"Hi, this is Dr. We-don't-answer-the-phone-at-lunchtime's office. I'm sorry but we are all at lunch until 1:00 PM. Your call is very important to us though, so please call back after 1:00."When I make a business call and get an answering machine with the above-type message, I'm not happy. Nor do I believe that the business really thinks that my call is very important ... otherwise someone would be assigned to answer the phone. And after I get that message, there's a good chance that I'll move on and try a competitor.
Many people have to make their calls before work, during lunch hour, or after work. If you open at 8:00, lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 and close your doors at 4:00, you don't leave much time for working people to call. You're really restricting your opportunities with these people.
And what happens when you're running an advertisement and the person reading the ad is persuaded by your words to call to set up an appointment ... at lunchtime. You've spent money to attract this person and what do you give him when he calls during lunch ... an answering machine saying that we can't talk to you now, we're eating. All of us.
It's the wrong message to send potential new patients.
Figure out an amicable schedule among staff members so that someone is answering the phone during lunch.
Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson
