Code of Ethics

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Employment

How many times in a day do you call an office/business and get things like this:

No real person actually answers the phone.  You get a long list of choices, usually none of which fit your purpose for calling.  You think, okay, I’ll just hit zero and be able to talk to a real person…NOT.  You get disconnected.  You call again and pick a number.  You get a voice mail message, asking you to leave a message with your name and phone number.  After a day or two, somebody finally calls back, but, of course, they are not the person who can help you, so they transfer you to another voice mail and you go through the process again. 

Or you do get a real person on the first or second try, get put on hold for what seems like forever, finally get your call answered, but they can’t help you either.  They transfer you to a voice mail. 

Or you actually get a real person, ask for a specific person and they ask things like, who is calling and what is it regarding?  I hate that.  Makes you think, are they screening the calls and won’t want to talk to me because I’m not important enough.  Why should I tell this person why I am calling? 

They can’t help me anyway.  I’m sorry.  But it’s none of their business why I am calling that person.  I know many of them are instructed to ask that question, but I also think many are not and simply do so because they are just plain nosy!   

My boss had a good one today.  He called another attorney, was told she was on the phone and did he want voice mail.  He said okay (even though he hates leaving messages on voice mail).  The receptionist then asked him his name before he was transferred to voice mail.  Why?

I think my favorite though is just simply getting put on hold.  Thank you for speaker phones.  You can listen to elevator music while doing another project while waiting to get your call answered. 

Guess my suggestion for telephone etiquette is first and foremost, answer the phone!  Remember a few years ago when Boeing was laying off just about everybody and somebody came up with the slogan, last person out of Seattle, please turn off the lights?  Well, would the last person out of town, please take me off hold?!

FYI – re my last article – I did get my office organized!  I MOVED!!!