Customer Service

I don't think I'd run a business very well. I have a feeling I'd get fixated on a few of the things that needed to get done, and all the other little things wouldn't ever get the attention needed.

However, that being said, I'd always have my business name and hours on the answering machine. And I'd have either call waiting or multiple lines.

Nothing pisses me off more about a company than when I call and just get a busy signal. There's no excuse for that, get another phone line and put me on hold. If I'm looking for something I've never done/used before and I get a busy signal, I immediately look for a competitor's phone number.

And when I get the answering machine - which is an acceptable alternative to a busy signal - I should hear the business hours and company name. There's one place I've recently called who has two phone numbers listed in the phone book. The first one has an answering machine that simply says, "delivery ... beep." eh? Whose delivery? The other phone at least says the company name - but no business hours. That way I was completely left in the dark - I didn't know if they were open on the weekend or not. Someone else got my business that day.

Seriously, it only takes a couple of seconds to record the proper message, and it's a couple of dollars a month for voicemail.

Oh, and while I'm ranting about business practices, I was talking with someone from one of the local companies just two days ago. During the conversation she said, "Well, almost everyone has gone home by now because we close at 5." For one, nobody answers their phones at a couple of minutes to 5. And two, it was 4:30 when she said that! Closing at 5 does not mean that everyone is gone at 4:30 - that would seem to imply you close at 4:30, correct? Maybe everyone leaves 10 minutes early, but half an hour? I don't care if you close at 4:30, that's your perrogative - I'm sure the folks there work harder than I do, but don't tell me you're open until 5.