The Official Baldrige Blog
Your cell phone rings. It is a number that is not on your personal contact list. Since it comes from your area code, you decide to answer.
Consider this hypothetical call:
"Hi (insert your name here) this is Harry. How are you today? (Pause). It is always good to be in touch. I will be in your neighborhood next week working with some of your neighbors. I know your company is not performing as well as it could during these difficult times. If you grant me a few minutes of your time, I would like to introduce you to the Baldrige Excellence Framework, a proven approach to become happier and more engaged at work while simultaneously improving your organization strategically and operationally. If you are the boss, you will thank me. If you are an employee, your boss will thank you. To learn more and schedule a risk-free appointment, press 1 now..."
I don't know about you, but my reaction to calls like this one result in me saying I will never deal with that company. And if they call several times, I start telling my friends and social media to stay away from the organization.
According to data from the Association of National Advertisers, between three and seven percent of the calls are successful and that makes the effort profitable. For me, the flip side of this coin is equally troubling. According to Consumer Reports, the impact of robocalls is that people don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Some consequences have been costly and impacted people negatively. Examples given include calls from doctors' offices when the number is not the one you call as a patient or calls from utility company repair people calling to say they are coming in the next hour. In the latter case, an unanswered call could mean the customer is not at home or just not answering a call from an unknown number. The truck then comes anyway and sometimes finds it a wasted visit.
Robocallers, please recognize you could be losing many sales while succeeding with a few. And you could be inadvertently encouraging people to not answer phones when they should.
Because when I have a customer issue, I seek guidance from category 3 of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Please consider these questions related to Customer Expectations (item 3.1) and Customer Engagement (item 3.2):
According to upwards of 97% of your potential customers, robocalls do not engage new customers.
Oh, and permit me one final comment, calling me at dinnertime is even more annoying.
The Baldrige Excellence Framework has empowered organizations to accomplish their missions, improve results, and become more competitive. It includes the Criteria for Performance Excellence, core values and concepts, and guidelines for evaluating your processes and results.
Available versions: Business/Nonprofit, Education, and Health Care