April 12, 2014 at 1:39 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Call Me, Maybe
April 12, 2014 at 10:34 pm
I wish google voice were more reliable, I'd spend some time whitelisting and voicemailing callers.
I'm befuddled why more phone systems don't convert voice mails to emails with an attempted transcription and attached .wav file.
April 14, 2014 at 12:42 am
I have adapted a style of "We don't use that (anymore)" when called by sales people.
One person called and talked about a new BI solution they had developed and how many other companies (no names menionted, though) had made cost-benefit analyses showing that the acquisition costs would be repaid many times even during the first year. I politely informed him that we did not use cost-benefit analyses as time had shown they had usually more cost than benefit. He was stumped and I immediately took the chance to say good-bye politely 🙂
April 14, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Time to hire a bring in a summer intern whose only job is to be passed the phone on those calls, pretend to be you, and whose only job is to keep the other person on the line as long as possible. They could even do the same following up to your emails.
A "waste telemarketers time" smartphone app would be fun too.
April 14, 2014 at 12:53 pm
Nevyn (4/14/2014)
Time to hire a bring in a summer intern whose only job is to be passed the phone on those calls, pretend to be you, and whose only job is to keep the other person on the line as long as possible. They could even do the same following up to your emails.A "waste telemarketers time" smartphone app would be fun too.
I am not bothered at work much because external calls come in differently from these people. We don't publish one number, and we use that for all of our partners.
On the other hand I can't believe how bad it is at home! I have taken to answering in Spanish, and seeing how long it takes them to notice. Normally they go on for about half a minute as I am telling them I can't understand and don't speak English.
It can be a stress reliever.
Dave
April 15, 2014 at 1:25 am
On the work mobile I initially evaluate then if of no value then try and politely end the call. If that fails then I press mute and leave the phone on my desk. My reasoning is that if they are prepared to listen then I will engage until it is a pointless endeavour for both parties. Yet when there is no point in the call continuing then I let the party insisting on the continuation to do so. Alone. Occasionally I hear a squeaky voice getting angry when they realise that they have lost their audience.
At home I have fun. I have told wall cavity fillers and loft insulators that I have walls made of jelly (jello to you Yanks - and other citizens of the USA) and have used popcorn for loft insulation. When informed that I have been involved in a car accident I have asked if I was OK. When asked about a different, equally nonexistent, car accident I told the caller it was fatal. My number is only the list that bars marketing calls. It makes little difference.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 15, 2014 at 5:48 am
imho it is a service, not rudeness, to the caller to say no thanks and hang up. they are looking for sales and if you know you are not buying then it wastes both their time and yours to stay on the line in an attempt at being polite.
April 15, 2014 at 5:57 am
Craig A. Silvis (4/15/2014)
imho it is a service, not rudeness, to the caller to say no thanks and hang up. they are looking for sales and if you know you are not buying then it wastes both their time and yours to stay on the line in an attempt at being polite.
Surely when the have been told in no uncertain terms that you are not interested then they should accept that and close the call (note that I did not say hang up).
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 15, 2014 at 6:37 am
In my experience you can't get away with it that easy. I have never had a sales person accept the first no. But if you know that your no is final then it really is an act of kindness to hang up instead of prolonging the agony and delaying the invevitable. I don't think you owe the same level of politeness to an unknown sales person you don't know any more than you owe the same level of politeness to a street vendor in a bazaar that is tugging at your sleeve to hawk their wares as you would to a friend. This is business and if you terrminate the call politely and quickly you free them up to go to someone who may be interesetd in their product and you to do more prodcutive work than talking to them on the phone. Rude is defined as not having or showing concern or respect for the rights and feelings of other people : not polite. I am always polite and I think is shows concern for their feelings to be honest and not lead them on when you have no interest in their product and no intention of buying.
April 15, 2014 at 7:13 am
I also think rude and unprofessional is ignoring regulatory lists for non-contact for marketing, ignoring data protection laws (buying stolen data, using for purposes other than permission has been attained for, illegally selling data), ignoring the person called when they say they are not interested and repeatedly calling after both explicitly stating disinterest and requesting non-contact.
When you have tried to be polite in the face of all this what recourse is left?
To be honest, I have been cold called so many times, by so many people, representing so many organisations that AFTER trying to not waste either party's time the only protest I have left is to make the practice too expensive to be worthwhile.
I would, however, be open to trying other solutions to stop unnecessary calls (changing my phone numbers or not having them are not valid options). I am open to suggestions.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
April 15, 2014 at 7:13 am
Gary Varga (4/15/2014)
Craig A. Silvis (4/15/2014)
imho it is a service, not rudeness, to the caller to say no thanks and hang up. they are looking for sales and if you know you are not buying then it wastes both their time and yours to stay on the line in an attempt at being polite.Surely when the have been told in no uncertain terms that you are not interested then they should accept that and close the call (note that I did not say hang up).
It depends on what they are selling and how much discretion they have.
Telephone sales people often are not ALLOWED to hang up until after X attempts. The natural inclination of people would be to say "sorry for bothering you" and get the heck off the phone at the first resistance, so call centres force their agents to keep trying. They know that the inclination of people is also not to hang up on someone, and they try to take advantage. In this case, rules of politeness simply don't apply. They are actively trying to abuse your manners to close you on something you do not want. With the exception of verbal abuse or threatening behaviour, just about anything goes here. If you can't afford to have your time wasted at that moment, just hang up (I save off the numbers with alternate ring tones and just don't answer when I don't have time). No goodbye or explanation is needed, they've heard it all. If you have time to kill, kill some of theirs. 10 minutes on a no sale call costs them money. Immediate hangups are cheap. So keep them talking. See how many times you can make them repeat the same spiel. Or put down the phone and see how long it takes them to realize no one is responding. Or play a prank on them. Or try to escalate to their supervisor. Whatever floats your boat ... they called you.
With sales/marketing people on the business side, I'd imagine its different, but they will also have fewer leads and a lot more pressure to sell.
April 15, 2014 at 7:16 am
This is one thread in particular that needs a like button. Great posts everyone.
April 15, 2014 at 10:47 am
My favourite answer to a telesales person was from some American radio show - it involved some guy who sounded like Tommy Lee Jones in No Country... answering with some background noise sounding like police activity, suggesting that if the caller knew the murdered person they were trying to call they needed to give evidence right now - what's your name, where are you etc etc. The protests of 'I was only trying to sell him something' were unheeded to comic effect, as the details of the deceased's chalk outlining etc unfolded in the background. Can't find the link sadly - love to have the nads to try it, but maybe leave that one to the pros.
April 15, 2014 at 10:53 am
April 16, 2014 at 1:16 am
I know of a female colleague who had a voice box signature "Hi, this is 'x'. If you are calling about the missing 'y' and have found it in person then deliver by mail. If you are male then please deliver it in person".
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply