I was reading the paper this morning and read an article about Inbox overload - declaring a new kind of 21rst century bankruptcy, not for lack of funds, but lack of time to respond to all of those incoming emails. I get overwhelmed by my inbox, but it's my office voice mail that drives me crazy. I understand that many people prefer the phone, but those most of those messages are so much less informative than emails. Here are some tips on leaving messages....
1. State your name and phone number at the beginning and end of the message. I got this tip from one of our agents - I think it is the greatest phone tip ever. The listener will never have to repeat the message in order to get the number.
2. State the reason for your call. Anymore, if someone doesn't tell me why they are calling I am not going to call them back. I used to feel it was rude not to return every call - but it's usually a sales call and if the person calling doesn't beleive in what they are selling enough to tell me what it is - I am not going to buy anything from them, but then that is just me.
3. If you need to ask a question - ask it - or answer it. Don't be mysterious. Nancy Drew need not be called in to unravel the mystery of your phone message. If you want to make an appointment, ask for it. If I left you a message and you are returning my call - say, I got your call and this is the answer. If you want me to do something, just say so.
4. Please don't say that someone asked you to call when they really didn't. This is the worst kind of name dropping. If you are trying to get rid of someone just by pushing them off to someone else, please think twice about it. I will return a call if I think someone legitimately sent the caller to me- but only if I think it is real.
5. Don't tell your life story on the recorder. I am guilty of this one. Sometimes, I go on and on about why I am calling -telling way too much for a one sided conversation. So instead, I will give highlights and say I am following up with an email with more details.
6. Leave a number where your call can be returned that makes sense. Often, people leave me 4 phone numbers depending on the time of day the call is returned. I love the one number concept - but I appreciate not everyone does that. So if you need to actually speak to the person you are calling- leave a number that you will answer. If you are just asking a question that can be answered by a return message, leave a number that has a recorder. Try to only leave one number for the caller.
I really try to return every call and email within the same day. These phone tips make that goal easier- do you have any to add?
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