Many Notaries feel that it is rude to answer a call during a signing, so they don’t. They they call the person back after the signing when the person calling them is doing something else and might not want to be bothered.
What if the caller is offering you four jobs a week for the rest of your life. That might be worth $100,000 over the course of five years. But, you lost that job because you didn’t want to be rude. Maybe being rude is worth it. What do you think?
Next, what if you answer the call, but are rude to the caller by telling them that you are at a signing. This makes me feel very uncomfortable and tense. Why should I talk to them at all as they are in a desperate life threatening hurry to get off the phone. I usually say, “Never mind!” They don’t know who I am or what I’m calling about. They might be about to get kicked off 123notary, but they’ll never know because they didn’t offer me a chance. Or I might have been offering them some very valuable free tips, but they’ll never know.
If you answer a call, give the caller half a minute or so before you start to hussle them. Otherwise you might as well just not answer the call. It is rude to put someone under that type of pressure by answering the call only to tell them that you either can’t talk, or can’t talk for more than an ultra-tense five seconds. What is all the tension about. Nobody is going to miss a flight. Nobody is going to die if you talk for half a minute or so. They’ll be just fine. So just relax, because you don’t know how much you stand to lose by hustling a caller. You might lose your career or the better part of it.
So, answer your calls and be nice to those calling you otherwise you will lose — and you’ll lose more than you can imagine. You are in a business which requires answering your phone, otherwise nobody can book the next job with you and nobody can develop long term ties to you. If you don’t like answering the phone, then create a website — then you can answer emails!
You might also like:
Notary etiquette from Atheist to Zombie
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13718
I actually have two thoughts on this. First, if you know you are calling a notary public that may be at a signing you really should not be put off if they inform you of such as politely ask if they may return your call in a while.
Second, I am a notary and when at a signing I inform the borrower that I may receive a call but I will keep it brief. So yes, I do answer my phone and if I can I accept a job. If it is not urgent then I ask if I may call back. As it is my job to help the borrower I am with I try to make them a priority. I do have a daughter that has problems so I do not turn my phone off and I always answer my calls.
So there is how I see the situation and I believe if I am polite no one should be upset if I request that I call back.
Comment by Margaret Paddock — November 3, 2016 @ 10:47 pm
If I’m someplace I can’t talk, like another signing, I ask the caller if I can call back in X minutes. Sometimes I lose the assignment, but I think it’s rude to be setting up future assignment at a borrower’s home–as well as none of their business.
Comment by Elise Dee Beraru — November 18, 2016 @ 11:24 am
How about texting them back? It IS rude to conduct another piece of business while in the middle of a signing. The only business that I would suffer at MY signing would be a family emergency. Otherwise I would want the NSA to focus on My signing.
Don’t worry about losing signings. 2020 will be a banner year for us.
Comment by betty — June 15, 2020 @ 7:54 pm