to do my best to answer every single question over the next few weeks. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[74,20,114,83],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"What Do I Do When the Phone Is Ringing Off the Hook?" - REMANU<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2012\/05\/17\/when-the-phone-is-ringing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""What Do I Do When the Phone Is Ringing Off the Hook?" - REMANU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is the second week in a series of responding to reader submissions, questions, and topic suggestions. 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