I respect callers that include the *nature of the call* within their voicemail.
Admittedly, I should respond to every call within 24 hours. Hands down, I do this with my clients. But when I receive a message that simply says ‘call me’, then I’m less likely to call right back because that message says to me that the person is not interested in letting me prepare prior to the callback. Now, one could argue that the caller simply does not like to leave long, detailed messages. But since my outgoing message explicitly invites a detailed message (literally “please leave a detailed message”), it seems clear that I seek details! Details allow me to know in advance if this is a return call that: 1. I can make while en route by car; 2. requires a quiet spot with pen and paper; 3. I need to prepare/gather information in advance; 4. is primarily social, so there’s no sense of urgency; 5. or some other scenario.
Clients aside, there are still occasional times when I’m not great about returning the call within 24 hours, even if I’ve received a detailed message. So on that note, even moreso, I respect callers that—when leaving their second or third voicemail—make it clear that they are going to stop calling if I do not return the call. Let me give an example. An editor of a magazine that I write for once left me a voicemail saying: “This is my third call. I do not wish to bother you, so if I do not hear back I will assume you are uninterested.” Granted, that might be a bit on the direct side, but I deserved it. I was, in fact, very intersted in writing for them; shame on me for not returning their calls in time. Believe me, that message got me to call back, apologize profusely, and work out a writer-publisher agreement in short order!
A colleague of mine in the industry recently left a second voicemail with a similar sentiment (a ‘we’re nearing the end of this’ sentiment!‘) His first voicemail had been wonderfully detailed; I simply had not gotten around to returning the call. His second message said: “I am following up to the voicemail I left a few days ago. Please do respond by calling or sending an email, even if you are not interested in collaborating.” Well, shame on me again! I was indeed very glad to get his first voicemail, but since there was not a sense of urgency, it remained on my to-do list.
So, no one’s perfect. Let me rephrase: I know I am not perfect when it comes to phone etiquette. But I do know that I practice what I ‘preach’: leaving a message with details so that my recipient can be clear on my intentions. And I know that I return my clients’ calls within 24 hours. And last, I know that I’m going to finally adopt that technique noted above (“we’re nearing the end of this sentiment”) when I have to leave repeat voicemails for others.
What are your voicemail and phone preferences? Please feel free to share via direct email or a post.