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

[Rain Man]

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.

[Beef Supreme]

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

People suck at following rules.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by Donger

Try this:

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

Left paren....right paren?

[listopencil]

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.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

Left paren....right paren?

Yes, of course.

(303)

[Garcia Bronco]

It's called number rhythm and it's cucial

[ChiTown]

[Rasputin]

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!


I can only take so much of it.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

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

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.

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.

[Couch-Potato]

I have thought the same a million times

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

It's called number rhythm and it's cucial

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

[New World Order]

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

[ChiefsCountry]

I always end up going 300-20-10.

[hometeam]

I do it all the time.

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

[displacedinMN]

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

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

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

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?