We need a societal rule for giving out phone numbers on the phone.
 

Every time I have to give a phone number when I'm on a call, it goes one of two ways. It goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...867

Them (talking over my 867): Okay, 303...

Me: 5309.

Them: Okay, 303-530-9...

Me: No, 303-867...

Them: Not 530?

Me: Okay, start over. 303-867-5309

Them (talking over my 5309): 303-867...what?

Me: Here's the whole thing at once. 303-867-5309.



Or it goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...(waiting for confirmation)

Them: (Silence)

Me: (Silence)

Them: (Silence)

Me: 867...

Them (talking over my 867): Okay, I'm ready.

Me: 867...(waiting for confirmation)

Them: (Silence)

Me: (Silence)

Them: (Silence)

Me: 5309.

Them (talking over my 5309): Okay, I'm ready.

Me: 5309.



Why is it so hard to give someone a freaking phone number?

I propose that we adopt a national system, and that it goes like this:

Me: My phone number is 303...(wait a beat)

Them: 303.

Me: 867...(wait a beat)

Them: 867.

Me: 5309...(wait a beat)

Them: 5309. Your number is 303-867-5309.

Me: Exactly. Au revoir.

Them: Adios.

You just frustrated me.

Okay, I'm ready for your comment now.

To ensure complete success Europe would have to adopt the complete opposite.

5309

867

303

Same thing with credit card numbers.

Good point. I bet they do that. Except in England.

Yes! Exactly!

I do the slight pause between sets of digits but do not wait for a confirmation. So

303 (Pause)
867 (Pause)
5309 (Pause)

Now if I am taking a number I will expect much the same and will then repeat it back (without the pauses).

This is where you should ask them to confirm after they write it down or put it on the wall or whatever they do with it.

RM: ok, here is my phone number. Please confirm. Ready?

Them: Ready.

RM: 303

Them: 303

RM: no, I said 303

Them: That's what I wrote down.

RM: Good, you ****ing listen. OK, ready? ...

Also, make sure you pronounce the zero as 'oh'.

Three oh three

:bang:

Repeat after me: zero, zero, zero

You only do that when quoting out the contents of a core dump or a product code. Phone is fine.

Try this:

Left Parenthesis, 303, Right Parenthesis, Space, 867, Hyphen, 5309

I suppose saying, "Three, aught, three" is completely unacceptable?

A little old fashioned and you run the risk that the person on the other end will not know what you just said.

I think this is already covered under the societal rule "Don't be a dumbass."

People suck at following rules.

Left paren....right paren?

I tend to do this:

Me: OK, area code 303 (wait for confirmation)

Them: confirm in some way

Me: 867 (wait for confirmation)

Them: confirm in some way

Me: 5309 (wait for confirmation)

Them: confirm in some way

Me: Repeat that back to me

Them: Repeat for confirmation


I do that regardless of awkward pauses.

Yes, of course.

(303)

It's called number rhythm and it's cucial

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I hate these automated machines that say "I can understand complete sentence"

Me ok I want to talk to a representative

Machine First we need to understand what the problem is.

I want to talk to a real person I said.


What seams to be the problem? Says the machine


I said I want to ****ing talk to a real ****ing person! :cuss:


I can only take so much of it.

:clap:

I spend full days making phone calls to schedule meetings, to close sales from proposals I've submitted, to check on payments that are past due, touch base with clients, and lastly cold calls to get prospects to call me back.

I rarely have problems when either giving my phone number to a live human being or leave a voice mail.

When leaving a voicemail I make HUGE pauses: This is ___________ from ________ and you can reach me at 555......666......77.....89. Give them plenty of time to write down my cell number without having to replay the voicemail. I also give my email address spelling it out as [email protected]

I get a TON of responses from email because I gave my email on the voicemail and they want to respond at the best time for them, including late at night or early morning.

I have thought the same a million times

Dot dot dot.....dot dot dot.....dot dot....dot dot.

Once again, Rain Man hits the nail right on the head.

I always end up going 300-20-10.

I do it all the time.

Just big pauses between sets, they will say OK or Got it.

RM-it is because people have the attention span of sperm. Most can't make it by the first number without stopping.

Those that ask for the number are doing 16 things at once, and therefore cannot focus on anything.

I do 303 pause 555 pause 1234

If I take a number, I repeat it back.

People S U C K

On the phone all day. This is the way you get people to actually write your shit down or the way you should leave it in a message. It seems so simple doesn't it?

Damn internet/cell phones. Wouldn't happen with a landline

I've found people grasp the number better if you turn the last four numbers into two.

555-1234 vs 555- twelve thirty four. Five numbers to absorb in their brain instead of seven.

Better yet, instead of 555-two five zero zero, 555-twenty five hundred.

Hometeam I am curious; how many cars do you sell on average per month?

The recipient should remain silent as the person mentions their number.

How about you quit giving them a false number? That's the number to some customer service for a group of service businesses in Colorado.

how about asking if they can receive sms :D

come to think of it, why do you need to mention the number if they called you :D