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What do you do when a customer takes a phone call in the middle of placing an order?

Andy D

Active Member
When I'm trying to help someone and they take a phone call mid order, that is one of my biggest peeves!
I walk away, take plenty of time getting back to them & mentality add $30-$60 to their order.
What do you you do? Does anyone have a sign up?
 

CanuckSigns

Active Member
I give them a minute, it could be important, after awkwardly standing there for a minute I walk away to keep working on whatever I was doing, when they get off the phone I tell them I'll be back as soon as I'm able to get away, if I just started to laminate a roll of vinyl they will have to wait 10-15 minutes.

One of the positives from covid is our front door is locked to walk ins, I love it! I think I'm going to keep it locked all the time now, I sure don't miss the walk ins with their $30 orders!
 

decalman

New Member
We all need patients. This isn't a wonderful world. I don't have patients myself so I'm a bad example. I usually wait on the phone like a sucker, then at the end... I explode.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Most customers will get calls while they're here, but not many deals/contracts are made in a 10 minutes visit. Most deals are made via emailing quotes. If that irritates anyone, I would suggest you listen a little more intently and find it within yourself to be a better person and just wait . Just stare at them.
 

Stacey K

I like making signs
Some people are nice about it and some people are arrogant jerks. Some people apologize and step out side, some people just take the call and don't step aside, they just talk loudly right by the counter. Now that you mention it, it DOES bother me LOL
 

gabagoo

New Member
It's rude and shows that they have no respect for your time. You think they answer that phone when they are sitting in their lawyers office?
Depending on who it is, I might sit and wait all though it feels uncomfortable if they go on and on over trivial matters...at that point I walk out to the back shop and do something until they are finished.
 

Andy D

Active Member
I never take a call while helping a walk-in customer, I will answer, tell them I'm with a customer & they can hold or I can call them back... Simple courtesy.
 

Geneva Olson

Expert Storyteller
I had a long term customer who came and while he was ordering he received a phone call. He's a newly established plumbing company. We had put window perf on his back window, we had put graphics on another vehicle, we had sold him magnetic business cards a huge sign for his warehouse and various shirts. We are in the business of assisting other companies with their business, (graphics, signs, business cards, shirts, decals). So I never complain when they get a phone call. They are conducting business just like we are.
But this man in particular....it was actually his wife who was the office manager that was the problem usually. This time it was HIM. He wanted some polo shirts and I had samples in the shop. Everything he has in is logo is blue. I knew it was a different color blue each time he ordered something but he seemed to not care much. I showed him the 2 options of blue polos he had to choose from in the shirt he wanted. There were 2, A light blue that looked like the Houston Oilers team from years ago and then a royal blue. Neither was the blue he liked to usually select, but those were his options in that shirt. So he picked the royal shirt. He got on the phone with a local municipality and was pissed about a permit not being pulled for a job he was doing and he was in my shop screaming on the phone. We know him fairly well and we chuckled as he left. I ordered the shirts and completed his order. A week later he came and got them and he immediately said, "that's not the right blue". I told him that was what he selected and I told him about his choices. Needless to say, he never remembered making the selection because he was on the phone. Even his wife backed me up. He has taken his business elsewhere. I'm not sweatin it. He was a pain the ass to deal with as it was.
 

Andy D

Active Member
Speaking of ranting...I have yet to see the "middle finger" emoji get used, I keep waiting...:roflmao:
Apparently, the more people that flip you the bird, the bigger it gets... we need to see how big it can get!

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