How Does Summer Impact Business Phone Calls?

With temperatures rising, children finishing school, cottages beckoning, and family visits being organized, there’s no doubt that some of our attention is turning toward summer vacation. As entrepreneurs and independent professionals, we need to give some extra attention to our phone communication. How are we going to make calls, receive them and enjoy our well-deserved time off?

What two things should you organize on your phone before you leave for vacation?

  1. Before you rush out the door to enjoy your summer vacation adventure, please leave enough time to create a clear, professional voicemail on your phone. I’ve listened to a lot of dreadful vacation messages in my career, so here’s my list of items to consider before you hit “record”: 4 Steps to a Great Vacation Message
  2. If you are currently communicating with some clients by text (and yes, I am doing this now), in order to truly unplug, use the auto-reply option on your iPhone or, if you are an Android user, there are apps available. This is the one I’m currently investigating:  https://youtu.be/gSCDNP947to  (With thanks to the folks attending Daley Progress’ lunch and learn on June 6th for inspiring me to do this research!)

And when you are not on vacation, don’t despair and use summer as your excuse not to pick up the phone. July and August have always provided me with amazing opportunities to grow my business and I’ve outlined why in this post: Summer’s Ease = Opportunity

Finally, it isn’t only your phone you should be thinking about when you go on vacation. What about email? What about your social media channels? Anita Kirkbride of Twirp Communications, Linda Daley of Daley Progress and I have put together a mini-ebook with our best tips on how to unplug and bask in the sun.

Whatever you do … enjoy your vacation!

#InspireConversation

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What's The Phone Lady doing?

  • One-on-one coaching with 6 amazing entrepreneurs - info about sales coaching here
  • Designing a sales campaign - that includes phone conversations - for a waste management consulting firm
  • Creating client communication module for college students
  • Delivering remote learning on essential business communication skills for job search
  • Remote learning experience on sales and customer service skills for vet equipment company
  • Remote learning experience for financial advisors
  • In-person learning experience with new business owners on creating a sales process
  • Remote learning experience on essential skills to reach and inspire conversations with C-suite executives
  • Team coaching for a firm representing natural products for arthritis in dogs
  • Remote learning experience on sales and customer service skills for a transportation company
  • Remote learning experience on both discovery and sales calls for new startups

Do you or your team want to improve your communication skills? Do you have a communication question or challenge you'd like to discuss? This quick-to-fill-out form is easy to use and you'll hear from Mary Jane very soon.