Reputation COUNTS

“I’ll have her get right back to you,” or “I will be sure to have her return your call.”

How many times have you heard such a promise from a person taking a message?   Then you wait and don’t hear back.

When your call is never returned, what is your reaction?  It is probably one of frustration or irritation.  You wonder if the person ever passed on the message.

Choosing words carefully when speaking with clients or other callers is critically important to maintain a good reputation.  Unless you are sure your supervisor or co-worker will return a call promptly, avoid saying. “She will get right back to you.”

Tags: Etiquette, reputation by Marcia Hall
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Earlier this week, I left a voice mail message for a graduate student I do not know.  When she returned my call, the pitch of her voice was very high and she only gave me her first name.  It was hard to hear what she was saying since she spoke so softly.

How do you think I perceived her?

My immediate reaction was that she sounded unprofessional.  This student could make a much better impression by saying her complete name, talking audibly, and deepening the tone of her voice. 

Paying attention to small details can make all the difference.

Tags: Etiquette, Professionalism by Marcia Hall
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I just listened to a voice mail message.  It was from a person I don’t know whose last name I could not hear clearly.

The caller rushed through the phone number, causing me to listen to the entire message again so I could to write it down correctly.  Her e-mail included her last name, which she didn’t spell, and therefore I couldn’t contact her that way.

This call illustrates what many people do when leaving messages.  They speak too fast and neglect to spell names that may be confusing.

To make a better impression, say numbers slowly to help people write them down correctly.  Do not assume that the person you’re calling will know the spelling of your name or that the phone reception will be so good that he/she will be able to understand each word.  Be sure to repeat your phone number at the end of the message.  Making it as easy as possible will ensure that the person does not have to listen again and again.

The recipients of your calls will thank you and you will make a good impression as well.

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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 How often have you dialed a phone number and heard this message, “I’ll return your call shortly.”

Then, you wait. Two or three days go by and you’ve heard nothing.

If a recorded message includes a word such as “shortly” or “promptly,” people may believe, “I’ll hear back within a few hours.”  When no one calls, the reputations of the company and the person who created that message can suffer.

This applies to live interactions as well.  Saying, “Please stay on the line and someone will be with you promptly,” and then making the caller wait 15 or 20 minutes, is aggravating.

E-mails are not exempt.  Writing, “Your e-mail will get our prompt review,” and then not following up quickly produces unnecessary frustration for the customer or client.

I believe it is important to choose words carefully when creating a voice or e-mail message.  If you are unable to respond soon, let callers know when they can expect to hear back from you.  Don’t use the words “shortly” or “promptly” unless you actually will return the call or e-mail quickly.

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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If you receive a thank you via email, do you then send “You’re Welcome” in response?  Or to avoid getting a “You’re welcome” email back, do you say “no response is necessary” when saying thank you?  If you do that, are you concerned that the “tone” of those words might seem unfriendly?

Perhaps there is no one answer to this dilemma.  I find myself responding in the way the other person does.  If I receive a “You’re welcome” then I send one myself when I’ve been thanked.

What do you do?

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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In my last post I talked about forwarding an email to another person when it could potentially be embarrassing to the original sender.  Today I want to comment on all the emails people get when they are part of a group copy.

There are certainly occasions where being copied can help solve a problem or answer a question because the input of everyone is required.  In that case, it is beneficial to get those emails.  But there are situations such as when people are asked to respond that they are coming to a meeting and they use, “Reply to All” so the entire group is notified.  You begin to get everybody’s back and forth when it really isn’t necessary.

It can be an incredible time waster to read all those exchanges if your involvement is not required.  Who has a good and tactful way to limit that type of communication?

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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 You’ve made several phone calls and then get busy doing something else.   The phone rings and the caller says the dreaded,

“Hi, it’s me, getting back to you.”

So, you play along and say, “Hi,” hoping you’ll quickly recognize the person’s voice.

Or, the caller gives you her first name only and you know several people by that name.  That recently happened to me.  Even though I had spoken to this woman earlier in the week, she had the same name as my neighbor and for a minute I didn’t know who was calling.

Making an assumption that people will know who you are can produce anxiety or confusion in the person being called.  Unless you are absolutely certain your voice will be recognized, especially in a business relationship, I believe it is essential to state both your first and last names.

Tell me your “horror” stories!

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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 Have you ever heard a voice mail message and couldn’t figure out the person’s name?  He or she said it so fast that you had no idea who was calling.

Or, how often do you hear a message and don’t have a pen handy?  You may find one while listening, but the person doesn’t repeat his or her name and phone number so you have to replay the message, sometimes lengthy, to hear the contact information.

One of the best tips I’ve ever heard about voice mail etiquette is to slow it all down.  Pause between your first and last name so people can distinguish between the two.  Saying your name at the beginning and end of the message may help the person not have to listen to the message again.   Also, repeat your phone number and/or email.  That courtesy will be greatly appreciated as well.

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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I keep hearing the expression, “No worries,” in response to my thanking a person.  It caused me to wonder what has happened to, “You’re welcome.”

In a conversation I had recently, other responses to a thank you were mentioned, particularly, “No problem.”  The man to whom I was speaking dislikes that intensely.  He wants to say in return, “I didn’t say it was a problem.”

I’ve just discovered Googlefight.com so decided to compare the three responses using the number of search results.  It may be telling that “no problem” had 152,000,000, there were 10,900,000 for “no worries,” and just 277 for “you’re welcome.”

Do you hear “You’re welcome” less often these days?  And what is your reaction to “no worries” or “no problem?”

Tags: Etiquette by Marcia Hall
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