Is it just me?

[WildWestDesigns]

I say that because I don't like my time wasted and would rather they just ignore me so I can quickly move on to the next person. I don't want to spend time going over a project with someone, meeting them, doing the whole back and forth email thing just to get a take it or leave it home run price or hear that they are all booked up for 6 months.

I agree, that's where proper communication comes in. I despite it when people act as if they are interested, but can't do it, but they don't want to say that they can't. Unfortunately, by them doing this, I'm more likely to be vocal about my bad experience then if someone communicated to me that they couldn't do it.

This also applies to the new practice of getting calls and texts after hours. So far I've just been ignoring them, but it's gotta stop. I got one in at nearly 9pm last night. Zero attention spans, zero manners anymore.

My customers don't have direct access to my cell phone, so those are non issues for me. I'm surprised that people do give customers direct access to their cell phones (I'm assuming the calls are coming on your cell phone as they have your cell phone number to do texts). If nothing else, use an intermediary like VOIP and at worst have it routed to your phone, but not to where your customers have direct access. Having said that, email is 99.9% of what my customers use email to get a hold of me and that is easy enough to wait until the next morning to communicate with them and still well within my 24hr turn around as well. The very small % left (in fact less then a handful of customers use it) uses my business number.

 

[neoguri]

I'm a shop of one person. Just one that does everything. There are 2 reasons why I wouldn't return a communication within 24 hrs (even on Sunday or when I'm on "vacation"):
1. I am sick (which thankfully doesn't happen that very often and when it does, I have my wife let them know that I am sick and respond when I am better, just so they know something)
and
2. I didn't get their email, in which case those that have dealt with me for a good while know to send an email the next day to follow up. I tend to get those even if I didn't get the first attempt.

The only time that I won't respond if if it looks like spam

Even if I think that what they are wanting is on the "wasting my time" aspect of things, I will respond. The responses for this instance may be different then an otherwise normal situation, but they will get a response.

Now, there are some things that I will do, that I don't expect others to uphold when communicating with me (like emailing on the weekend (unless they have weekend hours) or on vacation), but I do have a bare minimum that I do expect (and it is surprisingly bare minimum, it's more of when it is communicated to me then anything).

#2 is critical. If you called me when I'm driving out to a site, and I ask you to email me and you don't, I'll forget by the time I'm done with what I need to do that day.

 

[neoguri]

Anymore, I don't expect anyone to respond to my initial inquiries but when they do, it's a plus. I am cool with that. I don't need someone to answer the phone just to tell me they can fix my water heater but it's gonna be 6 months before they get there.
Once that I place an order, knowing full well their lead times (I ask up front), I expect an open line of communication and somewhat of a punctual response to an inquiry after they miss their estimated delivery date. What I am seeing more and more of are people taking your order, blowing their own lead times out of the water and then ignoring your followups.

I never ignore my customer that has a project in progress. I save their numbers and set up reminders to give a quick weekly or bi weekly update depending on the size of the project.

I always immediately communicate any delays or production issues inviting them to my shop to show them what the problem is- that's what my paying customets deserve at minimum.

 

[signage]

My customers don't have direct access to my cell phone, so those are non issues for me. I'm surprised that people do give customers direct access to their cell phones (I'm assuming the calls are coming on your cell phone as they have your cell phone number to do texts).

I do not give customers my cell phone! Do you have your insurance agents, Dr. or Dentists cell phone number? I don't thiml they give you it!

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Doctors and dentists have answering services to take after hours calls and they use their cell phone to call you back. I don't want to spend the $ on that so I just answer my cell phone. I sell signs and have them installed all over the country, so I have to be on-call more than the hours of 9am-5pm because my time zone isn't the only one this country has. Sometimes installers work on Saturday because rain held them up all week and they don't want to get behind.

Only time I get pissed answering my phone is when it's a robo call or my wife adding more items to the "quick" grocery store run.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I don't want to spend the $ on that so I just answer my cell phone. I sell signs and have them installed all over the country, so I have to be on-call more than the hours of 9am-5pm because my time zone isn't the only one this country has. Sometimes installers work on Saturday because rain held them up all week and they don't want to get behind.

I get that and for the most part don't see a problem with it, but when "you" do that, doesn't give "you" much of a leg to stand on when bitching about clients calling/texting all the time. Don't want to take that risk, don't give it out. Simple.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

I was waiting for a piece of window glass for 2 months. I stopped in a few times and he was almost in tears the second time, I felt really bad for him. His receptionist never came back after the corona shut down and he cannot find anyone to even apply as a helper. He said the phone just keeps ringing and ringing and ringing and his life was turning into a nightmare. His wife was pissed, he never got to see his kids.

I finally got my glass after he was able to hire a new receptionist. I just applied a bunch of vinyl on his windows this morning and he had a helper...AND A SMILE ON HIS FACE!

My furnace guy who is a good customer never responded to my calls or texts when I needed a new furnace. I called someone else who THANK GOD I had used one other time, and they got it changed. The receptionist was such a b*tch, she said the phone just rings and rings and rings all day, she doesn't know which direction to go.

My friend in construction is down to 1 crew from 6 and he has enough work for 6 crews. He looks like he aged 10 years in the last one.

Same with the roofer down the road. They tell new people they have to take a drug test but it's ok if they don't pass, they are still hired. It's known they have quite a few meth heads and rumor has it they do it on the job but they look the other way.

This is a VERY common problem in my area. If you get a call back it's your lucky day and you should buy a lottery ticket. I've experienced this as well some weeks in my own business. I just want to throw my phone in the river and run away. Not all weeks but one per month at least. I'm not shy about locking my door and keeping the lights off so I can keep production moving. Most of my walk ins are just people not businesses and I often stop taking those orders and focus only on commercial orders.

Won't get any better until people have to get back to work.

Those damn meth-heads. Back in the day, we wouldn't dream of showing up to work on drugs! Us responsible adults might take a few vicodans before work (prescribed for pain by a real doctor, so not drugs), and we would keep a bottle of vermouth in our kit (well, a little nip doesn't hurt anything). The bosses back in the office would usually wait all the way to lunch before ordering a few martinis (take the stress off), and although drinking from lunch to happy hour did occur, it only happened once or twice a week.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

All of my regular customers have my cell phone and can call me or text anytime. If I don't want to be bothered, I just turn the ringer off. I'm happy that they call, even on nights or weekends. Beats not having anyone calling.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I do not give customers my cell phone! Do you have your insurance agents, Dr. or Dentists cell phone number? I don't thiml they give you it!

I have my doctor's, accountants and attorneys cell number. Never needed the dentist after hours.
Doctors may not get calls directly from patients on their time off but I can assure you that they constantly get work calls about their patients when they end up in the hospital. Specialists get calls after shift to get clarification on patients, even the nurses get calls from the doctors. Such is life.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

You guys need to learn how to use the features on your cell phone or get better customers. My business phone number forwards to my cell phone... 99% of the time people don't call after normal hours. My phone has quiet hours and all sounds turn off from 9pm-5am. Only ones that can ring though are my wife and daughter. If someone calls me at 7pm and I don't want to answer I swipe the red button and that's it.

You old farts complain about stuff that there are already solutions for....

 

[WildWestDesigns]

My business phone number forwards to my cell phone...

Speaking as an "old fart" that is complaining, I believe I made that suggestion as giving out a business number versus direct access to a cell phone is one that most people should use as that also has been an option for a very long time as well.

I don't run Android or iOS, so the features my smartphone has aren't going to be the same.

EDIT: I wonder why my version of what you said got edited while yours didn't? Said the exact same thing just with quotes. Old farts. Apparently it needs that "s", wonder why. I put it here, because "old farts" wouldn't make much since in the above sentence given the context.

 

[Gino]

moody, ya hafta post that carlin video........................

 

[Stacey K]

You guys need to learn how to use the features on your cell phone or get better customers. My business phone number forwards to my cell phone... 99% of the time people don't call after normal hours. My phone has quiet hours and all sounds turn off from 9pm-5am. Only ones that can ring though are my wife and daughter. If someone calls me at 7pm and I don't want to answer I swipe the red button and that's it.

You old farts complain about stuff that there are already solutions for....

Problem is it's sometimes difficult to determine if it's business or personal for me. FB messages, texts etc. from friends/acquaintances/business owners that know me on a personal or local level. I usually just respond with "Please call me on Monday when I'm at the shop" and I don't respond back if they do. Plenty of people say, "Oh I messaged you before I forgot" - then I say, "Problem is I'm not at at the beach (or where ever) so I won't remember Monday either" - usually shuts them up and they call back on Monday.