Why Getting Someone’s Name Right Matters

I have been called the wrong name so many times

I remember being on the phone with an important client, going above and beyond. I made sure she felt valued. I started the call with

“Hi, this is Calum from Company XYZ. I hear you were having some issues with {Insert problem} and wanted to see if I could help you with this”.

I can’t remember the exact nature of the call. But the humbling to follow is what sticks with me.

I was on the phone for about 30 minutes, answering all her concerns. It was one of my best performances, I have to say. Some of the spiel I was coming out with was glorious. I didn't even know where it was coming from.

When we got to the end of the call the client expressed her utmost gratitude and how this was going to be reported back to someone in my company really senior.

I thanked her for her time and as we said goodbyes this is where things turned sour. She finished the call with a “thank you so much again, Alan.” Before I could correct her, she hung up the phone.

I never did receive that praise from that senior member of our team. All was forgotten.

Sad to say, this is not the first time this has happened.

I have been mistakenly called Alan more times than I can count. When I meet someone new and they ask my name, I say it's Calum. I am often greeted with, Oh, nice to meet you, Alan.

I must not be clear when pronouncing my name. Alan is a more common name, so it is an easy mistake. And it is an easy correction in face-to-face interactions.

I am not one to sit there getting called the wrong name and not say anything. Although it gets to a point when someone calls you the wrong name so often, you may as well just roll with it.

I hate the people who laugh and go ‘I’m just terrible with names’. Well, get better with them you ignorant twat. That's why your relationships suck and no one likes you. Names often have a rich history or meaning behind them to the person.

Do your best to pronounce names right. It matters

Some names may be hard to pronounce and you may not get them exactly right. But you can at least make a conscious effort to try.

I remember working with an employee from Romania called Ionut. He told everyone that the best way to pronounce it was “yo nuts”. I think even then he had dumbed it down for us.

But even this breakdown wasn’t enough.

I have heard him called so many variations of this name including “ya noot” “yo nags” & “I O Nort”. And these are only some of the names. Basically, any name that was said that was unrecognizable was assigned to Ionut.

He tried to laugh it off, but the disrespect was there on show for all to see.

Spelling someone's name wrong in an email is a sackable offense

One thing I find unacceptable is people spelling my name wrong consistently after all this time, particularly in the workplace.

My name is in the email address you are speaking to, so just check that before sending it.

And the worst one is a response to something you have sent, which clearly says Calum at the end. Responding with ‘Hi Callum’ is just lazy. And Rude. Makes me lose respect for the person instantly. Takes a second to make sure you get it right. It’s not that difficult.

Moral of the story

Names matter. Not much else is of higher importance to the person than their name. Names can often have a rich history behind them and may even be a family tradition.

Do your best to remember, pronounce, and spell them correctly. People will appreciate this more than you could ever know.