Voicemail Message
I tend to change my voicemail message at work quite often (and sometimes forget to change it back to a non-vacation message when I return) and I always struggle with what to say for the messages. I’m all for being short and sweet. I call people every day and have to listen to 4 minute long messages where they feel the need to tell me exactly what they are doing, play the long-version of their favorite song, say the Hail Mary, tell me how important I am, then have their machine/voicemail beep 20 times because they don’t even check it. I’m not a fan of that.
But, I’m at work, so my message has to be quasi-formal. I can’t say what I really want to say like:
“I have caller ID and see who you are–I’m not answering the phone and I don’t really want to call you back, so don’t leave a message.”
“I’m having a bad day and don’t want your phone call to make it worse. I’m not picking up.”
“Leave a message.”
“I haven’t gotten the chance to return the phone call from the message you just left me 10 minutes ago. Don’t leave another message–I’m busy and will get back to you when I can.”
You get the point. People don’t listen to messages anyway. I change it to say I’m on vacation, and people still say “Hey… I just left you a message yesterday and you haven’t gotten back to me and I really need to know.” Well, if you listened to my message, you would have heard that I am not in the office and to call a different extension if you needed immediate assistance. I used to work at an ice cream store growing up and in the drive-thru, to prove that people wouldn’t listen, we’d say names other than what our store was called. Extreme things sometimes. Like “Joe’s Crab Shack, can I take your order?” And they would just start ordering. Weirdos.
Anyway, I also have the option of using a “personal message.” I record it, then push the # key to save it. When I hit #, the automated lady always says “APPROVED!” with a ton of enthusiasm. I’ve been tempted to try it to see if there is anything I could say where it wouldn’t be approved. Like if I swore or something. Who is this automated lady anyway, that has this power to approve my message.
Sorry–just a random rant…
Got a friend of mine right that has the best message…
“Hi!!! I don’t want to talk to you right now… So leave a message…
And unless I really don’t want to talk to you… Then I will be talking to you soon…”
Comment by Tulsa — 5/30/2006 @ 8:28 pm
That’s even worse than when someone leaves a long rambling post in the comments section of your blog where they just go on an on repeating themselves and don’t really have anything important to say, like the time my Uncle Shembert from Walla Walla, or was that Olympia, oh never mind it was out west someplace or really northwest someplace but anyway Uncle Shembert calls me up on day and he was all excited about Aunt Mergatroyd’s lumpectomy coming out negative which is one of those times when negative is really a positive thing but I was in the basement workshop cleaning my caulk guns which I do every six months or so and Uncle Shembert left this long rambling message on my answering machine which is nothing like leaving a long pointless sentence on the comments section of your blog.
Comment by Heraldblog — 5/31/2006 @ 9:54 am
Real Nice!!!
Comment by Tulsa — 5/31/2006 @ 8:56 pm
Tara, do you by chance have Audix for your voicemail?
I think I have the same dumb voicemail lady..When you check your voicemail is the first
thing you hear- “Welcome to Audix…”?
Comment by Bonnie — 6/1/2006 @ 12:23 pm
Tara, I left you a message (okay 15 messages) and you haven’t called me back yet. Should I take this rant as a hint of some kind??
Comment by Kim — 6/3/2006 @ 10:07 am