Time Wasters - Telephone Interruptions

Imagine you’ve just started on a particular job, probably after you had to really hound yourself to get started (it’s probably an unpleasant one - see Procrastination) and what happens… the phone rings…

No matter what you are doing at the time, you lunge to answer its beckoning ring!

Or you’re in the middle of a client meeting and the phone summons you. Do you actually ignore your client to answer it? And for how long? And what happens to that presentation you had planned down to the last minute?

The classic display of dis-respect is in an interview, when you’re trying to build rapport with a client, who is made to feel less important when that phone beckons you.

Telephone interruptions are the most common time waster, as well as:

• excessive number of calls
  
• long winded conversations (people wanting to socialise…) and
  
• experiencing difficulties in placing outgoing calls.

Some answers you might like to consider… Firstly, show respect to your clients. Don’t conduct interviews in a room which contains a phone. Let it ring if you hear it when in an interview!

Whoever wanted you will either solve their problem themselves (see Delegation), will ring back later, or leave a message with someone!

If they want you to ring back, you decide the time that suits you. You are in control and can finish the call when you feel you’ve spent enough time on the issue!

To avoid socialising, or if you experience difficulties phoning out or getting through, use your fax machine or email.

The fax machine is a remarkable example of modern technology and is very impersonal. It doesn’t talk back you don’t even have to put “Hi” at the top of the page! In most cases you can get your message through in very little time at all. I know of one operator who uses the fax constantly in order to get the message through to busy clients.

(This is the second post in the “Major Time Wasters” series)