The Simplest Act of Professionalism . . . Why Do So Many SMEs & Solopreneurs Dismiss It?

I don't know whether this is just a 'New Zealand thing' or not. My suspicion is that, whether or not it is, it's a whole lot more prevalent here than elsewhere. Having worked in many different countries, I've always noted how casual so many operators in the small business sector here are, when it comes to basic professionalism and customer service standards.

So much so that, I'm betting, most Kiwi small business and solo operators wouldn't even see what I'm about to write about as an issue at all.

But it is. Let me demonstrate why.

I'm referring to the extraordinarily lax attitude towards (a) phone contact-ability, and (b) the process of, and impression created by (c) frontline phone manners.

I'll give you two examples from - literally - this morning, in my world.

Just one morning. Let alone every time I (regularly) experience the likes of them. (Actually, I should probably say that, as far as (c) above goes, the phone manners issue relates to ALL businesses . . . and it's often outrageously bad even in some of the largest corporates - where the manners and attitude of frontline phone-answering or call centre personnel can be a total luck-of-the-draw situation, with nil consistency at all.)

Why Invest in Professional Promotional Materials If You Don't Bother with A Phone Manner that Matches?

On with the story. This morning, I took a punt that the lawnmowing service behind the quite professional-looking flyer I found in my letterbox yesterday, might also provide rubbish removal services.

So, I called the mobile number on the flyer. It rang and rang. And rang. Finally, it gave out an OGM (Outgoing Message) to the effect that, "the mailbox you're trying to access can't be reached". However, so keen was I to get rid of these empty boxes etc cluttering up my garage from my relocation of, now, a year ago, that I figured I'd give it another whirl.

This time the phone was answered . . . by a live human. Having assumed that the phone manner of someone who had gone to the expense of printing quite a professional flyer and expended the effort of running around letterboxing it, would have a phone manner to match that commitment to building his business, I was thrown off when the answerer just uttered a personal name or some word in rapid fire.

I mumbled something about the flyer, and asked if I had the right phone number. "Yes", was the curt response.

On the back foot (never a good or strategic place for a keen and willing new customer to be), I told the answerer that while I already had a lawnmowing guy, did they do rubbish removal (because my lawnmowing guy doesn't)?

After some deliberation at that end (during which I waited uncomfortably on my end of the call), the answer appeared to be a "yes", but they'd need to come and have a look.

Anyway, all went well from there (as long as they turn up).

However, I think I'd be reasonably correct in assuming that the readers of The Customer would hardly need me to suggest a phone-answering process and manner more befitting of any business operation . . . whether "just" a one-man-band lawnmowing guy or not. Particularly one who had just invested in flyering a neighbourhood to build his business.

How Much Confidence Would You Have in this Highly Self-Promoted, Big-Ticket 'Professional'?

Next . . . and this one is way worse, given the nature of the business.

So, being that I'm still dealing with the health fall-out of a serious environmental exposure some time ago, a practitioner in the supplementary health field referred me to (apparently) a qualified functional doctor who had experience in this specific environmentally-related health issue.

This apparently respected practitioner's website (which included the logos of many news media outlets, seeming to posit that she'd been featured on same) indicated that her practice (she referred to her "team") had only a mobile phone number.

I called said mobile phone number and got some generic, AI-generated OGM . . . which could have been for any business, in any field, anywhere.

Yet this is a practitioner who charges $450 for a 50-minute consultation. And she feels she doesn't need to even have a credible phone number or even a personalised outgoing voicemail?

Remarkable. Is that how easy it is to make that sort of money from people on a desperate hunt for quality health advice / health care?

Not Isolated Incidences, Sadly

And these are hardly isolated incidences. Again, this is just one morning in the life of your Chief Reviewer.

If they weren't such commonly disheartening experiences - shared by many of my readers, I'm sure - I wouldn't bother even making mention of them.

But they are. In fact, many of you have commented to me that - for whatever reason - your customer service experiences have deteriorated markedly since the "Covid" years.

I'm not only incredulous that so many small business, and solo, operators don't view such a simple act of professional courtesy as necessary, I'm often actually affronted at the contempt that I feel as a customer otherwise intending to pay good money for their services, or even, in some instances, otherwise intending to become a regular client or customer.

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