In my case, it’s just a preference that’s come about for a number of reasons. I have a hard time parsing speech over the phone, especially if there’s something totally different going into the other ear, and the kind of work I do means I’m often in a situation where I can’t/am not allowed to pick up voice calls. I’m gettable on-demand via other methods (email, IM, SMS) most of the time in the same way that you’re gettable via voice call. I tell people this, so the only people who persist in trying to get me on a voice call are either people I haven’t invited to talk to me (telemarketers &c), or people who can’t be bothered to respect my stated wishes. Same thing as your ‘people who don’t value my time’, I’d wager.
My landline doesn’t get answered unless I’m expecting a call. 95% of the time it’s a survey or robo-call. My answering machine says if the call is important then leave a message, because some family/friends don’t like answering machines and need to be specifically instructed to leave a message (I don’t have caller ID.)
My cell I will answer if I recognize the number and I’m not otherwise occupied. Otherwise if it’s important they will leave a voice mail.
I don’t get many calls on my cell or at home. At home, it’s almost never someone I want to talk to, but I’ll answer if it’s not an 800 number. For my cell, it’s either my wife, my kids, or my job. I’ll answer unless I really can’t.
I don’t know if I’ve ever answered my phone, unless the call was scheduled in advance.
Also, FWIW, not that I asked for it to be this way, but this is how it is:
Almost everyone I know, from ages 6-96, uses a phone call as the least preferred form of communication.
If I’m free, and in the mood, and I recognize the caller, I answer, sometimes. Otherwise, nyet.
Hell, I didn’t even answer the phone back in the 1950’s. It’s my house, not a place of business, and I do - and don’t do - what I want in my own house and car. The overwhelming majority of calls I get are people I don’t know trying to get me to buy or do something, so I’m not missing a THING by ignoring them. My peeps text.
Back before '07, I had only plain land line service with no extras. I answered the phone if it rang since I knew it was likely someone I knew who wanted to talk to me. If I ever got a telemarketer, I’d say “Put this number on your do not call list.” This works- telemarketing calls dwindled to one or two per year. I eventually got a high-speed internet/phone bundle that provides caller ID. It’s the only service out here except for satellite, and that costs too much for limited use. I will occasionally let a call go to the answering machine now.
I have a cell phone, but I only turn it on when I’m not home. The service out here is spotty anyway.
When I read the title for this thread, I expected the non-answering side to be heavily represented.
I would hate you if you left me a message. There are multiple people who use my phone, so I certainly need to know who the message is for. And I don’t know who people are over the phone. Voices sound different, and I’m probably not that good at recognizing people anyway (point 3 is OK).
My grandmother was the worse: I pick up the phone, and she’ll just start talking. "Uh, who is this? Who do you want to talk to? She’s the only one who does it on a regular basis, so I usually figure it out after a few seconds, but it’s super annoying.
This is the Major.
Christ, am I getting that old? I’m only 38, and I still have plenty of friends who are only reliable to reach via the phone.
I wish more people were this polite. It drives me nuts when I’m talking to someone, either in person or on the phone, and I get “hold on, my phone is ringing”, especially when it’s in a place of business. Apparently I’m less important than literally anyone that might happen to dial your phone number. Oh, I understand it if we’re at work and just chatting, but if I’m asking you for information or helping you with a problem, and you answer a phone call, I might just walk away, leaving you to figure it out on your own. I have also placed my purchase on a counter and walked out of the store, to get it some place else.
I answer the phone if it’s convenient for me, and if I see that it’s not yet another call from the Red Cross or from a local charity offering to pick up my unused cloths/furniture/books/whatever. I do not call people back if they call and don’t leave a message. Tell me what you want if you expect me to call back.
Where I work, we’re required to answer the phone if it rings while we’re dealing with a customer in person (assuming of course that someone else isn’t available to take the call instead, which is what usually happens). The reasoning is simple enough. The customer in front of you can clearly see that your phone is ringing, while the person on the other end of the phone only knows that you’re not answering. Ideally, this is all done in the politest way possible.
I generally answer the phone if I’m expecting a call or feel like talking. Yes, there may be the odd case of an emergency, but the person will usually call again.
I much prefer text where I can get what necessary information I need and send something back when ready. It works great for pretty much everyone I’m in regular contact with and I (or any of us) don’t feel overly attached.
Interesting corporate decision. So I, with my wallet in hand, really am less important than the telemarketer on the phone.
RaguLeader, can you put the caller on hold to continue helping Tastes of Chocolate, or do you have to handle the caller first?
Kind of a judgement call. Sometimes you just have to gauge the two customers to see if either one seems particularly urgent. I’ve had in-person customers tell me to go ahead and take the call, and I’ve had phone customers who happily got put on hold (for like, a minute, not for any extended period of time).
Also, my employer is kind of an atypical case since the customer does not have wallet in hand, and he really couldn’t go anywhere else if he wanted to anyways. And telemarketers never call us, just more customers.
My SO and family are the only calls that I answer immediately. Everybody else, including friends, goes to voicemail which I check later. Most calls I get anymore are about contract jobs from recruiters casting a wide net for candidates. Most of the time they don’t look closely enough at my online resume to see that I’m not a match.
Even with my SO and family I let it ring twice. My Mom used to purse call me a lot and I’d answer only to hear that she’d accidentally called me again. Now it’s two rings, then pick up.
I answer my cellphone if the number comes up on caller ID so I know who it is, provided I am in a position to answer the call. If I’m driving, then no, the phone can go to voicemail until I get to my destination.
At home, the landline is virtually ignored and especially so after 6pm when it’s usually telemarketers.
As a general rule, I will answer the phone if I want to, if I’m expecting a call, or if I know who’s calling. Sometimes I don’t want to talk to people, or a particular person, and it’s my choice whether to answer their call or not.