Telephone Calls VS. Email - What Takes Priority?
Okay, who else in this room thinks that email is OVERWHELMING? We get sooooo much spam and so much meaningless email, how do we keep up?
I remember about a year ago, I read an article that said that consumers expect an email response within an hour. Consumers perceive email as instantaneous and want instantaneous answers. Well, I am SOOOOOOOO glad that I'm in the B2B industry because you know what I say to instantenous email answers?------- BITE ME!
I can no longer keep up. I hire VA after VA and I still can't keep up. If you want an instant answer from me, call me on the good ol' fashioned telephone. Here's my phone number:
1 604 773 9014
Just call me after 9 AM PST ---- that's like noon EST...so don't call before then, OKAY?!!!
But seriously, the point of my entry is...as an entrepreneur, what kind of correspondence gets your highest priority attention? Email? Phone? Mail? Fax?
You know what it is for me? It's telephone because these people shelled out money to talk to me...even more than a fax (which is mostly junk mail anyway). If I'm going to have a client or business associate...I'd like to know they REALLY wanted to talk to me.
But again...I'm B2B, I'm sure the answer is somewhat different for other industries. I'd love to hear your input cuz it is DRIVING me BONKERS.
I remember about a year ago, I read an article that said that consumers expect an email response within an hour. Consumers perceive email as instantaneous and want instantaneous answers. Well, I am SOOOOOOOO glad that I'm in the B2B industry because you know what I say to instantenous email answers?------- BITE ME!
I can no longer keep up. I hire VA after VA and I still can't keep up. If you want an instant answer from me, call me on the good ol' fashioned telephone. Here's my phone number:
1 604 773 9014
Just call me after 9 AM PST ---- that's like noon EST...so don't call before then, OKAY?!!!
But seriously, the point of my entry is...as an entrepreneur, what kind of correspondence gets your highest priority attention? Email? Phone? Mail? Fax?
You know what it is for me? It's telephone because these people shelled out money to talk to me...even more than a fax (which is mostly junk mail anyway). If I'm going to have a client or business associate...I'd like to know they REALLY wanted to talk to me.
But again...I'm B2B, I'm sure the answer is somewhat different for other industries. I'd love to hear your input cuz it is DRIVING me BONKERS.
6 Comments:
I am one of those people who rarely answers the phone. Not because I am necessarily screening my calls (although I do hate to speak with telemarketers, mostly because I'm too nice to be rude, and you have to be rude these days to get off the phone with them!) but because by the time I get to it, it's too late anyway!
So I usually let voicemail get it and call people right back. For me email is so much easier because I don't have little ones vying for attention and creating drama in the background (what is it with the phone and kids?) and can actually pay attention. I know it gets on a lot of people's nerves to have to hear a parent making little side comments to kids while on the phone.
I don't call anyone cos I'm telephone shy, LOL! Thank God for email...
Andre
I'm the same as you Alice. Phone takes priority to me. No matter what I'm doing I stop to answer. You are right, either they are using up cell phone minutes to call me or are paying the long distance. I appreciate that and I'll talk to ya. ;)
Alice -
I'm going to also opt for the email, but only if I (of course) happen to be at the computer. Too many "private" caller ID messages calling up. In fact, if I'm calling someone important, I'll unblock my caller ID.
Now, just because an email comes in, doesn't mean I'm answering that right away...unless it's a client, then I love to watch their head spin when they get a reply back in 5 minutes. Landed two jobs recently, simply because I was the first to email back, and they needed it done right away.
Know what I like best, though? A personal letter - everyone loves to receive mail, and it's the best 37 cents spent around! :-) Dave; blogdj.com
I'm like most and opt for email. I've got ePrompter running every 45 minutes and when I do check it the first thing I do is check all emails for delete then quickly run uncheck the ones I want, clients, partners etc. But unless they require immediate attention, they usually 'sit' for a little bit.
Like Andre, I'm really telephone shy and like Carrie I hate having my kids screaming for attention in the background or wanting to get on the phone thinking its Grandma. Once, when I did an interview for a feature story my interviewee kept asking me to call so much that he pretty much stopped replying my emails! I just didn't think it would have helped my professional reputation much when I have to say "Excuse me - Muffled: Now you get off there young lady or you're gonna have to go to your room" "Ah sorry about that where were we?" Hmmm... although I'm proud to be working at home it's not something I gladly advertise especially in B2B... unless the client is also a work at home parent. That's just me :-D
From my experience I have to agree that people want an answer right away and if they don't get it they tend to get crabby.
Sometimes I wish I could say "bite me" LOL.
But I would also be annoyed with phone calls because they take more time. No polite way to say "okay, wrap it up I need to get back to work or the baby". LOL
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