So here is a HUGE problem I have: I HATE answering my phone. Actually, I'm more afraid to answer my phone.
"Gasp" but how do you run your business if you don't like answering your phone? I do a lot of texting and email and every now and then will answer my phone. My business could clearly be better if I were better at answering the phone.
I don't know when it happened but somewhere between my social anxiety, the convenience of texting and a general fear of the unknown I grew to loathe answering my phone. And I'm even worse about checking voicemail. Which is why the end of all my emails say TEXT ME because I'd much prefer to have a conversation via text. Or in person. I can talk your ear off in person and can make friends with perfect strangers (as long as they're just that-strangers)
After some research there is a thing called phone phobia and is a form of social anxiety. Clearly this is just something my meds don't help me deal with efficiently. It's certainly not irrational and if I need to talk to that person I'm happy to answer. But in most cases I have have serious anxiety about the phone. Don't know where it stemmed from but I do.
So in the spirit of self-improvement here are 4 things I'm going to do to improve this issue:
1. Change my voicemail to say that it is more effective to email or text
2. Make a visual reminder at my work space that answering the phone might be a great new opportunity
3. If I miss a call, text them and tell them I will call them back in ten min, take that time to get composed and return the call
4. Create a form so that I can keep track of the phone conversation and get email address
I wouldn't beat yourself up over not answering the phone. Society had drastically changed to allow, and even foster, electronic communications. Either text or email. As much as speaking on the telephone can be beneficial, for a business owner having a paper trail can be handy.
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