Phones

[andrewducker]

I noticed a few reaction posts to my poll yesterday - and a fair amount of commentary that making phone calls unnerved quite a few people. It doesn't bother me at all, so I quizzed a few people about what it was about making phone calls they didn't like. Likewise with phone etiquette. Hence, a new poll.

[Poll #1278852]

Comments

[ishkhara.livejournal.com]

Most of my responses would depend entirely on circumstance.

If I was speaking to a colleague at work and then phone rang then I would answer it, but if I was explaining something to a user then I would ignore the call. That's what we are taught as standard customer service practice - if you have an enquirer in front of you then you don't break off a conversation to answer the telephone.

At home I don't answer calls from people whose numbers I don't recognise. I'm on the Telephone Preference Service so I don't get many 'cold calls' but I have previously had malicious telephone calls from certain individuals. Although I blocked them they continued to use other people's phones to harass me so I no longer answer calls from unknown numbers. However people are welcome to leave a message on my answering service to let me know who they are and I'm quite happy to call them back. :)

[poisonduk.livejournal.com]

I got a row from a friend for this very thing. I _never_ answer withheld or unknown numbers on either my home or mobile phone. Which used to annoy a friend who was ex-directory and always came up 'with held'. I pointed out he'd made a decision to be ex directory for whatever his reasons were so I could have the right to not answer calls if the caller wasn't willing to let me know who they are. I pay for caller ID on my home phone specifically for this reason so I may as well use it.

[ishkhara.livejournal.com]

I do the same on my mobile too.

I don't have caller ID but most of the friends who call me regularly are programmed into my phone so that their name comes up when they call. I'm ex-directory myself, due to the previously mentioned crap, but I'm happy to leave a message and wait for the person I'm calling to get back to me.