| Electronic Etiquette It
has been said that the electronic age has made things
easier. It has also been said that as things get easier,
people tend to overcompensate in the form of making those
easy things more complicated. Catch 22. Human nature. Two
of the most recent advances in the workplace today are
electronic mail or "e-mail" and voice mail, or
"stupid voice mail" (said in the tone of
someone who has been pressing 3 for customer service for
over an hour).
A recent business article noted that since the advent of
voice mail, the number of busy signals and no-answers has
gone down dramatically, but the aggravation level of the
user of such systems has increased 10 fold. A very good
example follows:
Call any software manufacturer’s technical support
number during hours when they are closed. Several year
ago it would ring and ring and ring. Today, you will
probably be prompted to press 2 for end user, 3 for PC
platform, 2 again for the 2mb version, then you will
begin to hear the customary music on hold, and then a
voice says "We’re sorry the technical support
department you are trying to reach is closed. Please call
back between 11:00am and 3:00pm Pacific time". Hmmm,
three years ago, you didn’t get an answer. Today you
could spend possibly several dollars, not to mention
sifting through voice prompts, to find out they
weren’t even open. Now that’s customer service.
I have two suggestions, one regarding e-mail and the
other voice mail, that are arguably the best I have ever
heeded.
On e-mail. If you regularly use e-mail, you probably
observe this rule out of necessity. Answer each incoming
e-mail (if possible) as soon as you are done reading it.
The age of e-mail is still in its infancy, and if an
e-mail isn’t responded to in a relatively short
period of time, the sender assumes it was never received.
This directly affects the sender’s confidence in
e-mail as a reliable form of business or personal
communication. Remember to put your return e-mail address
in the body of the letter, as an attachment or signature,
if your e-mail program supports it. Why? Many people
print an e-mail that requires work before a response can
be sent. Then they delete the e-mail, only to find out
later that the printout does not have the address of the
sender, only the alias and the body of the letter. Also,
DO NOT use your e-mail at work for personal
communications. If you didn’t know already, your
company and your superiors have the legal right to
inspect anything you send or receive on your computer via
e-mail, and believe me, most do.
On voice mail. Please make note of the obvious when
setting up your greeting(s). This applies to home
answering machines as well. Phrases like "I’m
not home right now", "I’m away from my
desk", and "We can’t come to the
phone" really don’t tell the caller anything
but the obvious. Instead, use phrases like "Sorry I
missed your call, but I will be back in the office around
2:00pm and will be returning calls at that time" or
"I am often called away from my desk for just a few
minutes, please leave a message and I should return your
call within the hour". Telling people a little
information gives them options, and believe me, it is
appreciated. Suppose you have a customer that wants to
buy product NOW. Wouldn’t you like them to know that
you’re away from your desk for just a few minutes?
Change your greetings daily. It is well worth it, and
nothing impresses a caller more than hearing "Hello,
it’s Tuesday, November 5th, and I will be out voting
from 10am to 2pm, if you leave a message, I will try to
call you back today, thanks". Also, if your phone
system has a busy greeting option (the caller gets a
special message if you’re on your phone when they
call), take full advantage of it. Most people will leave
a message if they know you’re in the office, and
believe they will be called back in a short period of
time.
Make e-mail and voice mail work to your advantage.
Respond to e-mail quickly, always provide a return
address, and everyone will be satisfied. Take a few
minutes to answer the mental question (where will I be
and when will I be back?) before recording your voice
mail greeting. Record that answer in your greeting for
your callers and they will be impressed. Change that
greeting regularly and they will be thankful.
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