For the first many years of running Dunitz & Company, I set aside hours and hours to follow up with customers by voice on the landline phone. I'd follow up on orders shipped. I'd call prospects I met at trade shows to encourage them to order. I phoned customers to encourage them to reorder. In the early 90's you didn't have to make appointments for phone calls. You just made them. You just received them. It was before "caller ID." I learned to recognize Suzie and Linda by the sound of their voices. I knew when their kids or grandchildren were born. I heard the details of the struggles of putting on a new roof for their recent home purchase. It seemed as if I was forging so many relationships both on a personal and professional basis. And to encourage these relationships, Dunitz & Company had an 800# where we paid for the phone calls.
Back in the day, I had a sales rep on the east coast that mailed her orders in by snail mail. Yes, by the postal service. No on expected things to happen 24/7. And then the fax machine came into play. Every business had one. Instead of calling in orders, many customers began faxing them. Even that east coast sales rep graduated from stamps to the fax machine. I was still making phone calls to connect with my retailers, but they were calling me much less often. Note to reader: We no longer have a fax machine. But, we do have a fax line that operates through email at the cost of $5.00/month. I'm not sure why we keep it. But, we do seem to receive two viable faxes yearly, and need to send the same. For now we keep it. (Wanna fax? (323) 769-8111 will reach us. We'd like to receive some faxes that aren't selling ink toner or roofing services.)
Websites. Email. Email Broadcasts. Smart Phones (for everything other than voice calls.) Quick. Quick. Quick. Over the years everything has to happen faster and faster. And voice calls have become mostly obsolete.
It seems in current time, we almost never speak to anyone by voice anymore. And when we do, calls don't come spontaneously. Apparently, we need to schedule the day and time to speak. Everyone has been conditioned to schedule now, even in their personal lives. Heck, I had a good friend get angry at me (at least it sounded that way) when I made a spontaneous call just to chat and check in. And she's not the only friend who now prefers to "schedule" social calls.
I have one long time customer who until very recently telephoned in her orders. I enjoyed that so much. I knew her voice. And over the years we've developed such a nice friendship. She was one of the last holdouts. I was happy to receive her most recent order, but a little disappointed it came through FAIRE. When asked, she told me she had been resisting - but she discovered their system was so easy for her to order. Does that mean I will no longer learn of her future vacation plans?
As many of you know, FAIRE is now a game changer and many stores prefer to shop on their site. Many clients tell me it's really easy to place their orders on this site. I think a lot of it has to do with the Net 60 terms they provide, which most small businesses can't afford to offer. Because FAIRE is the legal seller, there is less reasons for phone interaction with customers. Their messaging seems to be the preferred way to reach out. Most of you know I ask my customers if they prefer Dunitz earrings on our cards or without. I've learned over the years that many stores private label and carding earrings without need is a waste of time and money. (And adds to landfill.) Often I need to call customers because they don't check their FAIRE messages often. Once in a while I actually am met by a voice and I have the wonderful pleasure to "meet" my new customers. Wow, I love that! I'm so old school. When I am prompted to leave voicemail messages, I let my customers know they can call me back, or respond to the messages I've sent them. Hmmmm. I'd say it's 30/70 that customers phone back. 40/60 - maybe?
Unlike many small businesses, I don't use my cell phone for business. (Except for double verification of this and that.) I don't give the number out. Our office line, although no longer a landline - does not send or receive text messages. For that, I'm a holdout.
The world of communication has changed so much since 1989 when I launched Dunitz & Company. I almost never telephone my clients anymore. I miss this sort of interaction. What about you? What is business phone call etiquette in 2025? What is your preference? If you prefer voice, please please, call me at (323) 769-8600. -ND
