Are You Answering the Phone Without Really Answering It?
From the Buyer’s Chair: What sales, service, and business development look like from the other side of the conversation.
Automated phone systems are designed to improve efficiency, but poor call routing can create obstacles for customers, prospects, and potential business partners. When callers cannot identify or reach the right person, businesses risk losing valuable conversations and opportunities before they even begin.
I was training a new rep the other day.
He called a company and the phone was answered.
By a recording.
No receptionist. No department options. No clear path. Just a generic greeting and a list of names.
He looked at me and said, “Who am I supposed to ask for? I don’t know what any of these people do.”
So he didn’t leave a message.
When Automated Phone Systems Create More Work
Then something funny happened.
People started calling him back.
“Hey, I saw I missed a call from you.”
Now he’s explaining why he called, the person calling back is trying to figure out who he is, and neither one of them knows what the original call was supposed to accomplish.
And I started wondering…
Is this actually more efficient?
I completely understand wanting to protect employees from endless calls. Nobody wants their team interrupted all day by vendors, robocalls, bad pitches, or people who should have done five seconds of research before dialing.
Automation has its place.
But if a legitimate business call cannot easily get to the right person, you may have created more work instead of less.
And you may have lost the opportunity altogether if the caller decides your phone system is not worth figuring out.
Maybe it was a potential customer.
Maybe it was a referral.
Maybe it was a vendor.
Maybe it was someone with an idea, connection, or opportunity that could have actually benefited the business.
Are You Making It Hard for Prospects to Reach You?
We spend a lot of time talking about making it easier for customers to do business with us.
I wonder if we spend enough time asking whether we are making it easy for the right people to reach us in the first place.
Because there is a difference between protecting your team’s time and accidentally putting a wall around the business.
Inside the company, it may look like efficiency.
From the buyer’s chair, it feels like a dead end.
Good business development depends on access, relevant conversations, and connecting with the right decision-makers. Technology should make those connections easier, not create unnecessary barriers.
Before adding another layer of automation, consider what happens when a legitimate prospect, referral, or business partner tries to reach your team.
Where is the line between protecting your team's time and making your business too hard to reach?
#FromtheBuyer'sChair
Andrea Goodman
Appointments By Design
High-touch business development partner for B2B companies in facility services, trades, and beyond. We open doors to decision-makers—not just calendars.
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