Get Up to Date
Take 5 minutes today to check your outgoing messages to see if they’re up to date. Here are a few places to look:
Auto-Reply Messages
- Are you back from Winter Institute?
- Are you still closed for President’s Day?
Electronic Mail Signatures
- Are you promoting an event that occurred last week?
- Have you finished that book you’re reading and moved on to another?
Receipts
- Are you promoting current events?
- Is there a new sale or program you can promote?
- Have your seasonal hours changed?
Answering Machine and Voice Mail
- Just give it a quick listen to see if the outgoing message is accurate.
- Remember to give callers an alternate way to reach you, if appropriate. “If you’d like to try to reach me through electronic mail, send me a note at beth.golay@booksandwhatnot.com.” or “We’re always open online! Visit us at booksandwhatnot.com.”
These methods of subtle outreach are so convenient and can be very effective. They work so well behind the scenes that it’s easy to overlook them when they need to be updated.
