How Professionally Productive Is Voice Mail?
As few as 3-4 years ago the question would have been “what makes a productive voice mail?” (Seriously check the date on that one). Today’s question does not pre-suppose the premise that voice mail is productive.
Email’s productivity has also long been questioned for its productivity. In my work life and in the lives of others I’ve noticed that many career minded folks tend to loath the prospect of checking email because it can take a very long time. Only recently have I become aware of the twenty-something’ habit of not checking or leaving voice mail; some go so far as to suggest voice mail should be abandoned.
For professionals who bill by the hour the aggregate time it takes to check email or voice mail is a pressing issue. Especially frustrating can the be the transaction cost associated with logging how much time is spent on each client’s or email or voice mail and then billing for it. This could be why the Wisconsin State Bar Association reported that merely two-thirds of respondents on a 2006 state wide practitioner survey indicated they always track their time.
The blogosphere has been buzzing about how voice mail is treated more like a pager these days. This article’s illustration shows an example of generation Y talking about it on Facebook even.
My thoughts on the topic is that voice mail really does suck. I hate checking it. I’d rather talk to a real person anyway. I don’t mind leaving them as much. Maybe I’m a hypocrite.
Also I’m looking forward to better voice mail solutions. Apple’s visual voice mail is a good example. My telephone service includes options to have my voice mail transcribed into email so I can search it via text and don’t have to take my own notes. An audio file can also be attached to an email. That is great to help redirect messages that really should have gone to someone else.
What do Queercents readers think about voice mail or email?
UPDATE: Someone called me today and due to a phone glitch we didn’t connect when I pushed talk. I called the guy back. I say “hi, this is Adam Nelson returning your call.” He laughs and says “you must be under thirty!” I say, “who are you!”
And in the comments… readers talk about the importance of texting and make the case for professional settings to adopt text as a formal means of communication.
Adam: I don’t like voicemail but feel I need to listen to it. My preferred method of communication is email and I think more people need a primer on good email etiquette. In the Penelope Trunk article that you linked to, she also talks about eliminating the “reply to all” button. People who “reply to all” for no reason — this drives me batty. She writes:
“This button should be hidden in all email software. You should have to click through five menus to find the option because that’s how many times you should reconsider before you reply to all. This was a great button to have in 1993 when even the busiest people only got fifty emails a day. Back then reply to all was a way to have an inclusive conversation. Now reply to all is only a way to annoy people and make yourself look foolish.”
I couldn’t agree more!
I hate voicemail. Some of my clients don’t have email access so I understand why they leave it. But I get particularly annoyed when people who I know have email access leave me a voicemail. I make an effort to answer emails within an hour or two of receiving them, but I let folks know that I won’t respond to a voicemail for up to 48 hours. I just cross my fingers that people will get the idea that I would much rather have an email. I can organize, filter, and keep my emails. I can check my email while on hold on a business call, and can respond and edit my responses.
If you call me and I get a missed call, I will call you back quickly. But if you leave a voicemail, I won’t call you back until I listen to it and it’s going to take longer before I get to it.
Does voice mail really suck that badly? When you call someone, is there ever a guarantee they know you called if they don’t answer? If you don’t leave a voice mail you really can’t prove you called in the first place. Yes, e-mail is definitely more efficient for transmitting an entire thought when the other person might not be there. Leaving a voice mail drives home the statement that you cared enough to leave a message when you call someone. I think the “but it takes too long to answer voice mails” really is just overblown laziness. It seriously does not take that much effort. I know we’re all busy these days, but still… Time management, anyone?
In my mind, it’s all about courtesy. My voice mail greeting says “if you don’t leave a message, I won’t call you back,” and I stand by that. If you can’t take the ten seconds to say “Hey, this is Gary, just needed to ask you about XYZ”, how do I know it’s worth it even calling YOU back?
I think professional environments should adopt text messaging. The great thing about texting is that it forces someone to communicate their main point only. So in a social situation, you get a text like “We’re meeting up at McClatchey’s. Want to join?” Respond yes/no and your job with that communicatin is done.
A professional text could go something like, “I need a question answered before I sign off on the report. Please call ASAP.”
You could get the same point across with an email, which is why Blackberries and iPhones are so popular, but not everyone has them, and even then you can’t guarantee you’ll get a response to email.
Workplaces can’t accommodate everyone’s preferred mode of communication, which sucks, but perhaps forcing people to adapt to email or voicemail makes a workplace more productive. Who knows? All I know is that I think voicemail is rather pointless and annoying unless it’s someone I really want to hear from.
Nina: Yeah email is great, the trick is consolidating email from all the accounts that there are and integrating that solution into the mobile devices…
WTTO: Who doesn’t have email anymore?
Chris: Voice really is awful. I check it anyway though because not everyone agrees with me. I totally agree with not returning a call if they don’t leave a message. If I’d rather talk to you in person and it is important I’ll just skip the voice mail and try again later. I might follow up with an email suggesting a specific time to talk.
John: Texting is great. Prolly better than email. Nobody has multiple text accounts and they always come to the phone which is always with you. No need to coordinate multiple accounts and disparate devices like there is for email. Good points.
Confession: I left a voice mail today. But it was for someone I know would appreciate getting one. Maybe there is something to be said for customizing your communications based on what you know of the person you’re talking to.
Normally if I can’t get someone on the phone I’ll send an e-mail. I prefer to e-mail anyway, but I use the phone for some things at work. Especially if I want an immediate response.