Tag Archives: business courtesy

Email Etiquette – The Sunday Night Warriors

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e-mail etiquetteJust when you thought that there was nothing left to say about email etiquette, one more issue pops up. As the use of email continues to increase, so do the rules for using it courteously and professionally and for practicing good email etiquette.  The first article that I ever wrote on this subject for the business world was “The Top Twelve E-mail Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Career.” Today I could write about fifty or more email mistakes that can sabotage your career or ruin your business relationships.

According to an article by Mashable.com, 144.8 billion emails are sent every day. Mashable  reported that 28% of workers’ time is spent on email. Frighteningly only about 14% of those emails are deemed important. Now I must confess that article was written four years ago. Imagine what the numbers would be if the study were done today.

I am sure there are days when you feel that all 144.8 billion email messages have landed in your inbox. Everyone struggles with ways to control the tsunami of email. We all have our systems for managing our inbox. In the midst of this battle to survive there have emerged those people whom I call the  “Sunday night email warriors.” You know them, and may even be one yourself. The Sunday night email warriors are  those people who use the last few hours of their weekend to handle mail that they didn’t have time for Friday afternoon or mail that has come in since they left the office.

For the Sunday night email warriors, the result of their efforts is that they can go to sleep with a sense of relief, slightly confident that they won’t have to spend hours on Monday morning pouring over their inbox. But what about those who are on the receiving end of the mail that traversed cyberspace during the night? It’s another email tsunami.

If you feel the need to write replies to your messages over the weekend, that’s fine but consider scheduling them to be sent out mid-morning on Monday. Most email programs will allow you to do this. Unless the reply needs to reach the recipient first thing Monday morning, you will show courtesy and respect to your co-workers, colleagues and clients when you give them some breathing space as they start the workweek.

If you need to get an answer to someone right away, remember Alexander Graham Bell and pick up the phone. But wait until Monday!!!

This will not be the last word that I’ll write about email mistakes. Tomorrow another bad habit will emerge. If you have one that you want me to include in a future blog or in my newsletter, contact me via my website or call me at 912-604-0080.

More information on email etiquette can be found in my best-selling book Manners That Sell-Adding the Polish That Builds Profits.

Photo from Savannah magazine

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com

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How Long Are You Keeping Your Customers on Hold?

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Waiting for customer rep

Waiting for customer rep

When your customers call, do they hear, “Thank you for calling ABC Company. Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and the next available representative will assist you.” ? While the customer is waiting, the clock is ticking.

Time goes by, and the caller is subjected to the same message over and over, sometimes there is some elevator type music playing in the background. More often than not these days, you take the opportunity to promote your latest products or services while keeping your customers on hold. By the time a representative comes on the line, the customer has your message or messages memorized word for word, and not happily so.

As I write this, I am on one of those interminable holds. By now, my clock tells me that I have been waiting for 15 minutes. What do you want to bet that I can finish this blog before a representative comes on the line?

What am I thinking at this point? Try choosing the answer that you think best matches my thoughts.

  1. My call is definitely not important.
  2. I am not a valued customer as they would have me believe.
  3. My time is of no consequence to them.
  4. This company is not concerned about customer service.
  5. I do not care to do business with these people ever again.

If you chose any or all of these responses, you are correct. This will definitely be the last call I make to this company.

And would you believe that:

  1. I have finished this article?
  2. More than 45 minutes have passed and I am still on hold?
  3. I am getting ready to hang up and never plan to do business with these people again?

Is that how you want your customers to be treated? If you truly value them and their business, you will staff your phone lines with enough trained representatives to keep your callers from holding for more than one minute. If your response to my suggestion is to say, “But that costs money,” then remember the old adage, “You have to spend money to make money.” If you can’t afford to spend money on customer service, you probably can’t afford to be in business.

Additional information on being courteous and respectful of others over the phone and the rules for keeping your customers on hold can be found in my e-book, Business Etiquette 101 – Telephone Courtesy

Photo from Savannah magazine

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com

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How Do You Show Customer Appreciation?

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We Like youJust the other day I had two extremely different experiences with customer appreciation. One was good; the other not so. As a business etiquette expert, I may be unusually mindful of how business people treat their customers and clients. I love good examples of customer service. I much prefer to experience, to write or to speak about the positive than I do the negative.

Not to give away too many details or to name names, I will only reveal that the one business I was dealing with has a long history with the community and with me as a customer. The other is fairly new to the area as am I as their customer.

The former (long history) refused to budge on a minimal charge that I questioned, possibly the only one in 45 years. The other refused to take my money for a simple purchase and a quick repair—the kind where you wait only minutes—on a small appliance. Their response when I tried to pay was, “Oh no, you’re a good customer. We are happy to help you.” Good customer? I have purchased one or two items with a few accessories from them in the three years. Will I return to the latter? You bet. Will I go back to the former? Not if I can help it.

So how do you show customer appreciation? Do you waive small charges or do you haggle over them? Do you tell your customers how much you appreciate their business or do you take them for granted? Do you exceed your customers’ expectations to let them know they are valuable?

People want to feel they are appreciated. With rare exceptions, they cannot read the business owners’ minds. They can only tell whether they are valued by your words and actions.

A lesson in how to show customer appreciation came during one of my earliest jobs with the legendary Rich’s of Atlanta. Richard Rich’s mantra was “The customer is always right.” We never argued with a customer no matter what the issue, how absurd, how implausible or how unbelievable. It was always handled with a “Yes, Ma’am (Southern manners) or a “Yes, Sir.”

Today’s lessons learned:

  1. Tell your customers how much you appreciate their business.
  2. Show your customers by your actions that your words are sincere.
  3. Keep in mind that the customer keeps you in business.
  4. Consider what the customer’s business is worth to you.
  5. Make sure all your employees are on board with you.

Business etiquette is the cornerstone of profit and success. It is grounded in courtesy, kindness and respect for others.

I would love to know how you show customer appreciation.

Here’s to your success and profitability!

professional speaker

Photo from Savannah magazine

Hire Lydia to work with your staff to improve customer service and employee relations through the use of those priceless and often over-looked soft skills called manners. Lydia is the “unstuffy” business etiquette expert who helps individuals and organizations add the polish that builds profits. We’re talking about your bottom line here.

Since 1996, countless people have benefited from her wisdom through keynotes, seminars and conference breakout sessions.  Her Southern charm and sense of humor have made her a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Based in Savannah, Georgia, Lydia is available for national, regional and local speaking and training engagements. She has suitcase; will travel.

Contact her via email at lydia@lydiaramsey.com or call 912-604-0080. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter and visit her website, lydiaramsey.com.

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