By McKay Allen, VP of Marketing

No one wants to play phone tag. I literally and actively avoid calling businesses.

I hate it. Why?

Because it’s awful. Sitting through some automated answering system, making sure I’m paying enough attention to hit ‘2’ instead of ‘3’ for the right option. Then getting it wrong. Then having to start over. Then by the time I get through the endless phone tree from the depths of hell, the person I need to talk to isn’t available. Or worse, it goes to voicemail.

And almost always, the business doesn’t call me back.  So…the next day (once the rage in my soul has dissipated) I try to call again.

And the process starts over.

And in the rare circumstance when the business actually calls me (the customer) back, I’m probably at work, in a meeting, with my family, or on another call, and I can’t answer.

And the process starts over.

Stop the MADNESS! Stop playing phone tag. It’s silly and absurd and pointless.

A recent study estimated that the average small business spends SEVERAL HOURS per day talking on the phone to customers.

These interactions—a lot of them anyway—could easily be handled via texting.

Text Instead of Calling

I’ll use a few examples of conversations that, today, are time-wasting and phone-tag ridden conversations, that could easily be replaced by a text conversation.

1) Service Department at a Dealership

Instead of trying to reach the customer, playing phone tag, and trying to get permission to fix something, text instead.

Those phone conversations, in the best-case scenario, take 30 minutes to 1 hour. And often the phone tag stretches into several hours or days.

How many times have you needed permission to fix something and you couldn’t get it until the next day?

What’s happening during that time? That vehicle is sitting in a service bay or a parking space taking up room and not making you money.

Text instead. The customer will respond within 3 minutes 96% of the time.

2) Sharing Case Information or Meeting/Hearing Information at a Law Firm

Many paralegals, legal assistants, or attorneys have spent hours playing phone tag and having pointless conversations with a client when they simply called to give a schedule update.

But you can’t reach the client…they’re at lunch, in a meeting, or can’t talk for some reason.

Stop wasting time playing phone tag.

Text them. They’ll see the text and respond within 3 minutes, 96% of the time.

3) Trying to Share Details About an Event at a Venue

Let’s say you own an event venue or are in charge of events at a hotel or restaurant. How many times are going back and forth with your client about small details, about place settings, flowers, technology, or some other small detail?

I had an event manager tell me the other day that she has played phone tag with someone for OVER A WEEK to try to get the go-ahead or a decision on a small detail.

Stop the insanity!

Text them. They’ll see the text and respond within 3 minutes, 96% of the time.

‍