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View Full Version : How do you answer your mobile phone for business ?



Harold Mansfield
07-19-2009, 02:17 PM
Just about everyone has a mobile phone, and many of us use the same mobile for personal and business use.
I am sure most of us have our friends and acquaintances programmed so that their name shows on caller I.D., but what if it's a strange number ? Do you assume it's business ? (or a bill collector :))

Just wondering, when you answer your mobile during business hours, or when think it's a business call, how do you answer it ?

The same as a personal call..."Hello" ?
Just like your business line..."Some Dude Construction, this is Dude" ?
or do you answer announcing your name...."Hello this is Dude"?

Or do you have another way ?

What do you guys think is the most professional way without greeting personal calls like business ?

vangogh
07-19-2009, 02:37 PM
It's probably not the most professional way to answer, but I go with the simple Hello. I'm sure the common wisdom is to answer with "hello company name" or something similar, but I've never noticed answering with a simple hello hurting me in any way.

Evan
07-19-2009, 06:16 PM
I will either say "Hello" or "Lemoine". (I recommend using your name in place of mine).

vangogh
07-19-2009, 07:28 PM
I recommend using your name in place of mine

Funny. Maybe we should all test different names to see which works the best :)

Patrysha
07-19-2009, 08:02 PM
I answer PK Marketing Solutions if I don't recognize the number otherwise it's Hi so and so...unless it's a business number that has more than one potential caller.

billbenson
07-19-2009, 08:59 PM
For all calls, I either answer "this is bill" or Sales, this is Bill"

Evan
07-19-2009, 09:09 PM
Funny. Maybe we should all test different names to see which works the best :)

Let me know how that works out for you. Perhaps there is a link to the most "successful" names.

huggytree
07-19-2009, 09:41 PM
my cell phone is my only work #...i answer 'Waukesha Plumbing...Dave Speaking' 100% of the time...no matter who is calling...im professional...i answer the phone 24 hours a day

Blessed
07-19-2009, 10:31 PM
sometimes I say "Hello" usually though I say "This is Jenn" and then all the people who are looking for Bryan the plumber who had the wrong phone number printed on some of his stuff are really confused...

rezzy
07-20-2009, 11:41 AM
my cell phone is my only work #...i answer 'Waukesha Plumbing...Dave Speaking' 100% of the time...no matter who is calling...im professional...i answer the phone 24 hours a day

24 hours a day? How does that work? Do you get many late night calls?

Harold Mansfield
07-20-2009, 01:20 PM
My problem is that I mostly contact people through email. If I get a call through Skype, I know that is business..probably a promoter or manager.
I recently got my Google talk number, so now since that is forwarded to my "cell" ( there it is) , I know immediately that it is from my contact page....so I guess problem solved.

huggytree
07-20-2009, 04:56 PM
i only get a 2am call once a year....and yes i do get up and answer it...no i dont make it downstairs before it stops ringing, but i reply to the msg...the last one who called me was a member of my BNI group to tell me she was sick....3am...she couldnt wait until 6am...ohhhh i was mad....

if your a steady customer of mine i do what it takes to save you ANYTIME!

yea id charge $200 extra to show up at 3am....hasnt happened yet...even weekends are rare.

Vivid Color Zack
07-20-2009, 06:11 PM
my cell phone is my only work #...i answer 'Waukesha Plumbing...Dave Speaking' 100% of the time...no matter who is calling...im professional...i answer the phone 24 hours a day

I consider myself pretty professional too, aside from how business is conducted, attire, customer relations, sales.... ok ok I'm not that professional.

But in all honesty I pick up the phone before 8am for 1 client only. Anyone else can deal with 8am-6pm pacific. I will often reply to emails at 3am but I don't take business calls outside of business hours unless it's a big job we're in the middle of or if I expect contact from a certain client.

I think that's very reasonable too. I think everyone is entitled to have some time during the day when they are actually off. I think the best thing I've done is ditch the laptop. Now I don't bring work home with me anymore :)

Oh and I answer with carious things depending on who is calling.

Unknown numbers get "This is Zack" or "Hello" if I am feeling secretive about my name that day.
Known business numbers get "Vivid Color.com this is Zack"
Friends get "what's up homie"

vangogh
07-20-2009, 06:32 PM
I don't answer my phone 24 hours a day either, but for the most part there aren't really any web design emergencies. huggy is in a different situation. When he gets a call it could be someone who's pipes have burst and who's house is quickly filling up with water. I'd answer my phone during off hours too in those circumstances.

Vivid Color Zack
07-20-2009, 07:07 PM
That's a good point. For him it could be an extra few hundred bucks in his pocket too. For me... I bet it's a file setup question from a designer working late.

huggytree
07-20-2009, 07:52 PM
most contractors are around at 6am...i start work on new homes at 6am and remodels at 7am...i get calls from my builders anytime after 6am...only bugs me when i sleep in on a slow day.

i also get homeowner calls until usually 9pm.....i have only had to go out once at 9pm for an emergency and it was a local call.

orion_joel
07-23-2009, 01:17 AM
I almost never answer my mobile unless i know the number. While i do advertise my mobile number for my business i list it as Voicemail, so if people are calling it i expect they are expecting to leave a message. When i do answer it is always "Hi, Joel Speaking." When i answer a business line at work or my actual business number at home it is always "Good (Morning/Afternoon) Company Name, Joel speaking" Without Fail.

nealrm
07-25-2009, 06:53 PM
I usually go with "Hello HouseViewOnline, Neal McGuire speaking"

If it is a friends number I go with "Sam's pizzeria, can I take your order"

a_caldwell
07-26-2009, 11:03 PM
We forward our calls from our 800 number to our cell phone and with caller ID we can identify a business call.

I was just about to recommend this, I initially used my personal cell for business, but found it to be too risky. I now have a separate cell phone for work. I have a 1-800 number that calls this cell.

KarenB
08-29-2009, 12:08 PM
What do you guys think is the most professional way without greeting personal calls like business ?

Just a simple, "John speaking, may I help you?" may suffice. This works for both business and personal.

If someone is calling you on your business line, they will be glad that they actually got to speak with 'John'. If it happens to be one of your friends, they will also be glad that they got 'John'.

Really, I wouldn't sweat it. As long as your response is polite, warm and professional, no matter who the caller is, you will know within the first few seconds whether the caller is business-related or personal.

Karen

mingamo
08-29-2009, 06:19 PM
Actually, the best way is, Hello, this is JoeyBagga Doughnuts... you could add...may How can I help you?

But most of the time..this is Joey is proper.