Originally Posted by AnnaLisa Michalski
|
|
For my own business, I make no apologies for taking messages. I don't offer call answering, customer service support, or any other service that depends on all-day phone availability, so it's not necessary. Except for a specified call time each work day, my calls go directly to VM. I have kids and a loud-mouth cat at home, and it's nigh impossible to have a rational conversation with a client while happy squealing, toy sounds, yowling and meowing, baby babble, Sesame Street, etc. are in the background. I schedule my phone calls for the time of day the kids are napping, no exceptions.
|
Same with me. I never answer my phone, preferring instead to let it go to voicemail and then return calls at one time. I'm nearly always in the middle of a project, and I'm not about to stop the flow of creativity, even if it is for a new client! And I also have a youngster at home that I really don't want running around making noise in the background when I'm chatting with potential clients, so I also schedule all phone calls when she's napping or when my husband is home to watch her.
I guess if someone isn't willing to work with me because I wasn't at their instant beck and call, they probably aren't my ideal client anyway!