Voice-mail etiquette

Some of us leave voicemail messages confidently while others stumble through a multi-minute dialogue that leaves everyone—including the caller—dazed and confused. If you’d like to sharpen your voicemail skills and avoid playing an annoying game of telephone tag, here are a few pointers.

Move the conversation forward. The point is to save time, not waste it. “Hi, it’s me. Call me.” Assuming they recognize your voice and know your number (dangerous assumptions), you are asking them to call you on faith and to believe that you have a good reason you might tell them about later. Leave a message that explains why you are calling or what information you are seeking.

Be specific. Instead of “I need some information about the survey,” try this: “Can you give me the survey results from the November 2007 poll about customer-satisfaction levels, please?” This way, they can call back armed with the information you need, saving both time and frustration.

Be informative. Mentioning the date and time you called is not only courteous but it could save considerable time. Imagine leaving an urgent message today that the person you are calling doesn’t get until tomorrow. By then, the issue has been resolved but the person you are calling doesn’t know it so they scramble to fix it. For nothing.

Be succinct. Tell them what they need to know—remember, the point is to move the conversation forward—but use your words sparingly. Try to keep the message to no more than 30 seconds or a minute. If you have more to say, tell them you’ll send a follow-up email.

Leave a contact name and number. Leave your full name and complete telephone number, even if you’ve spoken to them before. And say it s-l-o-w-l-y.

The message might go something like this:

Good morning, Ms. McDonald.

It’s John Wallack calling from the Department of Justice. It’s Wednesday, December 12th at about 2:30.

Further to your voice-mail question, our meeting will be held Tuesday, June 14 in the ballroom of the Ottawa Westin Hotel.

Now, all I need to know is how many people will be with you. Please call to let me know.

Again, it’s John Wallack from the Department of Justice. I can be reached at … 6 1 3 … 5 5 5 … 1 2 3 4.

I should be in until about 4:30 today.

Thanks, again.

[This article was originally written by Adams Jette for the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy newsletter Bulletin. Reprinted with permission.]