The holidays are in full swing! For small business owners, ‘tis the season to try to hit this year’s sales goals while also planning for 2026.

In the spirit of giving, I’m simplifying your year-end to-dos by sharing the ONLY resolution you need to make for the New Year – one that’s sure to crush your competitors overnight.

All you have to do is…answer the phone. 

There was a magical era – roughly from the invention of the telephone until about 2012 – when if a phone rang, someone picked it up. But somewhere along the way, “customer service” evolved into “please hold for the next available disappointment.” (To be honest, I’m convinced most companies don’t have customer service departments – there’s just one guy named Greg who occasionally wanders near a ringing phone, panics, and runs the other way.)

Now, the phone rings into a distant void where hopes go to die. 

You can almost hear the echo:

  • “Press 1 if you’d like to continue not speaking to a human.”
    “Press 2 if you’d like to scream into the abyss.”
    “Press 3 if you’ve already given up.”

We all have our favorite customer service horror stories. 

Here are a few of mine:

  • The automated system that proudly announces, “Your expected wait time is 73 minutes.” (I’m sorry, am I calling Disney World?!)
  • The company that cheerfully tells me to “visit our website for faster service,” even though the website told me to call them.
  • The voicemail message that simply says, “This mailbox is full.” Translation: You’re not the only one they’ve been ignoring.

All I want – all any customer wants – is for someone to answer the phone.

It could be anyone! A customer service rep. A part-time intern. A bored teenager. Just someone who acknowledges that I called for a reason other than to hear smooth jazz on loop. It’s even better if that person is empowered to actually answer my question or solve my problem.

Ring in the New Year by resolving to pick up that ringing phone!

That’s it. That’s the whole plan. Imagine the rave reviews:

  • “Wow, they didn’t keep me on hold for an hour!”
  • “They solved my problem on the spot – they must be wizards!”
  • “Five stars.”

A closing thought…while I’m still on hold.

If companies truly want to stand out, they don’t need AI bots, futuristic apps, or promises of “enhanced digital client pathways.” They just need a human being to say, “Hello, how can I help you?” – and mean it!

Trust me. You’ll make customers so happy they might cry, and they will certainly be happy to do business with you again.