Oct
06
Do You Want 91,200 People Complaining They Can’t Get Your Number?
Pepsi has one. Fed-Ex has one. God, even Microsoft has one. Amazon doesn’t have one, and you get 91,200 hits when you Google “What is Amazon.com’s phone number?” Most of them seem to be from angry customers complaining they can’t get ahold of the company. Some of them seem to be user-created secret websites listing how to get a real live person on the line. Interestingly, none of them seem to be from Amazon saying what their phone number is.
Now why don’t you have a phone number listed on your website?
Maybe you don’t like the phone. Maybe you hate being interrupted. Maybe you have a weird voice. Maybe you want to be able to interact with your customers when you’re ready. There’s only one problem with that.
Nobody cares what you want.
Okay, maybe some people care. Your wife might care. Maybe your mom cares. But your home business customers? They don’t give a damn what you want. Your customers care about what your customers want, and so should you.
I chose my web designer because he had his phone number on his website. I did a case study on an entrepreneur, and then bought three of his books, because I could call him. I landed a pretty cool promotional opportunity because I was able to phone the webmaster and she answered on the first ring.
Phone numbers = Transparency. Transparency = Trust.
I have a little story for you. I used to play Yahoo Music for Jack. They had a station for toddlers called Lil’ Kids Tunes. We used to dance to it. It was fun. One day, I went to click on the station, and what I heard was rap. Along the lines of “My lipgloss is so hot it makes all the playas want to *&%# me.” I clicked out of it and clicked back in to make sure I had the right station. Yup. Only this time it was a song about suicide. There was no change in the information, the station had the same details as it always had. Except now it’s about sex and death.
I went to Yahoo’s website to find a contact number and I won’t even get into how difficult that was. After about an hour, I finally got ahold of someone who told me that complaints were only handled by e-mail. Um, what? She transferred me to a supervisor who told me the same thing. I asked him what he would tell someone if they were screaming and yelling and threatening to go to the press. He said he’d tell them to e-mail the complaints department.
Finally, he gave me their corporate head office number, which I called at my own expense. I went through the whole rigmarole again and was once again told that no-one in the entire of Yahoo would speak to me about this. Nothing says “I love my customers” like categorically refusing to speak to them.
Are you writing a diary or running a business?
Bloggers seem to think that there’s no reason to contact them by phone. While this may be true in some cases (really, you shouldn’t be calling Dooce on her home line), if you’re willing to accept people’s money, you should be willing to accept their phone calls.
But then the Bad Guys can find me!
People seem to be under the impression that putting your phone number on your website makes you an easy target for Bad Guys. I would venture to say that it makes you an easy target for Lazy Bad Guys who happen to be on your site anyway. Is your last name on your website? Have you ever mentioned, even once, what city you’re from or where you went to college? Do you visit other websites that can track your IP address? Yes? Then if they want to find you, they can, so you may as well put the number up and please the 99.9983% of the population who aren’t cyber-stalkers.
But you’ll check your e-mail sooner!
Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. How the hell do I know that? What I do know is that sometimes I look at my e-mail and say, “I’ll get to it later.” You probably do too. But how many of us ignore our office phone?
Bottom line: Put your phone number on there. Get a P.O. Box. Start acting like a business. Until you do, quit whining about how you don’t make enough money to quit your day job.
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You know, it drives me nuts when I can’t find contact information for something I REALLY WANT.
Think about that for a minute. I desperately want to buy something from you and I can’t. I can’t even give you the feedback you need on why you’re not making money!
I agree with the overall premise of this post. Big companies cut costs by not having to staff customer service call centers, especially web companies. This can hugely annoying for customers.
I do have to take issue with this remark, “Put your phone number on there. Get a P.O. Box. Start acting like a business. Until you do, quit whining about how you don’t make enough money to quit your day job.”
If you have a day job and a small web business on the side you probably do not have the ability to answer phone calls for your own business while you at work for another company. Attack the big guys all you want, but for the little guy just starting out like this in many cases it is just not possible to put a phone number out there.
But a person who is able to grow their side business into a their main income should definitely put the phone number out there once the business becomes full time.
Amen. I teach and mentor new entrepreneurs and this is something they invariably stumble over. Even if you have a day job, use your voice mail creatively and let people know you’ll find them. PO Box is also a minimum. Great advice.
Rick T
I blog and don’t use a phone number there intentionally because it’s not a commerce site and my work phone is usually going nuts anyway. After reading your post I may just put it there also…. (http://www.sustainablework.com/blog)
Nice one my friend. Punters WANT service and want it NOW. Why educate the bloody fools who wish to remain anonymous?
My punters want to talk to me at anytime, not just when I happen to be sitting by my screen at http://www.thebaldchemist.com
If you’ve nothing to hide and your proud to be doing the business- then put your bloody phone number up.
Take care and good luck.
The Baldchemist
Excellent. I am actually one of those 91,200 people trying to contact Amazon. I finally did find a phone number and now have it saved in my address book. Next, try to find a number for eBay and Paypal.
With services like GrandCentral available, there is no reason not to have a phone number. Great service that makes it very easy to receive, screen, and track calls.
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Why I don’t have a phone number?
Its about customer service, so I can weed out the customers who don’t understand that written communication is a more productive form of getting things done. I can better help the ones who can properly listed out what they want. Its about getting things done so that whatever needs to get communicated will get communicated, like when a request is filed or a complaint written, it will be clear and complete, and I too can then respond clearly, easily making sure that every point or step is listed in my response. I am not about to spend more attention and time away from whiny folks, cause that won’t get things done. Of course it is about my customers, but only the customers with brains who want to get things done. The ones who are whiny probably think their business is so important, that I cry losing their business, but more often then not, they are the ones draining company resources, and it is better off not having their business.
I agree with Al…I have a blanket rule with my clients that allows NO phone contact. In my experience, it creates inefficiency and misunderstandings.
If a request is emailed, you have a record, and EVERYTHING can be reviewed later on.
I agree about big web companies (that HAVE the resources to be able to dedicate agents to answering the phone) needing to have a contact number…but not freelancers or bloggers.
Well, I do post my phone number, but the same page warns people not to call it looking for free help..
I HATE doing that.. not because I want to give free help, but because I don’t like SAYING that on the page. But if I don’t say it, I get calls from people with “Just a quick question” and they waste my day.. because it is there, I mostly get calls from people who know they have to pay for advise and help..
Probably once a month I come back to that page and grind my teeth and say “There HAS to be a better way!”..
I went through horrible pain when I wanted to contact Google for the Adword support. I am paying for the Adword program yet I could not find a single phone contact to have a live body answer my question.
Is it a new fashion or modern protocol ? I don’t know.
I have my own interesting article on customer service…
http://www.successsoul.com/2008/03/24/7-tips-to-create-loyal-customers/
Happy blogging !
Shilpan
On Tuesday night I Did not have a good night sleep.
I was awake all hours that night.
Thats why I am at home for two days.
I got an in fection in my gum from to much salt and vinger and garlic dride and garlic butter as well.
Yesterday morrinning I did not eat anythinng because my teeth were hurting me.
I am back at eating my food seense this morring.
I like makeing comments about myself,
Lots of love Nicola moylan”