- Original Poster
- #1
I'm curious how "no name policies" got started and it's so frustrated with how out-dated they are. It's so easy to get a name .. A quick credit check or lookup on linkedin or even on the company website can even be done whilst talking with the receptionist.
I've heard that they got started because of head hunters targeting individual people in organisations but then got used as a "catch all" to stop busy and important people from receiving interruptions.
What some receptionist fail to grasp sometimes is that professional telemarketing companies take a researched approach. Work usually has gone in to identify where there is a need and money is already being spent on an inferior product or service and the researched call is offering better value for money on a stick. It's so frustrating when receptionists either don't know the basics of what they company does to understand and use discretion on whether to put the call through or where they have a jobsworth mindset that means they won't put a call through regardless of any valid opportunity. I have had directors who I have eventually had really good conversations with say "why haven't you contacted us before?" and I have to laugh and tell them about their out-dated policy that is costing them money. Sometimes they honestly don't know this "no names policy" even exists!
I also run an inbound call answering service for small to medium sized businesses and know what it's like to receive cold calls and it's really not a big problem for someone who knows enough about the organisation to filter out the junk and put through the good or interesting ones without having to resort to a daft, blanket, no names policy
It's such a silly objection and way to handle a business call as all it does is tell the world that you are a closed minded company with jobsworths employed who daren't not step outside the boundaries of their roles or their perceived boundaries more like, to exercise discretion for overall business improvement goals.
Anyway *sigh* I'm sure there will be a few comments on the rights and wrongs of cold calling but I wanted to start this thread purely on the "no names policy" topic
Usually we do call with a name but there are some calls that are more appropriate for a different contact in the organisation. How crazy to keep having to ask for the wrong person just to get past the no names policy.
I've heard that they got started because of head hunters targeting individual people in organisations but then got used as a "catch all" to stop busy and important people from receiving interruptions.
What some receptionist fail to grasp sometimes is that professional telemarketing companies take a researched approach. Work usually has gone in to identify where there is a need and money is already being spent on an inferior product or service and the researched call is offering better value for money on a stick. It's so frustrating when receptionists either don't know the basics of what they company does to understand and use discretion on whether to put the call through or where they have a jobsworth mindset that means they won't put a call through regardless of any valid opportunity. I have had directors who I have eventually had really good conversations with say "why haven't you contacted us before?" and I have to laugh and tell them about their out-dated policy that is costing them money. Sometimes they honestly don't know this "no names policy" even exists!
I also run an inbound call answering service for small to medium sized businesses and know what it's like to receive cold calls and it's really not a big problem for someone who knows enough about the organisation to filter out the junk and put through the good or interesting ones without having to resort to a daft, blanket, no names policy
It's such a silly objection and way to handle a business call as all it does is tell the world that you are a closed minded company with jobsworths employed who daren't not step outside the boundaries of their roles or their perceived boundaries more like, to exercise discretion for overall business improvement goals.
Anyway *sigh* I'm sure there will be a few comments on the rights and wrongs of cold calling but I wanted to start this thread purely on the "no names policy" topic
Usually we do call with a name but there are some calls that are more appropriate for a different contact in the organisation. How crazy to keep having to ask for the wrong person just to get past the no names policy.
