Effective use of Voice Mail:

Regardless of which time zones you are working with, answering machines and voice mail has become a part of everyday existence. Unfortunately, we don’t always make use of the tool effectively. For instance, I often receive messages like, “Laura, give me a call” without name or contact information in which to call them back. Or they rapidly mumble the phone number with no hope of duplicating.

Or you call them at a convenient to you but you know it isn’t a convenient to them. You want to hand-off the information (essentially getting it off your to-do list) but you know that they aren’t going to receive the message right away (because of their time zone or travel schedules). This is fine to do, but there are some professional things to consider. See on…

Some things to be aware of

State your name and number up-front to avoid running out of time at the end of the message. Pause and repeat your contact number very slowly to allow folks to jot it down, if need be. By stating the number up-front, we avoid being cut-off at the end. For instance: We naturally speed our speak toward the end of the message to avoid the “cut-off” phenomenon. When we speed up, our voices often lower and we mumble – making us difficult. Also by placing our name and number up-front, we save them from having to hear the entire message again — just to write down our number.
Keep your voice clear and strong throughout the message and repeat any important numbers or ‘call to actions’.
If you call this person often, you don’t need to leave your contact information each time. But if you haven’t spoken to this person in awhile, just refresh their memory. They might have changed their phones and lost your number. Or you may have changed your number in-between contact, etc.
If you know you are calling them at a bad time, tell them. For instance, “Hey, Sally. This is Laura. Mr. Favor’s number is 555-123-4567, once again it’s 555-123-4567. I know you are traveling today. No need to return this call. I just know that you wanted to talk to Mr. Favor while you were in his town. Once again Mr. Favor’s number is 555-123-4567.” This shows Sally that you were not only sensitive to her goals, but that you were listening to her when she was sharing her travel schedule with you. Otherwise, if you had left a message like: “Sally, I have that number for you.”; she might get flustered and mentally note (although she would be too polite to actually say it), “Gosh darn it, Laura. I told you I would be busy and on the road today! Now I have yet another thing to do to follow-up on this.”
Be explicit about any deadlines and when you will call them back (and state the reason for your call) so that they can be on the watch for your next call. Most of the time, when you give an explicit time when you will call back (and reason for your call), co-workers will connect with the importance of speaking with you. They often give you a call back immediately with the information that you are requesting. When you are vague and ambiguous about your intentions, people unconsciously dismiss the message. If you are transparent and explicit in the reason for your call, they are allowed to do some ground-work and are prepared with the answer in time for your next call.
Share why it’s important to them to return your call. Put yourself in their shoes and figure out why they will want to return your call. If you are leaving a humdrum, uninteresting or even negative message, people will find other things to delay their call-back. If you state your intentions in the form of a win/win or exciting collaborative way, people are more likely to respond positively. For example: “Sally, This is Laura Lee Rose at 919-614-9029, (once again 919-614-9029). I was thinking about your concerns over XYZ and I think I have the beginnings of a solution. I’m excited about discussing this idea with you. I think with some collaborative noodling, it would be a Wi/Win for everyone. Are you available for a 20 minute call today or tomorrow? Maybe sometime between 3:00pm and 7:00pm? If not, can you leave me three other dates and times in which we can brainstorm together?”
Make your message count. Always leave a message that takes you one or two steps closer to your target goal. For instance, if you are calling to setup a meeting, leave 3 different date/times that you are available to meet and what number they can call. This way, when they return your call (and get your voice mail), they can say, “Yes — I am available on today at X o’clock”. As you can see, this is much more effective than a message like, “Sally, I need to talk to you. Give me a call, please.” or even “Sally, I need to setup a meeting with you.”
If you get their voice mail and your are just leaving an FYI …. be explicit with your intentions and release their need to return your call. For example: “Hey, Sally. This is Laura Rose. Mr. Jones’ number is 555-123-4567 (once again 555-123-4567). Mr. Jones said the delivery is expected on June 15th. There’s no need to return this call, unless you have further questions. I’ll be away from the office the rest of the day. So, if you have any further questions, calling Mr. Jones directly would be more effective.” This is much more efficient than “Hey, Sally, call me.”
Leave your client or co-worker uplifted by your message. Realize that leaving a voice mail for someone requires additional work on their part. They have to schedule time to listen to the voice mail, jot down any highlights, notes or numbers, and schedule time to return your call. Acknowledge and value their time. Anything you can do to release them of additional tediousness, please consider it. For instance, “Hey, Sally. This is Laura. I’ll send you an email update on this, so that you don’t have to make notes. Just letting you know that the deal is done. Papers signed. Fax on it’s way. I knew this was on your mind. So now you can relax and have a glorious, care-free vacation.”
Although not always necessary, I have a habit of also sending a recap-email of my phone messages and telephone conversations. This gives me a virtual paper trail of our agreements, action items and deadlines. It’s not necessary for everything, but does come in handy many times. Some people have more access to email than to phones and visa-versa. Incorporating both helps assures your message is getting received and acted upon.