The B-Word

No, not that one.  Nor that one. 

The B word I dislike hearing the most during work hours (read waking hours, please see earlier post) is "busy."

I don't like to be told, “I’m sorry, but so-and-so is busy at the moment” when I'm trying to get hold of them: so frustrating. It also means that I might later have to remember who I was calling and what I was calling for, and this appears to be getting more difficult as I get older. 

Telephone Busy

I particularly don't like the word being used as an excuse for my not speaking to someone who has called Ravenscroft or BullionRock, and I positively wince if I overhear, "I'm sorry, but Robin is busy, can I take a message?" at the office (or, more accurately, if I overheard, when we used to be at an office).

In my opinion, the ol’ busy excuse ranks right up there alongside, "he’s in a meeting" as a very poor excuse for not speaking to someone, even though it might well be true.

In my line(s) of business, nothing beats, “he’s right in the middle of putting on some deals in the market, can I take your number and get him back to you?” in order to buy some call-you-back later* time… it’s a belter. 

Must be better than:

He’s in with a client;

He’s on the other line;

He’s lost the will to live; and

Will he know what it’s concerning?

Without using:

He’s otherwise engaged; (with what?)

He’s a bit tied up at the moment; (with whom?)

He’s in-/pre- disposed; (trying to sound posh, and failing)

He’s in the little boys’ room. (TMI, I mean, really?)

Having never worked anywhere that uses a sales script [thank goodness] I have tried a couple of tactics over the years, which are basically the same thing actually, to try and help keep the work phone from becoming an utterly nightmarish distraction**:

i.                Actively employing client facing colleagues who are focused on managing clients, leaving me to the corporate background stuff that keeps the doors open/ systems working/ regulator satisfied/ auditors amused/ banks and counterparties happy; and

ii.               Educating and empowering those around, in order that they are able to help when I can’t. How much better is it to hear, “Robin is in the office, but just not at his desk right now, perhaps I could help you? Are you looking to place an order, reset your online password or talk about the markets? Or is it a personal matter? When might it be a good time for Robin to call you back? Will he have your number?” 

Work Busy

Of my, many, work foibles, being told by a colleague that they are the b-word (usually as an excuse not to something that has been asked of them) infuriates me much more than it should. Whilst I did not recall the incident, one of the people I now work most closely with at Ravenscroft recently revealed that he had, only once, a long time ago, said that he was too busy to help me and that I had, metaphorically, given him the hairdryer treatment!

As I hate saying that I am busy, “The List” has long been adopted (now I think about it, in an unusually passive-aggressive manner) to try and manage colleagues’ expectations of my time. It is my collection, often haphazard, of reminders of things on the go, arranged in a batting order (by greatest risk/ greatest profit/ longest overdue) that makes sense at the time of writing.

When someone effectively asks for something new to be added, I will (erring on ‘under-promise to over-deliver’ rather than the other way round) consider, and confirm, where their task will be placed on The List and therefore when I should start and finish it.

But Seriously

I am writing this on Saturday 18th April, having spent most of the previous early evening chatting to a new investment adviser who has just started introducing clients to BullionRock. I had wondered about the merits of picking up the ringing phone, not knowing it was him, at 16:50 on Friday*** and the conversation started:

 {Me, literally} “You’re very lucky to get me, because I should be having my weekly guitar lesson****” 

{Caller} “Oh, I am very sorry, and it really was nothing as important as that. Should I try again on Monday?”

This immediately made me want to chat to the person more and, as it happened, owing to the Easter holiday, my lesson was cancelled (my younger son reminding me as I frantically tried to get the attention of someone in my family at 17:00). A short while after 19:00, having exhausted nearly my entire knowledge of physical bullion supply, sales, shipping and storage, the caller thanked me for making myself available on a Friday evening, particularly, as he noted, “you must be really busy at the moment Robin.”

* recognising that it is fundamentally important that I do actually call back later, or have someone else suitably qualified to do so, do so

** yes, it pays the bills, yes, all calls are important, yes, I am being facetious, but I would love it if each and every call was our next ￡million+ order

*** we never leave the phone ringing, ever … but please note that home working has left some clients thinking that we do … the technology and VOIP systems are pretty good, but not perfect, so please be patient if you don’t get through first time. Unless you are one of those cold-calling marketing companies … oh, or one of those foreign exchange dealing firms

**** deliberately booked for 17:00 on a Friday as a treat to myself that, when it is time for me to leave work, my wonderful colleagues take great delight in acknowledging by calling out, “half day today?” and “good shift, thanks for popping in”