The problem with "Gatekeepers"
Stuart Clark
Helping ambitious business owners to understand their numbers and take home more of what they earn by meeting with them regularly and planning ahead | Xero | Proactive decision making | Tax planning
I saw a post the other day where someone was asking about how to avoid cold callers and a lot of people were recommending putting a “gatekeeper” in place - someone to screen the calls so that only the calls that matter get through.
Whilst in theory this sounds like a great idea, if you look at it from the point of view of someone calling in to your business it’s not great. Imagine you have a call scheduled with me and you phone up only to get the third degree from my gatekeeper. Worse still - imagine you are a potential customer calling up to buy something and you are met by the gatekeeper - for me it would put me off my purchase.
Whilst cold calls are frustrating it doesn’t take long to get them off the phone or to hang up (if they don’t get the message). They might also genuinely have something that could revolutionise your business but you may never find out about it as the gatekeeper doesn’t let it through!
How many cold calls do you get in a day to day basis compared to calls from customers? I would imagine it’s in the minority yet we set up new systems to eradicate a problem that was never really there. The benefits of providing amazing service to your clients far outweigh the 2 or 3 minutes saved by avoiding a cold call.
Answering the phone and determining a goal for each phone call / enquiry is a system that is often overlooked. I phoned up a business the other day and the person answering the phone was so morose that it brought me down too! If your first point of contact for your clients, and potential clients, makes them feel like crap then they won't stick around - I know I wouldn't!
Providing excellent customer service over the phone doesn't need to be difficult and yet if you phone up most businesses it appears as if it is! Again, imagine calling up and the gatekeeper phones to check if the person is available and then they don’t take the call. What is your gut reaction? Even if the person genuinely wasn’t there, you automatically assume the person heard it was you calling and decided not to take the call!
We have a very specific system for answering our phones (even down to the number of rings - too few and it catches people off guard, too many and people get fed up and it puts them in a bad mood before you even start!) and it is so simple and costs nothing to implement!
Director at JOIUSS and Aspen Consulting
5 年Soul destroying for callers with numbers too hit. This is so old school. When they could have business come to them in an enjoyably different way.
Head of Sales Development @Salesfire ?? CRO | Helping ecommerce retailers with Customer Loyalty | Growth | Increased AOV
5 年Jill A.?this is the article I mentioned.? So true and what everyone forgets is that the cold caller is simply doing their job. They're not deliberately calling to annoy you ??
CEO, NED, Consultant | Speaker | Trying directly or indirectly to help 'make better...' wherever possible :) Melius Innovations - providing utility Arb services, pioneering Pyrolysis and better Biochar.
5 年Really good article and perspective, Stuart!? Thanks for sharing it, and I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts around the impact on customer experience - both current and potential.