[Da Peach]

What do you consider to be an appropriate length of voicemail?

Are you the "Hi, it's Mr. X calling. Please call me back at ###-####" type of person?

Or are you the "Hi, let me tell you the entire history of this issue I'm calling you about" type of person.

I've noticed that mine tend to be 1:15 to 1:20 long, but I've got some complex chit to convey, and not a lot of time wait for a call back to re-explain stuff.

Just wondering. I just find it uncanny how consistent mine are in duration.

 

[jimmydean]

Less than a minute. I hate listening (and often don't) to long messages, I will call you for the whole story.

 

[bean]

Depends who I'm calling and what it's about. Most are probably in the fifteen to twenty second range.

Messages about the least complicated problems often end up being the longest because I'll explain what needs to be done. For more complicated stuff I'll just tell them to call me back so I can explain everything.

 

[I Are Baboon]

More than 30 seconds is too long. Just tell me:

Your name and number.
Brief explanation of why you are calling (e.g. "I have a few questions about my June budget")
Tell me when is a good time to call you back.
Repeat your name and number.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i rather send an email.
that way, i have proof i tried to reach you, and the ball was in your court... in case the **** hits the fan.

 

[dan-o]

With virtual voicemail I rarely even listen to voicemail, just call back.
At most, if I don't recognize the number, I listen just to get the name and #.

Customers often leave me VM that they are afraid of saying in person/on a call.
They think they can bitch about something or try and increase the job scope unilaterally (and at no cost; 'while your there please do X,Y,Z as they should only take a minute') and it will simply be accepted as gospel.

If you're* too busy to speak directly to me go F yourself.
I wouldn't trust 'complex stuff' to a voicemail either. We require written/email correspondence for anything 'important' to make sure everything is understood/clear and documented.

* a generic 'you' DaPeach, unless MMike actually was using your acct to post

 

[jimmydean]

i rather send an email.
that way, i have proof i tried to reach you, and the ball was in your court... in case the **** hits the fan.

This.

I have weekly phone meetings with the overseas team and it's painful. Spoken word gets lost in translation. When it is written, it can be clarified.

 

[MMike]

I never check my voicemail. If you're not important enough to have my cell number, I'm likely not interested anyway.

 

[mandown]

Voicemail? How about you pilot your time machine some place cooler than 1995?

 

[jimmydean]

I never check my voicemail. If you're not important enough to have my cell number, I'm likely not interested anyway.

Are you one of those assholes who answers his phone during a meeting?

 

[mandown]

Are you one of those assholes who answers his phone during a meeting?

can't believe you needed to ask that, or bother to include the last half of the question as a qualifier.

 

[binary visions]

When I leave voicemails, I usually leave my name, my number, and the topic of the call first. Then, if they want to stop listening and call me back, they can. Or if they want to know more details, they can keep listening.

When people call me, I listen long enough to know who they are (if I have their number), or what their number is (if I don't). Then I delete the voicemail. I'm not listening to 5 minutes of your rambling, thanks.

 

[MMike]

Are you one of those assholes who answers his phone during a meeting?

nope. If I don't fee like answering I don't And how dare you call me?? What makes you think you are so important that I can stop what I'm doing to talk to you. Email me or text me, and I'll get to you.

 

[jimmydean]

nope. If I don't fee like answering I don't And how dare you call me?? What makes you think you are so important that I can stop what I'm doing to talk to you. Email me or text me, and I'll get to you.

By "meeting" I meant "dropping the kids off at the pool".

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

i rather send an email.
that way, i have proof i tried to reach you, and the ball was in your court... in case the **** hits the fan.

This.

I have weekly phone meetings with the overseas team and it's painful. Spoken word gets lost in translation. When it is written, it can be clarified.

These. I avoid phonecalls, both making and receiving whenever possible (outside calls of course). If it's a vendor/salesman/applications engineer I work with often and am comfortable with, then I'll call them or answer when they call. If not, I ignore the call, let them leave a voicemail, and email them back if it's important/pertinent to my job. Also weeds out a lot of sales pitches and stupid work related survey type stuff.

The worst is when people send you an email that says "please call me so we can talk about this".........yeaaaaaaano. Just ask/tell me what you want in the email ya dink.

 

[jdcamb]

I find that after my brief message if I say "Oh well I guess we can talk about it when I get there in an hour". I get an almost immediate call back.

 

[RUFUS]

More than 30 seconds is too long. Just tell me:

Your name and number.
Brief explanation of why you are calling (e.g. "I have a few questions about my June budget")
Tell me when is a good time to call you back.
Repeat your name and number.

This. Always repeat your info at the beginning and end of the message.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

I wonder what SS's opinion on the matter is.

Ps - sent this from my phone floating around the pool. With risk comes rewards.

 

[stoney]

Name, company, phone at the beginning; issue; reiterate contact info. <1min max.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Name, company, phone at the beginning; issue; reiterate contact info. <1min max.

 

[canadmos]

I hang up before the voicemail beeps over to recording. Immediately then send email or other form of (better) communication.

 

[Quo Fan]

The people I'm calling usually already have my number, and I'm calling them to let them know that my instruments are set up and they can rock the world.

 

[DirtyMike]

Short, sweet, and to the point

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

am surprised at how many people leave voicemails...
i dont use them anymore.

i never check mine... by the time i notice i have a voicemail; i figure, if it was really important, they would have already contacted me somehow, anyway.

 

[mandown]

Short, sweet, and to the point

insert d*** joke here ({})

 

[Serial Midget]

Name, number, message, name, number all in less than a minute. My admin takes most of my messages and I know they drive her nuts.

 

[Da Peach]

More than 30 seconds is too long. Just tell me:

Your name and number.
Brief explanation of why you are calling (e.g. "I have a few questions about my June budget")
Tell me when is a good time to call you back.
Repeat your name and number.

Im very good about repeating my number. Mumblers are the worst.

Are you one of those assholes who answers his phone during a meeting?

My boss does that. It's ridi ulous. He also eats mixed nuts during meetings.

 

[vinnycactus]

I never answer my office phone. If my blackberry rings immediately after my desk phone, then I know **** is going down.

 

[Da Peach]

Its funny how people are touting email. While I DO certainly send/receive a ton of email everyday, people are all about the phonecall where I work.

I DO need to shorten them up...

 

[stevew]

i just breathe heavy.

 

[stoney]

I'm 100% phone. Short and sweet.

 

[sunringlerider]

Depends one the customer and situation. If its a cold call, name, company and number; that's it. If it is a customer that needs an answer, I will leave it in the message so that they will not need to call me back. If it is a repeat customer I never leave a message as they know my number and will return the call just based on the fact that I rang.