What happened to the phone?
In a day & age when communication is so critical, it is amazing to me how many people prefer to use email vs. the phone. We call it multitasking, or the need to 'document a conversation', but by doing so, aren't you really saying to a customer 'Gee, I really don't feel like talking to you. It's so much easier for me to whip off this email to you, put the ball in your court, and move on to my next (more valuable) customers.'
We'd rather shoot off 100 emails a day, barely moving the communication along a step or two, when we could just pick up the phone, talk with our customers, and settle the issue at hand, close the deal, or resolve the support issue immediately. Then there is the issue that email, no matter how well crafted, cannot deliver the proper tone. An email sent in a hurry can come off as terse. Capital letters to some mean that you're screaming. Sales-related questions come off as empty pitches instead of a thought-filled desire to ask engaging questions and learn.
I think customers are craving more personal communication. Instead we invest in fancy email marketing software that allows us to personalize the email as if it really was written just for them. We invest in interactive marketing programs and 'one-to-one' direct marketing using PURL technology to mimic what used to take place between two people.
But we need these tools!
Yes, we do, and I'm not suggesting that they don't have their place. However, I do think our customers are crying out for us to just pick up the phone and call once in a while. I'm an avid emailer, and every once in a while I catch myself typing up an email and convincing myself that what I really ought to do is call. So I call, and I'm quickly reminded of how much that small effort makes a difference.
It would have been easier for me to send a recent proposal to the prospective client in an email, based on the requirements discussed a week ago. Instead I called, talked through the components, shared some pricing, and found out that there were a few other things the client wanted included. In a 15 minute phone call, I learned that event marketing now needed to be part of the proposal, that a blogging platform might be necessary, and that the budget the client had in mind may not accommodate all of this. Instead of emailing my proposal, waiting a week, learning that it needed more despite a limited budget, and then redrafting the document, we settled it all in 15 minutes. That phone call saved days and I connected with the client in a way an email never would.
A few scenarios when the phone is better than email:
- When you're delivering price information for the first time. Never let the first time your customer sees price be in an email. Discuss it with them first & get initial buy in or correction.
- When delivering bad news of any kind. You need the customer to hear the empathy in your voice. An email can't do that.
- When delivering good news. This is your chance to shine!
- Whenever you must disagree with something. Most of us are passionate about our beliefs and in an email, that passion can come across as arrogance and an unwillingness to listen to all sides.
When in doubt, pick up the phone.
In general, it takes many more words to communicate a message and the intended tone in an email than it does on the phone or in person. And think of how much you'll stand out? Your competitors are filling customer inboxes with email. Call your customers and stand out!
