Who represents your organization to the public?
You can hire a spokesperson. I hear that Tiger Woods has more free time lately.
Or become your own brand. Anyone remember Dave Thomas of Wendy’s fame?
But to most of your customers and clients, your spokesperson is: the envelope please…
The person who answers your phone!
True, today many people are introduced to your organization through your website or via a social networking site.
But eventually, someone is going to want to talk to you. Maybe they want to donate some money, or put you in their will or hire your firm and pay you a lot of money. Whatever it is, they will eventually call.
So if the person answering your phones has a “couldn’t care less” attitude, that reflects poorly on your organization. If they are friendly and sound happy to talk to you, well, they’ve just made my day, so let’s do some business.
What do you think your phone operator’s job really is? To answer the calls and direct people to someone else? To put you on hold and let you listen to your organizations’s promotional recording a gazillion times?
Then you would be wrong.
Their job is to be the spokesperson for the company. The point man for recruiting new customers and making old one’s feel welcome and appreciated.
You don’t have a phone operator anymore? Why pay a salary when you can install a computer-based system that will answer the phones and direct calls as long as you know the proper extension and if you don’t you can just put in a few letters of the person’s first name and somehow end up disconnected or talking to the janitor?
As a client that tells me that you don’t care. I may need to talk to you but you’re not there for me. You can’t be bothered to take the time. I’m just insulted and I’ll take my $50,000 donation or my business and go elsewhere.
So hire an operator, or use volunteers or answer your own phone. It will be worth your while. Your clients will know that you are there for them. Your donors will love you all the more when you address them warmly.
Human relationships are still important, and they start with the person who answers your phones.
David