Beware The Perils Of Being Available 24/7

✅ The reality, we know, is that we don't often get it and that lack of standards becomes the reason why someone chooses one business over another, one person over another.

But hanging that out as your signpost saying 'this is my point of difference' is actually doing the opposite because people are thinking, 'well of course you provide exceptional customer service but if you're highlighting it, maybe that means you actually don't but you want me to think you do'.

It's like the baker whose sign says, 'baked fresh every day' of which my customer response is, 'well why wouldn't they be' because my expectation is exactly that.

So I don't see 'exceptional customer service' as a point of difference because that should be a given.

✅ But where this becomes your point of difference is when your actions demonstrate this and your customers start talking about it to other people.

❌ And aside from the unrealistic expectations of being available 24/7 which can never be met by small business owners and their teams, this often also translates into 'I must answer every single phone call every single time it comes in, and every single email as soon as it comes in' thinking.

👉 What this actually means is everyone and everything else is driving your business instead of you.

So here's my question.

❓  What's the harm in actually letting the phone go to messagebank? What's the harm in turning off your email notifications and instead checking them periodically during the day?

If you did this, it would mean you can spend the time and space you need to focus on what's important in your business which is sales, marketing, business development, finances and all that 'on the business' stuff; rather than constantly spending the majority of your day working in your business.

We know successful small businesses take an upward turn and change for the better when they start spending more time working on their business rather than in it.

✅ And the first step is to change your mindset from 'I'm available 24/7 because that's the only way I can provide exceptional customer service'.

💡 And it's also not being an instantaneous business owner.

Because if you're remain in an instantaneous environment mindset, then you're on a hiding to nothing. It also means you can't ever be on holidays which is necessary to recharge your body, mind and spirit.

👉 I mentioned this in one of my presentations, and one of the audience members said, 'I am always available for my customers. And I will always answer my phone wherever I am in the world because customers know that's what I do. And then I ring my staff to actually get them to do what's required.'

My response was control freak (in my head) but I actually said, 'well let's agree to disagree'.

💡 Because what this behaviour actually means is you haven't empowered your staff to do the tasks required in their role, and more than likely, you haven't documented the systems for them to actually do it.

❌ So instead of them feeling in control of their jobs and operating in the most productive and high performance state, all they're doing is waiting to be told what to do rather than using their own initiative and being part of the business solution.

❌ It also means you're interrupting the meeting you're having with your current or potential customer to answer the phone.

❌ And aside from being rude, it also says to this person, 'you're not as important as whoever is on the end of the phoneline'.

And we wonder why businesses lose customers.

👉 I've also had audience members say they must answer the phone rather than letting it go to message bank because if they don't answer the phone, their competitor will.

My response: If that person can't wait, even for a few moments, are they really the customer you want?