I couldn't agree more - the continued use of voicemail should be questioned.
For months, I've been asking friends and family to quit leaving me voicemail...I've spent way too much time dialing the voicemail number, punching in my password, and listening to long, drawn-out messages about why I need to call someone back, when I should call them back, and what we need to talk about when I do call them back.
"Please leave a detailed message with your name, phone number, and the time that you called..."
Hahaha, are you serious???
Hahaha, are you serious???
Not only that, but I have to sift through ALL of the previous voicemails people have left (often they're new, because I refuse to take the time to check them), so that by the time I do go through my voicemail, it's at least a 15-minute process.
Case in point: This past weekend I was in downtown Detroit for the MSU basketball game v. UConn. The venue was loud, people were everywhere, lots of screaming and cheering, etc. - but somehow, friends managed to leave me at least two voicemails - the crazy thing was, these people were in the SAME building I was in, and to think that they actually thought I could hear their voicemail is somewhat hilarious...
Sending a text message is a whole lot easier...and quite frankly, 99 times out of 100 the caller ID suffices.
So here it is: I propose we all drop voicemail and get with the times - text message or no message will save us all a lot of wasted time and frustration.
5 comments:
Makes me want to leave you a voicemail. Haha
I disagree;) To a certain extent! Though I am not and never will be a "voicemailer". I hate it...talking to something that is not a person and then losing my train of thought because I'm listening to myself talk..ha ha. I actually have often been ridiculed because of this (I dial and hang up when the VM clicks on)...I figure they can see that I called, so if they want they will call me back! Right? I do believe there ARE certain occasions when a vm is necessary, much more pleasant and efficient than a txt though. Communication is SO quickly at our fingertips now'days, yet MORE relationships of all kinds are having difficulties because of miscommunications...BECAUSE quite simply a text can be taken 20 different ways. Leaving one to wonder..hmmm, is that really what they meant? or is that REALLY what they meant? All of the emotion and character of that person's personality is lost!
So...IF it is VERY important I do leave a voicemail but expect a call back, and honestly I do believe that very important subjects shouldn't be txt'd about..that's annoying and disrepectful. ha ha.. Dial!!!!:)
Alright, fair enough. :-) I agree that certain communications shouldn't take place in the realm of a text message...but I guess my idea here is that MOST voicemails are unnecessary. I'm talking about the "Hey, whats up? This is Darren. Just calling to see what's going on. Gimme a shout back when you get a chance." THOSE are the ones that need to be eliminated...that way, when I DO get a voicemail, I know it's something serious, or good enough to warrant jumping through the hoops to see what someone had to say. :-) Thanks for commenting!
Big D.. I think you are 100% correct that the iPhone is a completely different device than the Blackberry, and as a Blackberry user for the past 5yrs, I can tell you that they are not meant to be the same. Each phone is emulating the other in certain ways, and I can tell you of all of the business people that I know and work with on a daily basis, their opinions are largely the same. The iPhone is a REALLY cool phone. The Blackberry is a PRODUCTIVITY tool. You're right the iPhone has an app for anything, and quite frankly that is why it will never reach the level of business use that the BB enjoys. There is so much "stuff" on it, that it detracts from your business and provides entertainment. Now for some business people, the iP is the right tool because they can utilize its capabilities without becoming distracted, but for the vast majority of business users, the BB is still the way to go... AND not to mention the iPhone is only available on crappy AT&T networks.....
amen! i hate vm!
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