I have heard from some people voicemail is going away. Verizon says that about a third of their new business clients are not adding voicemail. Personally I think that is not a good idea as not everyone has text or email yet and sometimes you still want/need to leave a message. All that to say you need to learn how to leave a message correctly.
I know this sounds stupid but I get voicemails every day that range from terrible to unfortunate. The terrible one are the ones where someone does not do a good job of communicating the necessary information in a clear and concise manner with the listener in mind. Here are a few tips.
Speak clearly, distinctly and with a measured cadence. Accents are one thing but many people speak WAY to quickly on voicemail.
- Leave your name, number and any other important identifiers (account number, etc…) at the beginning of the message and at the end.
- Be sure you leave a couple of ways to contact you.
- Be sure your voicemail is not full.
- Did you set your voicemail up on your cell phone?
- Is there background noise?
- Do you have a good signal?
- Organize your thoughts so you know what you want to communicate.
This might sound like overkill but I oftentimes have to replay the message to get the name and number. Our stupid voicemail does not let me back it up a few seconds, I have to start it over so if I missed the number at the end I have to start all over. I try to get the information I need to call you back twice, maybe three times, that’s it. After that you just wasted your time and mine.
It is VERY frustrating when I call someone back, who told me to call them only to hear “this subscriber has not set up their voicemail” or “you cannot leave a message because their mailbox is full.” The next frustrating thing is when I call you and you say “oh, I can’t talk right now, can you call back?” REALLY!? Do not answer the phone if you cannot talk, take a message or schedule a time to call me back. Sure, I “can” call you back….
All this might sound trivial but companies take all this into consideration when hiring someone. If you do this poorly then how will you be at work? Remember, this is dating and once you’re married people get lazy, I mean comfortable.
Good things come to those who wait work their asses off and never give up.
Your Mama