If you do business with someone, write their name down. I should start keeping score on how many calls I get each day from people who have no idea who they need to talk to, can't remember who they've been working with on an order. They were clever enough to keep track of the phone number, but failed at writing down a contact name.
Note to world, sometimes this makes you look like a buffoon, possibly an incompetent one. Especially when you get pissy with the receptionist for not magically knowing who you need to speak with. How is it my fault you forgot the name? How is it that common sense fails when it comes to writing down a contact name when you write down that phone number?
It makes me wonder if these are the type of people who give out their number to hot prospects but forget to write their name on the sheet, then can't understand why the phone never rings. Nobody loves me!!!
Next, voicemail.
When leaving a message: State your Name, Phone Number, and reason for call. That way they know who called, how to contact them, and have an idea what to expect from the conversation.
When recieving a message: Listen to find out who called. Call them back. DO NOT just look at the caller ID and call demanding to talk to whoever just left you a message, because whether I mean to or not I'm going to make you feel silly by asking "Did they leave a message?" then suggesting you listen to it before calling back with the name of the person who tried to contact you. I have no way of telepathically knowing who in the building tried to call whom (unless they happen to call up and let me know they're waiting on a call from So-and-So, but that doesn't happen often).
Further. Please do not have a panic attack when I offer to put you into voicemail. I promise I'm not trying to blow you off, not trying to prevent you from getting your business taken care of, and not dumping you into the bottomless pit of ignore. What I'm doing is giving you the most direct way of letting that person know you need to speak with them. There are a couple of salespeople within a distance that I can step away from my desk to give them a written message, but most of them work in a separate building that I rarely see, and I only see them if they happen to wander over this way for some reason. *I* am the dead letter office of leaving messages, it could take days for that person to find out you needed something, rather than the few minutes until they finish up the call they're on.
Not to mention, there is no guarantee they'll call you back either way. Return calls sometimes get put off until they have time, until they've finished the current task, until after they've had a chance to run to the restroom... They're not hiding from you, they're just busy and yes they WILL get back to you as soon as they are able. Unless they forget, so if its super-important, maybe call back in a couple of hours?
While I'm on the topic of emergencies, please plan ahead. If you need to order something for a job that should be finished by June, its best to make sure your order is placed 1-2 months in advance. We don't carry a lot of excess stock, so usually we don't have it on hand and you're going to have to wait the 4-6 weeks it sometimes takes our suppliers to deliver. If you plan ahead you are more likely to get the job done on time. If you wait until the week before your completion date, and we don't have the item in the warehouse already, you have doomed yourself to looking foolish and finishing the job late. Let me make this perfectly clear. If you wait until the last moment, any work delays are your fault, not ours. Order on time, early even, and we go out of our way to make sure we can hit whatever deadline you place. aka "The job is slated to be complete by August 1, we need those doors by July 5th at the latest."
Also. Calling and telling someone "I need this" does not mean you have placed an order. The salesperson will have questions on dimensions, details, they may need submittal drawings, and a purchase order giving us authorization to proceed. Until you recieve word stating clearly that the order has been placed, and an expected delivery date, you have not completed the process of ordering your item(s).
It should be further noted that asking for a Quote does not mean you have placed an order. It means you asked us how much we would charge. Unless you respond saying that you accept that quote and wish to proceed, all you've done is a price check. Calling back 6 months later demanding the item is going to make you look foolish. I'm sorry, but its true.
Finally, to all the co-workers who like to wander by and ask me what I'm doing... ARGH! Clearly I'm trying to take a nap, kindly go away :P
