Even when you are already closed, if you pick up the phone, the customer is more likely to call you again in the future.

Of course, this does more than provide empathy for the customer, it gives you insight into why people are calling.

• Did they want to place an order?
• Was their delivery late, wrong, or didn’t show up yet?
• Were they calling for information about an upcoming scheduled event, and this was the only time they could get through to you. (Their non-working hours sadly not aligned with your working hours.)
• Did they check online and find three varying “hours of operations” and hoping you were still open? (This is good to know, better fix that tomorrow.)

No matter what the reason, a human talking to another human is always a good idea. Better to do it now, even if you are already closed up for the night, doors locked and in the process of leaving for the day; you can still answer the phone and say a friendly hello. This my friends will always go a long way.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl