Over at the website Reddit.com, a commenter retold the story of the “best use of a cell phone” he has seen all year. The call was placed while standing in line to the same desk:

Here is the original posting:

So I’m in line at the customer service desk of my local grocery store. Four people ahead of me in line, and one person working the desk. And it seems that this woman has to answer 6 phone calls for every customer in person that she serves in person. After 8 phone calls…the guy in front of me pulls out his cell phone and starts fiddling with it.

Then he makes a call and the customer service desk phone rings (again). She stops what she’s doing and picks up the phone:

Her: Metro, Customer service.

Him: From a customer service point of view, doesn’t it make sense to serve the people who have actually made the damned effort to come into the !@#$ store?

Then he waves at her and hangs up.

She ignores the phone ringing after that.

I have to admit that I love this story, even though the behavior of the “hero” is rather rude. That’s because it provides an essential lesson about productivity: we can collaborate most effectively when we do so at a time and place that is mutually convenient. People in the store have been waiting in line. They will obviously become annoyed if someone else receives assistance first.

This is the same reason why I’m always talking about the telephone. By picking up the phone without having previously scheduled the call, you are almost certainly inconveniencing someone else. Even if you have arranged to have the conversation in advance, we all know that talking into a plastic box leaves a lot to be desired. If you really need to work through an important issue it’s best to do so in person.

Certainly it’s smart to be available to customers by telephone. However, consider placing another desk in the back office that can take overflow calls. Simple, straightforward tactical changes can have a tremendous impact on productivity and stakeholder satisfaction. Learn more about how we can help your company improve day-to-day tasks. Contact Slaughter Development today!

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