TELEPHONE `DOCTOR' TO OFFER PHONE TIPS

Have you ever been the victim of telephone rudeness?

You aren't alone.

Untold millions of dollars are lost every year to poor customer service, says Nancy Friedman, a motivational speaker and author on telephone etiquette.

She bills herself The Telephone "Doctor," and her clients include many Fortune 500 companies.

Friedman will be in Cape Girardeau Friday at the Southeast Missouri Press Association's annual meeting. Her two-hour presentation is open to the public. Tickets are available at the Southeast Missourian newspaper, 301 Broadway, for $25.

She will speak from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Glenn Auditorium in the Dempster Hall of Business on the Southeast Missouri State University campus.

Her talk will be motivational, humorous and educational.

Friedman has written two books, published a series of instructional videos and commands up to $6,000 an hour for seminars. Similar programs cost $99 per person in St. Louis, where she is based.

In Cape Girardeau, Friedman will share the five forbidden phrases to which the public objects, both on the telephone and in face-to-face conversations.

She also will provide advice on handling the irate caller.

"No one enjoys receiving a barrage of complaints from unhappy customers," she said. "But for many people, especially in the customer service field, it's a routine part of the day."

Friedman also will address "emotional leakage."

"Has an employee of yours ever had a bad day and mistreated a co-worker, or worse yet, barked at one of your customers?" she asked.

Friedman said emotional leakage is costing organizations millions in lost sales and wasted public goodwill.

Often, business owners blame a company's telephone ills on "the girls:" the receptionist, the clerk, the switchboard operator, she said. But Friedman said whoever answers the phone is the company.

From a tiny operation started 15 years ago, The Telephone "Doctor" has grown to a $3 million-a-year corporation dedicated to improving customer service.

To order tickets, call Peggy Scott or Joni Adams at 335-6611, or come by the newspaper office.

FOR TICKETS

Call Peggy Scott or Joni Adams at 335-6611, or come by the Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway.