Cell phone etiquette with clients

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

How do you handle your cell phone ringing when you are with a client?

It occurs to me that answering a phone, especially on a first meeting can be a damned if you do, and damned if you don't kind of thing.

What do you think? Please VOTE and share in the thread....

Beth

[MMI Enterprises 289]

You really have to either turn it off or if it does ring ya got to reach down and take a gander on how important the call may be. The customer your in front of wouldn't hold high that yer ignoring someone. Often times a customer will just say something like "go ahead take that call if you need to". My cell has to be on as I am playing midwifey duties next week.. :)

[PPC 37]

I pretty much keep my phone on vibrate do not like to turn my phone off because sometimes a message is not left at vibrate you can see the # that cold you with no destraction

[Steve Kiser 14]

Cell phone stays in the truck, my est. don't take long, and I have someone that I can transfer the calls to should it look like it is going to drag out, but they never take more than 1o min and that is with an inquisitive (sp) cust. To me it is very rude, for the prices I charge that I can't give the cust my undivided attn. (after all I am trying to make a first impression that the cust. comes first, and for that moment(s) they are my only cust.) I am not one for a little small talk with my cust. they usually want to get to the meat and pot. of things, which is just fine with me!

[Ron Musgraves 240]

Never answer that call unless you have a family emergency going on and you informed the person that you may have to take that call. Never nver never answer the phone unless its a crisis.

[John Doherty 126]

I'm with Ron, unless you have someone in the hospital or are expecting a baby I follow the same cell phone etiquette as in any other situation.

If it rings I reach down and hit a button and silence it, I never look at who's calling, how rude. Is there really anything that can't wait a few minutes, the caller will leave a message, or at least your caller ID will have their #.

What ever happened to common courtesy? If your with a group of people and talking to one person and a second walks up, do you just turn away from the first person and start a different conversation with the second?

[Scott Stone 604]

Count me in the above. I also put it on vibrate. Sometimes the customer will hear it vibrate and tell me to take the call, but usually I just wait until I am done. If they tell me to take the call, I know most of the customers well enough that I know whether or not they are sincere.

[R L S 14]

When it rings I silence it right away and continue on.

[Jeff 232]

When it rings I silence it right away and continue on.

YUP !!!

[fullthrottlepower 14]

I feel pretty much against what seems to be the norm.

in this case, not to answer.

I always try to answer the call, for the reason sometimes people don't leave messages, especially if its a new person looking for job to be done.

(maybe to be done yesterday).

I always excuse myself from the client, and also explain the importance of all my calls. (We are ALL important to a lot of people , aren't we?)

However, once the call is answered, I limit it to a few seconds , get the best number to reach them and end with

"I'll call you back when I'm done with my my client".

It's short , sweet , professional, and no missed calls.

Just my 2 cents.

[bigchaz 157]

When it rings I silence it right away and continue on.

Same thing. I keep it on vibrate and in my pocket so its not loud but one quick button and it silences so I can keep focusing on my current customer

[One Tough Pressure 580]

My estimates do not take long. I meet for a few minutes and gather the basic info, then seperate from the client to measure and check for other things like water source and such. So I silence all calls without checking the number and will check voicemails/do callbacks when I am measuring so their is no long term delay.

At the moment of meeting, they are the most important person, so they get undivided attention.

[john@AEC 37]

G'day

I leave the phone in the ute, if some-one really wants me they will leave a message. Most people know that I am working and can't always stop to answer the phone. If some-one is so impatient as to expect me to answer/not leave a message I probably don't want to work for them.

The most important client is the one I'm talking to.

[Douglas Hicks 128]

I generlly do not answert the cell unless it is someone I really need to talk to. I get annoyed when I am talking to someone and the other party answers thier phone. That said, I met w/2 sprinkler salemen yesterday. Thier phones were in thier Ford. Mine was in my pocket. My cell rang & it was someone I needed to talk to. One of the salesmen looked at me and told me to answer the cell. He said, It might be someone needing service, you do need to talk to your customer. It was a customer, & I made the sale. By the way, I changed sprinkler suppliers yesterday. We all made some money.

[Mountain View 14]

The customer I'm with has my full attention, period. I will explain to the caller that I was with another client when I return their call. Phone is on vibrate most of the time.

[FullBlast 14]

Viberate at all times and sometimes left in the truck when doing estimates.

[Joe Ortiz 14]

I say its rude for you to wast their time with your phone calls. If you know youre gonna meet up with a client put the phone on vibrate, and focus on closing the deal instead of worring what u should do.

[James 625]

The situation dictates my response. I will tell the person before we start I may have to take an important call . If one of my kids is calling I know it's important because I told them to text me. Other than that it's a non issue . I think I've had more problems with clients taking calls and not being courteous.

[Ron Musgraves 240]

I dont take my phone on a sales call anylonger, its cost me money. I leave it in the car....NOW. NEW rule

[Jerry 24]

a Respectfull First impression is your first chance at "keeping" the customer..

I say work, live, breathe respectfully, so you'll always have friends,

and you'll also be surprizingly Lucky.

There is SO much disrespect in today's society,

I'm embarrassed for the "average" parents.

[apple 14]

When it rings I silence it right away and continue on.

This.

[Jerry 24]

Silencing the ring right away,

actually lets the customer SEE that he "is more important"

..if you're fast. Eh?

I'm with Chris.

[Ronw 15]

Vibrate for me.