Your Call is Not Important

I’ll be honest.  When I’m on  phone call on hold and hear the phrase “your call is very important to us” it really looses credibility after 30 repeats. Clearly it is not important. 

Worse, now the perception to me of that company is that I am not important at all.  Not really.  The only cure for this damaged is for them to find ways to earn back credibility.  “Lip Service” will not be enough now.  Their credibility has been soiled.

Unfortunately, we hear this type of “nice” but insincere babble all the time.  So much that we rarely even notice it any more, much less consider it or take offense.  We’ve become immune and numb to it.  

Insincere or incorrect communication, now matter how well intentioned, is rarely good communication.  The words alone do not make a message a good message.  Context, sincerity, accuracy and honesty are necessary too.  

A lesson I try to take from this is to make an ongoing effort to be sure I am not guilty of “nice” messages that are still bad communication.  Oh, I still want to be nice.  But I want to be sure I am honest, accurate and clear.  After all, candor denotes friendship and trust, even if that candor is not always the cookie-cutter nice comment.

What I tell you won’t be mean-spirited but it will be candid and honest.  And I hope you will be candid as well.  We’ll both have a better understanding of each other and far less wasted time!  And we will be far more likely to have credibilty both now and in the future.

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