Cell Phones

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Cell Phones

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77401

Banned
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South of the Border in Houston, Texas
These Cell phones are driving me crazy.
I have an office phone number with an answering machine 24/7, but my customers now have my cell phone number & will call me any time of the day or night on it. One even said "I didn't want to bother you in your office so I called your cell number"
I don't give out my cell number but with caller ID they get it & feel free to call me on it.
I see other trades people answering their phones no matter where thay are or what they are doing.

Do you ever let your calls go to voice mail, or do you stop what your doing, even when on a ladder, in an attic or crawl space to answer your calls?

Is it me, or is it rude to interupt another persons conversation to answer my cell phone?

Why do people interrupt a conversation to answer a cell phone, only to tell the caller your busy and can't talk?

Don't people know how to retrieve their voice mail?
I'm beginning to miss the days Mobile phones were expensive & permantly mounted in your truck.
 
In my opinion, the cell phone can be a tool that if used properly can save you time and money. I use my travel time to catch up on voice mail. order material for one of the next jobs, etc.

If talking to someone, I won't answer it, and do think it's rude if someone breaks up a conversation to answer it. There could be a rare occassion, where you're expecting a very important phone call, and then that would be acceptable - but again, it would have to be very important. I would excuse my self, telling the person I'm sorry, but this phone call is very important.

I typically will let the phone roll in to voice mail, expecially when working, and absolutely if on a ladder. I try to check voice mails 6-7 times a day, so will always respond back within four hours of receipt - especially if it's a customer.

Brett
 
For those who hate cell phones, do you remember the answering service?

This research was done 12 years ago in the Los Angeles area. The names below may no longer be in business.

Code: 
CHAPTER 2

	LOCAL ANSWERING SERVICE -- ANSWER NETWORK OF SANTA ANA
	Grace Parrack, Communications Consultant at 714/953-1234, spoke with 
me for several minutes, seemed very down to earth, and offered some
sound business advice.  

	'Live Body answering' provided 7 days 24 hrs.

	ANSWER NETWORK's National 800 # 'Live Body Order Entry'

	ANSWER NETWORK broke down a cost summary that looks like so:

	National & local 800 # Start-up		$50.00 
	Voice Mail Usage Fee 			125.00 1st month
	(1st & Last month deposit)		125.00 Last month
 	National & local 800 # Usage Fee	 + .95? per minute (1st 30 min. free)
		Total for 2 months		300.00 + variable usage

	Price Comparisons

	ANSWER NETWORK's 800 # service may soon include Alaska & Hawaii
 and already includes all California Area codes, which extend beyond 
Pac Bell's 714, 213, & 909 local limit of area codes.

        ANSWER NETWORK comes out 15% less expensive per month; figured 
at $41.17 after averaging the first three months vs Pac Bell's $48.27.

	For it's 'Live Body' order entry service, ANSWER NETWORK waives 
the .22? usage fee for the first 30 minutes of each month.

Strategic Alternatives

	CUSTOM 800 TERMINATING
	Vanity 800 #'s Can be Used Here: 800 #'s such 1-(800)PRAISERS can be 
purchased from MCI or AT&T separately.  Custom 800 Terminating can 
connect to ANSWER NETWORK's Direct Inward Dial (DID) line.  This is 
the same process described in the Pac Bell Techno-jargon section above. 

	INITIAL INVESTMENTS
	Credit Card Orders Can be Taken Here: A Merchant # is necessary for 
answering service credit card orders.  This can reduce average order 
time and improve convenience for customers, however, getting your 
own merchant # requires an initial investment that is resolved through 
a local bank, independently of the answering service. 

	Working-out some kind of arrangement to temporarily use someone else's 
merchant # for credit card ordering may prove more practical during the initial 
test market phase of the start-up cycle and may save the initial investment.  
However, this privileged information did not come from ANSWER NETWORK.

	OTHER INFORMATION
	Some of the additional services of ANSWER NETWORK are listed here and 
can be examined further in the enclosed service proposal package.  
ANSWER NETWORK has been in business for over 40 years.

	Logistics

	Grace pointed out that an 800 # can be available the same day as 
service is requested or deposit made, and that orders are returned to 
client via FAX, MAIL, or other preferred arrangement.

	BUILD YOUR EXPERT NETWORK
Grace Parrack, Communications Consultant
ANSWER NETWORK
2401 East 17th street
Santa Ana, Ca. 92701					714/953-1234
 
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I love 'em/ hate 'em. You just can't get a way from cell phones, even on the john! I got one for my convenience and seems that it has become just as much a nuisance.

I have had customers call rather late or on weekends, just to say "This is not an emergency, but I wanted to call while I was thinking about this..." How many times can someone cry wolf?
 
A ringing phone is an indication, not an obligation.

That said, if I get a call from someone whose number isn't already in my phone book, I'll generally answer it. Potential customers will probably hang up and dial the next EC if they don't get a live person when they call.

If someone is already in my phone book, I only answer the call if it's convenient. Those people almost always will leave a message.

I generally don't answer my cell phone unless it's during regular business hours. I'll answer my landline just about anytime I'm home.
 
For me it's a necessary evil. I'm almost never in my office during the day. For me there's much more benefit than drawback. And yes, I'm known to answer it while on a ladder.

How about another twist. How do you as an employer deal with workers using their personal cell phones while on the job? Or if you are the employee, how does your boss deal with that situation.

I allow all my guys to use their personal phones at their discretion. It's never been a problem as they do so sparingly, although I've noticed one guy who seems to be on the phone a little too much recently.

Your thoughts?
 
I spend a lot of my time driving from job to job (as an inspector), so the cell phone is the only way I get things done. I typically put about 1,500 minutes a month on it.
 
Cell phones are a necessary evil. However, there are ways to have some control. Caller ID makes it possible to answer the ones that are immediately important and let the others leave a message. Then you can return those calls at your convenience. I have a personal phone and a work phone. The work phone is off when I'm not working and I never use my personal phone for business so no one gets my number that I don't want to have it.

There are places that I don't think a cell phone should be answered. I was at a funeral once and a guy answered his cell phone and carried on a conversation. TACKY!!!!
 
bkludecke said:
Love 'em. I answer in the truck, in an attic, under a floor, in a meeting, during sex...................
Click to expand...
:D
Yeah. The Pavlovian Conditioning that is observable. . . .

[sound]ringing bell[/sound]

Salivate

[sound]ringing phone[/sound]

Exhibit attention deficit to one's physical surroundings.

:D ;)
 
I find it amazing how often I get calls while I'm up on a ladder working on live PoCo wires. I was once working high on a ladder upgrading the service on a duplex, and I got two calls while working on the live wires. That was the only time the phone rang all day.
 
I am with the "necessary evil" crowd. Too many times have I almost been hit by a person with one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand in their ear, and their mind on the conversation. I favor the "operating cell phones hands-free only when driving" law.

If I am expecting an important call, I let the person I am with or the other attendees of the meeting know in advance that I may have to step out to take the call. Otherwise, when I am meeting with someone, I turn the cell phone's sound off.
 
My cell phone goes off at least 60 times a day. I try and keep my calls short because I get tired of being on the phone all the time. It is just part of owning a business I guess. Most of the calls are important though. I don't know how much time I use a month because I never get to look at the bill.
 
Oh and by the way, I am the one person who said they would answer it in a movie. Simply because that is my job to answer the phone. If I cannot answer it then I leave it in the vehicle or turn it on silent.
 
I have had many a customer mention that I was the only one who answered the phone, instead of them getting an answering machine or voice-mail, and that alone almost guaranteed getting the job.

While I don't really care for looking like a Borg, I absolutely love my BlueTooth earpiece! It's a soft, behind-the-ear type, and it's so comfortable, I often find myself reaching to make sure it's still there.

When the phone rings, I reach up and push the button, and I'm on the air. My hands are free and I can keep working, at least until I need my hands to make gestures that the caller can't see.

If I can't answer, it'll go to voice-mail, and I then get a beep. If I know I won't answer, I leave it on wherever I leave it so I get the caller-ID and a chance to call back a non-message-leaving caller.
 
I will go so far as to say "Love them" of the options offered, J, because I extremely dislike being stuck without a way to contact someone when it would save some time.

I've been without a phone since the job change, and I've enjoyed the silence while putting up with the inconvenience.

Living at least a half hour out of town as I do, then it sure helps when the wife can call me when I'm still in town, to pick up something.

That said, I will likely leave the thing on silent all day when I inherit the wife's phone, so that I can see who called. We have an unspoken agreement that checking voicemail wastes minutes, and when there's no answer we hang up, expecting a call back when it's noticed.

Did I mention I was cheap?
 
77401 said:
Oh no! Your one of them?

Hey Mo! Hey Larry! come quick! Someone called & didn't leave a message! Lets call them back and ask them why!
Yuk, Yuk Yuk....
Click to expand...
Funny, but I have gotten more than one job because I called back after a caller hung up without leaving a message.
 
If my phone rings and it is convenient for me to answer it, thats what I do, otherwise I'll call back. As far as Blue Tooth goes, thats fine for Britney Spears or people on Startrek, otherwise people using them deserve to be pointed at and laughed at, if its that important to be on the phone stay in the office where you can find information or write things down. That's my 2 cents.
 
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