Why don’t people return phone calls anymore? Is it because the person who left the message is not important enough, is long winded, is a complainer, or is it that you’re on the phone so much you don’t want to be on the phone any more than you have to?
I don’t know how many times I have called someone and left a message for them to call me and never received a reply. Do you know how disrespectful that is? I cannot verify the statement, but a friend of mine stated that Warren Buffet said he would not buy a company if the CEO would not return his call.
Opportunities are lost every day because someone did not return a call.
My main reason for writing this post is to express my appreciation to a friend of mine who is a CEO, published author, world traveler, and sits on the board of several companies. This man is extremely busy, yet when I call him or send him an email, without fail he will reply within 24 hours. He does not just do it for me, but anyone who leaves him a message.
When I spoke to him about it he said, “It’s extremely poor manners not to return a phone call.” With everyone having cell phones these days there is no real good reason for someone not to return a call. Some have made not returning a call a bad habit.
How many times have you had someone tell you they will call you, only to have them break their promise? Not returning a phone call, or not keeping a promise to call, can ruin both personal and business relationships. It’s just plain rude.
In a prior company I was responsible for hundreds of employees at all levels of the company. One of my strengths was returning phone calls. My commitment to every employee was to return their call within 24 hours of receiving it. My reputation depended on me keeping that promise. Many times while on the road I would check my messages and return calls sometimes to the employee’s home at 7 or 8pm. They would always express their appreciation for returning their call. If I forgot to return a call I would feel just horrible and apologize profusely.
If you are one who does not return phone calls, think how it makes you feel when someone doesn’t return yours.
i want to thank you for posting your thoughts on this rarely talked about and easily overlooked subject. I am more likely to receive a response (returned call or text) from individuals that are the most busiest.
ReplyDelete