Imaginative Service: Don’t Let Your Fear Make You Act Stupid

We take a local newspaper.  For the last two weeks we’ve gotten phone calls on both land lines every few hours.  If we didn’t answer the phone in two rings, when we did answer it, there was total silence.  When we called back, we got a far away call center operator asking us to subscribe to the local newspaper. 

“Why do you hang up after two rings,” we asked.  “That’s not us,” the operator replied.  “It’s the computer.  If you don’t answer quickly, it automatically goes to the next number.  “But, we already take your newspaper,” we persisted. “Why do you keep calling us several times a day?”  “Oh,” she said defensively, “The computer calls everyone in the phone book.”  Our final answer:  “One more call and we’ll cancel our subscription!”

We live in challenging economic times.  Many industries (like newspapers) are struggling to stay afloat.  Don’t lose your good customers because your fear makes you do stupid things!  Even if you feel scared, help your customers experience your confidence, not your anxiety.