Ok, kind of a rant, but no cussing, so I am putting it here.
I run a psychology private practice. Clients call me and often have to leave messages. Great, fine. What bothers the crap out of me is when they don’t leave a number, which means that I have to look it up. Do you really think that your psychologist has your phone number memorized??? Is it too darn hard for you to be the tiniest bit proactive and leave me your number on the message???
It is even worse when I pick up messages when I am not in the office. Does that possiblity not occur to anyone?
For example, I just called someone for about the fourth time in two days (a new potential client) and we keep missing each other, largely because she is a teacher and has only given me her work number, so of course she is always in class. The only time she left her number was the first call, so I have to keep looking up that message slip.
Arrrrgh. I have enough to do right now without looking up everyone’s damn number.
I think I am going to tell all my new clients to please leave their number every time. I would think that is common sense, but obviously not.
Please tell me that you leave your number when you call a professional. I would like to think there are people out there who get this.
My voice mail greeting at work instructs people to leave their phone number. I had to add “including area code” since I was getting call from people saying “Call me back at xxx-xxxx” and I knew they were calling from out of state.
And while you’re at it say your name and phone number slowly and clearly first, then leave the 15 minute rambling message. The normal long message followed by the entire phone number squashed into 1 syllable at the end means I have to replay the message over and over and listen to all that drivel repeatedly just to try to decode the number. Putting it at the beginning means I can replay the part I need quickly and easily.
Professionals, hell! I leave my phone number every time I call my best friends! In this day of cell phones and telecommuting, I have no idea where anyone will be when they get my message, or what phone they’ll be using to call me back, and I don’t assume I’m saved in their phones or the caller ID was working or they remember my number. I think, of my rather large circle of friends, I know one person’s cell phone number and another person’s home phone number and that’s it. Everyone else is either saved or on my Caller ID, so it’s a great help to me if they leave their number.
Really, whether or not someone has my number, it takes an extra 5 seconds for me to leave it, so why not?
(And I’ll piggyback with PLEASE, don’t rush the number! You don’t have to be all Sesame Street about it, but don’t say, “seventhreefivefivefivefisevnouthrefie,” either!)
When I leave a message, I say "Hi this is FML, you can reach me at #… then I say why I called. I end with “to get back to me call #, between 8-5” (or what ever time)…
I am just puting myself in the caller’s shoes… If I have to relisten to the message to get the number, I want it at the begining, if I am recording the number, I want it repeated at the end… simple common sense and courtesy…
Wished every one did that
Regards
FML
I always leave my number and a short message (no more than 30 seconds) for the benefit of the person I’m calling. I can’t tell you how many people call me at work and leave me a message saying, “Hi, pbbth, this is Jane. I spoke with you on Saturday about my insurance. I have a few questions about my policy. Can you call me back at my work number before 2? Thanks!”
No Jane, I cannot call you back at your work number because you didn’t tell me what your work number is so that I can call it. You say your work number is listed on your policy? Fantastic! The only problem with that is you didn’t leave your policy number either. Nor did you leave your last name. I have no way of looking you up to call you back and help you. This is your fault, but you will call back and tell whoever you speak with that I am a whore who doesn’t return messages which makes me look bad to my coworkers. Thanks a lot Jane!
I always leave my phone number twice, too, at the beginning and end of the message. And I say my name and spell my last name, and say my name again at the end. I hate nothing more than someone spitting out a number on a message so fast it’s just a garble! It doesn’t require super-intelligence to figure out that if someone can’t understand the number, they can’t call it back.
And that goes for messages I leave with anybody but family members. And even with my mother, if I want her to call my cell, I’ll leave the number because it’s not fair to make her look it up (since she doesn’t have any kind of speed dial setup).
