My mom only recently started texting and I have to say it has been a very nice turning point in our relationship. For whatever reason she used to push my buttons to no end, but communicating through texts has really allowed me to see how kind-hearted and supportive she actually is. It’s very strange.
Maybe 50 is some magic turning point for lots of things … But that’s off topic …
I still use vm. I didn’t realize that there was a trend away from it, though I’ll admit that texting and e-mailing is much easier.
There are still people and places that don’t have my cell phone number or don’t have texting capability. My 80 year old mom has never had a cell phone and doesn’t have internet. We have tried to convince her of the usefulness of both and even offered to pay for it if it was the money that was holding her back. She claims she doesn’t need it. So she still calls and leaves voicemails.
We recently had a lot of work done on our house and were dealing with multiple contractors. For awhile it seemed like every day I was coming home to at least one lengthy vm about what was going on, what was being delayed, etc. I’d much rather they called and left this detailed message on my home answering machine then called me at work to tell me, or tried to put it all into a text or email. Sometimes it is just easier to explain things by talking.
From a work perspective, I find voicemail is dead. I maybe get one a month if that. People schedule phone calls; we don’t pick up the phone and call people anymore.
And I absolutely hate when people can’t just state their message and instead make you call back just so they can tell you delivery will be at 2 pm or whatever. I will tell them - that’s great, but you could have just said that in the message instead of making me call you back. They act like this is a new concept. Argh.
My voicemail said he wanted a meeting. There is no need for a meeting if it’s just two people. I agree that people should just state what they want instead of being vague about it.
I closed my business a few months ago and transferred the business voice line to a cell phone. I have an outgoing message that states pretty clearly that store is closed, I’m retired, etc. I still get emails saying I just left a message and I want to come by and show you our new line etc. I even get voice mails saying they’ll be stopping by with something. Doesn’t anyone listen to the outgoing message? It actually has valuable information and it’s not that long!
No, people dong listen to the outgoing message. My husband gets a fair amount of calls at work (tech support). He complains all the time that when his message says he’s out and tgey should call the main number, he still gets messages as though he’s there.
I do listen to outgoing messages…
The reverse is true too. Those that change it to say “I’ll be out of the office until …” but never change it back when they return!
Oh and a pet peeve with businesses-- “Listen carefully as our menu items have changed”…Really?! Can you tell me how recently because your message hasn’t changed since I called you yesterday… last week … last month.
There is nothing more annoying to me than those automated voice recordings with the number prompts. Or the ones where they ask for a vocal response and then say “sorry I didn’t understand.” Such a waste of time. My H was laughing at me one evening when he heard me yelling back at one of those recordings.
And then you give them all your info (account number, ID or Name and Birth Date) and then when you get connected to the representative that you have been asking for all along, they proceed to ask you the same questions again. Since the lines are recorded I always make it a point to ask what the purpose is of requesting that information on the automated section of the call if it is not transferred to the rep? Is the system broken or just poorly designed?
Oh my! YES! Why?!?
You’ll appreciate Hilton then…I just made a phone reservation (haven’t done that in years, but was necessary to get a group rate price), and after entering my Hilton Honors # at the prompt, the rep had all the information she needed when she answered. All she needed to know was when I wanted to stay! Awesome!
This is why I never punch in anything. I just ask for operator. Maybe swearing in between and then get the response I don’t understand back. Maybe they should be programmed to understand swearing, understand frustration I mean. I don’t want these automatic machine to swear at me yet.
My husband is a physician and I run the office; we are very mom and pop. As I do insurance as well as appointments and work the front desk, I can not always answer the phone. Patients are told to leave a message which will be return; I usually respond within minutes, almost always within the hour. When I a patient leaves their phone number for a return call, don’t answer , nor return the message I left them, it is irritating. Many patients will call back a days or a week later and tell me I never returned their call. When I explain I did and left a message, I get the, “I don’t listen to my voice mail.”
Here is the deal people, if you don’t want to listen to voice mail, on your home or cell, don’t have an outgoing message that tells me to leave a message!! On your form you fill out for the office that asks what is the best way to contact you, don’t put your home number if you don’t use it!! Don’t complain to the doctor that the nurse did not call you back if your mailbox is not set up! You are not our only patient, so I can not keep trying to call you until you decide to answer the phone.
Today we had a couple of available appointments and several people who wanted to get in soon; each telling me earlier they would come at a moments notice. I emailed two of them last night as both preferred email; neither responded, but I realize they might have been out of town for the holiday weekend. Called two more this morning, again preferred method; one answered later this afternoon.
One more rant and I am done, there are also people that do not check their USPS mail either. Waiting to get some RSVPs back for my son’s Welcome Party the night before his wedding. We have run into several people that had no idea we were hosting anything as they hadn’t checked their mail in weeks. Why would they check their mail when they get all their bills electronically! Same for patients and statements; I had a patient tell me the other day that she hadn’t been to the mailbox in a couple of months and maybe she should check. This was after I mentioned to her the packet I had mailed to her; it wasn’t she hadn’t received it, she just hadn’t bother to look!!
OK, off my soap box now.
Speaking of physician - my H had a patient with some unusual neurology complaints that he didn’t feel our local neurologists could handle. He called the university where he teaches / is on staff and asked to speak to the neurology resident on call. Now, that person should be available immediately - there should be zero delay and he should be patched through. That’s why it’s a freakin’ teaching hospital - 24 / 7 availability. He called at 11 am, said it was urgent that this patient be transferred and that he needed to talk to a neurologist. He tried multiple times during the day to have her paged. The answering service just said, “Well, we’re trying her, but she’s not answering.” Now, when H’s answering service calls him, he answers no matter what and is put through to the caller in a matter of seconds. It will interrupt anything. And I mean anything . He finally reached her at 8 pm and she was all “well, I was busy.” No, no excuse for an on-call resident not to be available within minutes. He was furious and I don’t blame him!
Good point.
I don’t have a landline. I do have voicemail set up on my cell phone. I only answer calls from numbers I recognize. If I don’t recognize your number, and you don’t leave a voice mail, I won’t call you back. I can read texts but don’t know how to send texts. I will call you in answer to your text. Or send you an email. That is just the best I can do.
^^^Do you have a smartphone? Texts are very easy to send.
I do not have a smart phone. I have a flip phone and the last time it needed replacing they went rummaging around in back of the store to find me one. I have no idea what I’ll do when it wears out. I really don’t want a smart phone.
I’ll be 60 in a few months and would prefer to learn the least amount of technology necessary to make it to the end of my days. I already had to learn on-line banking because we are out of town so much. That was quite enough for me.
^^^Gotcha! Texting on a dumb phone is laborious to say the least. But you’re way ahead of me with the online banking
@alh, my husband is older than you and he is going to get a smart phone. My daughters want him to be able to understand emoticons. It’s important to them. He is finally relented.
Did the HIPAA rules on privacy change? I have filled out the forms asking that no messages be left on an answering machine.
I recently went to the doctor and had a lab procedure. I have had two messages left on the landline saying that the results of your xxx test are available. I never share medical information with family members and was really ticked off.