Telephones still viable way of communication

WCP 9.21.10 Although there are a lot of people using e-mail these days, the telephone can still give you that personal contact, “Human to Human” experience, that is missing with the electronic means.
You can’t feel that enthusiasm or lack of it without talking one-on-one with someone. It is not exactly high tech, but it’s still the way to convey information with a little feeling attached.
E-mail is great for short information transfers and is available 24 hours a day, but it can’t displace that personal touch. Each has its place in today’s business world. Use them wisely and correctly.
Good reasons to use the telephone in today’s business environment are:
• Check on order satisfaction - Just making the sale and forgetting about the customer won’t lead to automatic reorders. Be sure the customer is satisfied and correct any problems they bring up as quickly as you can.
• Ask for suggestions - Once a customer is a customer, you should be able to contact them for ideas on how to improve your products and services.
• Ask for referrals - When a customer is satisfied with their purchase, they should be open to recommending your business to friends and business associates. Don’t forget to call and ask for them.
• Offer specials - Recent buyers may be open to additional purchases if the offer is right. Gear your special offer to something that compliments their past purchases.
• Customer surveys - About 60 to 90 days after the sale, customers can be called to see if they are still happy with their purchase and other helpful questions.
• Ask for testimonials - Written or recorded verbal recommendations of your product or service can go a long way in helping to acquire new customers. Some can even be used in advertisements and commercials.
• Order processing - The way to clear-up things on an order-in-process is to speak directly to the person ordering. E-mail and faxing are fine for facts and numbers, but personal contact works best for variable items.
• Leave voicemail messages - Even if you can’t get your customers to answer in person, you can still leave your request or message on their voicemail.

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