Falkeris Inquiry Desk · Chicago, Illinois
How to reach the Falkeris desk
Three routes lead to the same team: a phone call, the inquiry form, and email. They differ in speed and in what they are good for, not in who answers. This page lays out which channel fits which question, what to have ready, and how business hours shape the reply you get.
The desk line
+1 312-508-3887- Weekdays
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday
- 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Calling during business hours
The desk line is answered Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Calls ring at the desk, not a menu tree, and on a mobile phone the number works as click to call. A phone call suits quick clarifications, anything time-sensitive, and questions where you would rather talk than type.
Outside those hours
Voicemail takes your name, your number, and a short summary, and the desk returns the call on the next business day. Leave the best time to reach you if the day is long; the call back follows the same order as everything else that arrived overnight.
- Ring the desk early in the day for the shortest hold.
- Have the phone number you want the call back on ready.
- A pen or a note app helps you keep any reference number quoted to you.
Using the inquiry form for a written record
The form creates a dated record of your question and our reply, which matters when a matter spans weeks or involves several people. It also lets you write at your own pace and attach context in a follow-up email. If your question is detailed or you want your own copy of the exchange, the form is the better first move. It is answered within one business day in most cases.
Open the inquiry formWhen email makes sense
Email works best as a follow-up channel: after a call, to add a document, or to continue a thread a team member already started. For a first contact, the form is preferred because it asks for the details the desk needs in a structured way. If you do start by email, include your name and, if you have one, a reference from earlier correspondence.
[email protected]What to have ready before you reach out
Bring your question in one or two sentences. Add the email address where you want the reply. If a previous exchange exists, note the date it happened. Callers should also have a pen or a note app handy, because the desk may give you a short reference number to quote later. None of this is mandatory, but it shortens the back-and-forth.
- Your question
- One or two sentences is enough for the desk to route it correctly.
- Reply address
- The email you actually check, so the written record reaches you.
- Earlier dates
- If you have written before, the date of that exchange saves a search.
- Something to write on
- Callers may be given a short reference number to quote later.
Both channels feed the same desk, and the desk reads oldest first.
Nothing you send jumps the line by being sent twice. Knowing the clock saves you a second message and keeps the record in one place.
How business hours shape the answer
Anything that arrives outside Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET waits until the next working day. U.S. federal holidays push replies to the day after. This is not a queue you can jump by calling twice; both channels feed the same desk, and the desk reads oldest first.
During the desk day
Calls are answered live, and written questions enter the same working list for that day.
Evening and overnight
Voicemail and form submissions wait for the next business day, in the order they arrived.
Weekends
Saturday hours run 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sunday messages wait until Monday.
Federal holidays
Replies move to the day after the holiday, then resume the usual order.
Channel comparison at a glance
Three routes, one team. Pick by what you need from the exchange rather than by which one feels more official.
Phone
Fastest for clarifications
During business hours only, answered live at the desk.
Form
Best first contact for records
Accepted any time, answered within one business day in most cases.
Best for follow-ups
Good for attachments and continuing a thread already underway.
For visitors outside Eastern Time
If you are on the West Coast, the desk day runs roughly 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. your time. From Europe, the window falls in the afternoon and early evening. The confirmation email stamps each submission with its time so you can convert it. Plan a call near the start of your local overlap, when the desk is freshest and hold times are shortest.
If you do not hear back
Check your spam folder first; desk replies land there more often than anyone likes. If one business day has passed with nothing, resend with “follow-up” in the subject of a reply to your confirmation email, and mention the original date. If the matter is urgent, call during business hours and say the word urgent; same-day calls are triaged first.
See what happens after you submitAccessibility on every channel
Whichever route you pick, the desk can accommodate it. The inquiry form works with keyboard and screen reader, labels are announced properly, and error messages name both the problem and the field it belongs to. If technology is the obstacle, the phone line sidesteps it entirely. Callers who prefer a written record can ask for a short follow-up by email after the call.
Read form accessibility help
Deciding in ten seconds
Urgent and short: call. Detailed and you want a record: send the form. Continuing something already underway: reply to the email thread. That is the whole decision tree, and any of these gets your question to the same desk. When in doubt, pick the form and say in your message how you would like to be answered; the desk follows your preference.
Questions the desk hears most
Which channel gets the fastest reply?
A phone call during business hours is fastest for clarifications. Written questions sent through the form typically receive a reply within one business day.
Can I call outside business hours?
You will reach voicemail. Leave your name, number, and a short summary, and the desk returns the call on the next business day.
Do phone and form inquiries go to different teams?
No. Both arrive at the same desk inbox and are handled by the same team in the order received.