|
|
Post by lisae on Nov 17, 2019 22:31:30 GMT
I'm so tired of people calling here or even coming by on Saturday nights or Sundays. I just had a call from a lady asking for my husband at 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. He runs a small repair business. It's his retirement gig and he is covered up with work. But people think because he works from home, they can call at any time day or night. I once hung up on a man who woke me up at 6:30 am to ask about a repair. He's repairing arcade equipment not some life-saving medical device.
A few weeks ago, a guy showed up about 7 on a Saturday night on our front porch.
I know I should just let the phone ring but I automatically answer because of my mother even when I can see it isn't her calling. It's just instinct developed from years of a corporate creed to answer the phone no matter what and having my own business. I'm going to have to start letting these calls roll to the answering machine.
Honestly though, why do people think it is okay to call someone at anytime to fix something they have had sitting in their garage probably for a decade? They wouldn't call a storefront at these hours and expect someone to answer.
I've lived with this all my life because my parents had a business next to their home and in those days there was only one line for both house and shop. Then I had a home based business though I have to say my customers were far more respectful.
Add your own vent for the day...
ETA: Thank you for your responses. Today I'm going to get DH to commit to phone hours that I answer the phone and change the message to reflect those hours. I'm going to start letting after hours calls roll to the answering machine. This, I believe, is the best system for us. Many of you are correct, he has trained his existing customers they can call at any time. And if those people refer others, then they probably tell them to call at any time just like the lady yesterday. I don't believe she was calling to leave a message because when I told her I would have him call her back on Monday she said, "Oh, well, I won't be here until after 2 tomorrow."
I had no idea that people call business after hours to leave a message to be called back later. To me this seems very inefficient. Yesterday I realized I needed to ask my mother's doctor's office a quick question before her visit later today. I just called them this morning and in about 10 seconds got the answer I needed. They didn't have to take down my info and call me back. And I didn't have to wait around this morning for them to call me back when I might be busy with something else. One phone call and we are done.
About 20% of the people who call here are wanting a service DH doesn't provide despite the clear signage we have on what he does. In some cases there are other people I can refer them to but all this has to be covered in a conversation. Simple messages back and forth usually won't do it.
|
|
|
|
Post by malibou on Nov 17, 2019 22:41:53 GMT
As soon as I realized it was a call about a repair I would over talk the person letting them know exactly what the business hours are and then hang up.
Then rankles me quite like an overblown sense of entitlement.
|
|
trollie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,580 
|
Post by trollie on Nov 17, 2019 22:46:24 GMT
just let the call roll to voice mail and respond at your convenience. Honestly, as strange as it sounds, I call during off hours so I can leave a message and not talk to an actual human. LOL.
|
|
|
|
Post by myshelly on Nov 17, 2019 22:51:53 GMT
If you run a business and you advertise that business with your phone number, this seems like an absolutely ridiculous complaint.
It would never in a million years occur to me that someone might think it’s not ok to call a business on a Sunday at 5:30. Of course I would expect a business storefront to answer at 5:30 on a Sunday. Stores are open then.
If that’s outside your business hours then don’t pick up the business phone and I will leave a business message on your business answering machine.
I think you are projecting some feelings that aren’t there regarding the phone calls. I hate making phone calls and don’t want to actually talk to anyone. I’ll call a business to leave a message with an email or ask them to text me. Or because I want to be first on the list when they do open. Just because that’s the time I have to place the call doesn’t mean I expect you to be available.
|
|
|
|
Post by pierkiss on Nov 17, 2019 22:52:20 GMT
Let voicemail pick up if they are calling after hours. You don’t have to answer the phone or reply to emails outside of business hours.
As to the people showing up on your doorstep-I wouldn’t answer the door. They will eventually go away. I would be pretty freaked out by people just randomly showing up on my doorstep looking to get a broken something fixed.
|
|
|
|
Post by papersilly on Nov 17, 2019 22:58:08 GMT
I have a similar vent about clients who think you will email them back 24/7. We are a regular "paper-based" office. We don't do repairs or service calls. No client situations are life ending or emergencies. And yet, some people expect replies on the weekends or after hours. Sorry, but no.
|
|
|
|
Post by katlady on Nov 17, 2019 23:00:47 GMT
For your home, get a sign with your business name on it and flip the “closed” side when you don’t want people knocking on your door. For the phone, can you get a second number? Give that out as the business number and don’t answer it outside of business hours.
|
|
|
|
Post by 950nancy on Nov 17, 2019 23:09:33 GMT
I had a parent who emailed me every Friday night. If I didn't respond, he bombarded me with emails the whole weekend. He "knew" I was checking my email. My principal finally called him on it when he came into complain that I was not available on weekends.
I would get caller ID put on my phone and only answer calls that I knew the number. I imagine some people are shocked when you pick up the phone on the weekend.
|
|
GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,306
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
|
Post by GiantsFan on Nov 17, 2019 23:22:40 GMT
just let the call roll to voice mail and respond at your convenience. Honestly, as strange as it sounds, I call during off hours so I can leave a message and not talk to an actual human. LOL. Or so that you're 1st in the queue Monday morning. I agree with the others, let it go to voicemail. |
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Nov 17, 2019 23:24:16 GMT
You need a dedicated business line. Lots of people call service type businesses and leave messages when they are not open.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 18, 2024 7:57:35 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2019 23:25:35 GMT
Get a google voice number and give that out for your business. You can set it to not ring after certain times or on certain days.
|
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Nov 17, 2019 23:27:38 GMT
As soon as I realized it was a call about a repair I would over talk the person letting them know exactly what the business hours are and then hang up. Then rankles me quite like an overblown sense of entitlement. I would never do business with a person who did that and I would let everybody I know know. In a small town with small businesses, negative word of mouth can decimate a business. Seriously, I know my dog groomer is busy all day long during business hours, as am I. I call her whenever it is convenient and leave a message about maybe getting an appointment and she calls me back and typically leaves a message confirming. |
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 17, 2019 23:30:41 GMT
I'm so tired of people calling here or even coming by on Saturday nights or Sundays. I just had a call from a lady asking for my husband at 5:30 on a Sunday afternoon. He runs a small repair business. It's his retirement gig and he is covered up with work. But people think because he works from home, they can call at any time day or night. I once hung up on a man who woke me up at 6:30 am to ask about a repair. He's repairing arcade equipment not some life-saving medical device. A few weeks ago, a guy showed up about 7 on a Saturday night on our front porch. I know I should just let the phone ring but I automatically answer because of my mother even when I can see it isn't her calling. It's just instinct developed from years of a corporate creed to answer the phone no matter what and having my own business. I'm going to have to start letting these calls roll to the answering machine. Honestly though, why do people think it is okay to call someone at anytime to fix something they have had sitting in their garage probably for a decade? They wouldn't call a storefront at these hours and expect someone to answer. I've lived with this all my life because my parents had a business next to their home and in those days there was only one line for both house and shop. Then I had a home based business though I have to say my customers were far more respectful. Add your own vent for the day... DH owns a similar service business and between people calling at all hours and the non-stop robocalls he finally had enough and was ready to hire an answering service. I did some research and discovered that for about $60 more a month we could set up a virtual line with an auto attendant that all the calls to the work lines would run through, and he got a new phone number for his personal cell phone. He has online scheduling so now when anyone calls, they get the auto attendant which says Press 1 to schedule an appointment. Press 2 for a quote. Press 3 to leave a message. Etc. The phone never actually rings anymore unless it’s someone calling his private line. He gets a text message and an email letting him know if someone called the work numbers. During business hours when they press one, it tells them to go online and pick a time themselves. 2 tells them how to submit a request for a quote online. Three sends them straight to voicemail, where it tells them someone will call them back. If it’s after business hours, it tells them that first and runs through the press 1-2-3 routine. There are a few big advantages. Now he calls people back at his convenience during business hours for those people who have an actual question or need help with scheduling because the real people can leave a message. It has cut the robocalls down to NOTHING. And last but not least, the stupid phone isn’t ringing all day long interrupting him while he’s working, driving between calls or with clients. |
|
|
|
Post by busy on Nov 17, 2019 23:48:33 GMT
If I’m calling a business, I assume it’s a business and they have business hours and voice mail for times outside those hours. The onus is on you, not the customers, to set boundaries. And by boundaries, I mean have a separate line and voice mail for the business and don’t answer it except during the hours you determine are your business hours.
|
|
julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
|
Post by julie5 on Nov 18, 2019 0:00:25 GMT
We’re self employed too. We have no life outside of our business. Sundays are our day to restock for the week. We get so many calls. My husband is getting good at ignoring calls. He picks up for good customers. Our business runs on revolving accounts. So the guy that pays on time every time is more likely to get weekend help than the guys who hasn’t bought the first thing or come into our store.
My vent is we’ve spent thousands on Christmas gifts for our customers. They don’t bother to thank my husband for not just the expense, but the time he puts into getting it together. Oh well.
|
|
julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
|
Post by julie5 on Nov 18, 2019 0:03:13 GMT
As soon as I realized it was a call about a repair I would over talk the person letting them know exactly what the business hours are and then hang up. Then rankles me quite like an overblown sense of entitlement. I would never do business with a person who did that and I would let everybody I know know. In a small town with small businesses, negative word of mouth can decimate a business. Seriously, I know my dog groomer is busy all day long during business hours, as am I. I call her whenever it is convenient and leave a message about maybe getting an appointment and she calls me back and typically leaves a message confirming. I agree. It’s much more conducive to your business to let it go to voicemail rather than talk that way. You’d never get another call for sure. I mean would YOU want to give your hard earned dollars to someone who talked over you and then hung up? Da fuq world are you living in? |
|
|
|
Post by lisae on Nov 18, 2019 0:04:01 GMT
My vent is we’ve spent thousands on Christmas gifts for our customers. They don’t bother to thank my husband for not just the expense, but the time he puts into getting it together. Oh well. I'm sorry the gifts are not appreciated. I used to do them for my business as my dad did for his. They were appreciated and I think helped build loyalty. It was time consuming but in our cases worth it. |
|
julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
|
Post by julie5 on Nov 18, 2019 0:05:57 GMT
just let the call roll to voice mail and respond at your convenience. Honestly, as strange as it sounds, I call during off hours so I can leave a message and not talk to an actual human. LOL. Ditto. I prefer to leave a message. |
|
julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,611
|
Post by julie5 on Nov 18, 2019 0:09:24 GMT
My vent is we’ve spent thousands on Christmas gifts for our customers. They don’t bother to thank my husband for not just the expense, but the time he puts into getting it together. Oh well. I'm sorry the gifts are not appreciated. I used to do them for my business as my dad did for his. They were appreciated and I think helped build loyalty. It was time consuming but in our cases worth it. Last year we started giving away socks at Christmas. Our brand makes a wonderful bamboo work sock. So give a guy a pair, you’ve hooked him for life. My hubby sells thousands in socks alone from the freebies! So we try to give away things they’ll come back to buy later. We also give small hand soap samples, then they want to buy the big jugs. So it generates sales for sure. He just feels like the guys think it comes free from our company. It doesn’t. The company literally provides nothing to us. Lol we pay a franchise fee to operate under their name. |
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Nov 18, 2019 0:11:38 GMT
You really need a separate business phone number. It seems like a no-brainer to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Nov 18, 2019 0:12:51 GMT
Seriously, I know my dog groomer is busy all day long during business hours, as am I. I call her whenever it is convenient and leave a message about maybe getting an appointment and she calls me back and typically leaves a message confirming. I have a similar situation with my massage therapist. I often don't know until the last minute that I have a day off to schedule with her. She encourages clients to text at any time convenient to them and she replies at a time convenient to her. That works for us both. For the OP, you have to set boundaries for your business as others have pointed out. People want to call at 'their' convenience. You need a process on your end to handle those calls at 'your' convenience. I like the idea of a small business sign outside the door of your home indicating whether you are open or closed as well. |
|
|
|
Post by lisacharlotte on Nov 18, 2019 0:15:31 GMT
Your husband needs a business line. Just because it’s outside of regular business hours doesn’t mean customers won’t call to leave a message. I agree that as the business owner, it’s up to your husband to figure out how to fix this, not the customers. I also wouldn’t advertise my home address. Existing customers who need to pick up/deliver should be made aware of business hours and reminded you are not available for drop ins during off hours. The onus is on the business owner, getting pissy on the phone with customers is a sure way to lose business.
|
|
|
|
Post by jenb72 on Nov 18, 2019 0:22:23 GMT
I might call after hours knowing that I'll be leaving a voicemail because I'd be afraid I'll forget or get tied up at work myself the next day. I'd actually probably be surprised if someone answered the phone after hours. I definitely think you need to let those calls roll to voicemail and deal with them during work hours.
Now, showing up at your house after hours is completely different. That's just flat-out rude. I'd be pretty ticked about that.
Jen
|
|
|
|
Post by lisae on Nov 18, 2019 0:33:26 GMT
Thank you for your responses. I've never been anything but polite to callers despite how annoyed I get except for the one guy who called at 6:30 in the morning.
We have considered various phone line options but I think the best course for us is to just let the calls roll in the evening and on Sundays. Sometimes DH wants to take calls in the evenings and I screen his requests by getting information to be sure it is something he can even repair. We get a lot of requests for equipment that he doesn't service despite having very clear signage.
I'm surprised so many people intentionally call a business after the hours they would expect them to be open to just leave a message. The only time I've done that was for the HVAC people when our heat pump died on Christmas day and we had no heat. It was an emergency so I wanted them to call me back as soon as they opened the next morning and they did.
I don't like playing phone tag so I only call when I would expect someone to answer. I may not get anyone but at least I have a chance. In our small town, there are no locally owned store fronts open on Sundays, except I think one drug store, and no repair businesses open on the weekend at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by busy on Nov 18, 2019 0:38:51 GMT
Thank you for your responses. I've never been anything but polite to callers despite how annoyed I get except for the one guy who called at 6:30 in the morning. We have considered various phone line options but I think the best course for us is to just let the calls roll in the evening and on Sundays. Sometimes DH wants to take calls in the evenings and I screen his requests by getting information to be sure it is something he can even repair. We get a lot of requests for equipment that he doesn't service despite having very clear signage. I'm surprised so many people intentionally call a business after the hours they would expect them to be open to just leave a message. The only time I've done that was for the HVAC people when our heat pump died on Christmas day and we had no heat. It was an emergency so I wanted them to call me back as soon as they opened the next morning and they did. I don't like playing phone tag so I only call when I would expect someone to answer. I may not get anyone but at least I have a chance. In our small town, there are no locally owned store fronts open on Sundays, except I think one drug store, and no repair businesses open on the weekend at all. I call and leave messages after hours a lot. If they are calling me back, I’m way less likely to end up on hold during the call. |
|
|
|
Post by jemali on Nov 18, 2019 1:08:36 GMT
If someone advertises something like small engine repair and works out of their home, I might assume that they have a “regular” daytime job and this is a second income for them. In that case they would not be available during typical business hours. So I would probably call in the evening or on a Saturday. I would not show up at your door without making arrangements though.
|
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Nov 18, 2019 1:08:39 GMT
Thank you for your responses. I've never been anything but polite to callers despite how annoyed I get except for the one guy who called at 6:30 in the morning. We have considered various phone line options but I think the best course for us is to just let the calls roll in the evening and on Sundays. Sometimes DH wants to take calls in the evenings and I screen his requests by getting information to be sure it is something he can even repair. We get a lot of requests for equipment that he doesn't service despite having very clear signage. I'm surprised so many people intentionally call a business after the hours they would expect them to be open to just leave a message. The only time I've done that was for the HVAC people when our heat pump died on Christmas day and we had no heat. It was an emergency so I wanted them to call me back as soon as they opened the next morning and they did. I don't like playing phone tag so I only call when I would expect someone to answer. I may not get anyone but at least I have a chance. In our small town, there are no locally owned store fronts open on Sundays, except I think one drug store, and no repair businesses open on the weekend at all. Then, I guess, continue to have the phone ring at odd hours. ETA: The 6 am guy was probably on his way to work and decided to call and leave a message |
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Nov 18, 2019 1:08:43 GMT
Thank you for your responses. I've never been anything but polite to callers despite how annoyed I get except for the one guy who called at 6:30 in the morning. We have considered various phone line options but I think the best course for us is to just let the calls roll in the evening and on Sundays. Sometimes DH wants to take calls in the evenings and I screen his requests by getting information to be sure it is something he can even repair. We get a lot of requests for equipment that he doesn't service despite having very clear signage. I'm surprised so many people intentionally call a business after the hours they would expect them to be open to just leave a message. The only time I've done that was for the HVAC people when our heat pump died on Christmas day and we had no heat. It was an emergency so I wanted them to call me back as soon as they opened the next morning and they did. I don't like playing phone tag so I only call when I would expect someone to answer. I may not get anyone but at least I have a chance. In our small town, there are no locally owned store fronts open on Sundays, except I think one drug store, and no repair businesses open on the weekend at all. I call after-hours expecting to get voicemail, I do not expect them to be open and I don’t expect to talk to someone. Having a separate business phone line doesn’t preclude you from taking calls on the evenings that your Dh wants to take calls, and it makes it possible to NOT take calls when you don’t want to - early morning, evenings your husband wants off, etc. I understand the not wanting people showing up at your house at all hours and days of the week - maybe a clear sign in the yard would help. Unfortunately, when something is broken and your husband is the fix-it person, people are all-too-willing to try to make their emergency your emergency too. I’d hate that too! The phone thing is on you guys though, IMO, and really very easily remedied. |
|
|
|
Post by bearmom on Nov 18, 2019 1:11:53 GMT
I call when I am thinking about it, which is usually after hours. I get busy during normal business hours at work and will forget to call.
|
|
mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
|
Post by mlana on Nov 18, 2019 1:32:49 GMT
just let the call roll to voice mail and respond at your convenience. Honestly, as strange as it sounds, I call during off hours so I can leave a message and not talk to an actual human. LOL. This. we have had a business for over 30 years. We often get calls from people who just meant to leave a message for us to return at our leisure. Do you have a separate # for the business phone number? Ours rang to the home phone, but had a distinctive ring if someone was calling the business #. Marcy |
|
