today's pet peeve

[nolalady]

Why don't people state their telephone number when leaving a voice message?

I would say half of the people who leave me messages daily, just say "call me" and then I have to look up their phone number.  I have atleast 4 sets of office telephone numbers as well as the multi-company directory online.

It just ticks me off sometimes... thanks for letting me vent.

I never leave a message for someone without stating my purpose for calling and my telephone number and I usually repeat the number twice.

[countrigal]

I hear ya... so I go a step forward and on my message I tell the caller that if they want the call returned to leave me their name and phone number.  That if they don't have leave a number, then I can not guarantee that they will get a return call.  I have fewer folks not leaving me numbers, though some only learn this after not getting a returned call.  Of course, it helps that I have very few external customer calls which allows me to do this.  Not everyone has that option.

CountriGal
Peer Moderator

[sobriquetnic]

I always ask for a number when people leave messages for others and this seems to cause offence to regular callers at times.  They say things like 'they have my number' but then when I relay the message to my colleagues they always say 'did you get a number'?  Oh well!

All the best,
Nicola.

[Katie G]

The only response to that one is, 'I'm sorry, they refused to give one."  
Hey, at some point someone other that US has to be held responsible too!

Sorry, bad day cleaning up other people's messes as well as my own.  A little grumpy today.

Did

[spitfire78]

And to add to the pet peeve,

when people DO leave their numbers why, oh why do they say it so quickly that you have to listen to the message 2 or 3 times and still hope that you have heard it correctly??

[Jackie G]

Totally agree on the number thing.  I guess it's because it's a number they're familiar with so they rush it off.

BUT here's another one.

Why don't people know their own mobile (cell) number?!!!!

Jackie
www.iqps.org
Peer Moderator

[supergirl]

You all are so right.  That is unbelievably annoying.  I return calls promptly, or forward them on when the caller indicates his/her need in the message.  I confess that during very busy periods I let the no-message "call me"-types wait at the bottom of the pile.  They often turn out to be sales calls anyway.

An additional peeve:  In-house callers who phone from their cars for other in-house numbers.  Like I have nothing else to do but provide directory assistance!  Carry a directory, for pete's sake!

Supergirl

[gee4]

Sorry - forgive me for being pompous - but I do remember a lot of numbers and always know my own mobile.  Put it down to some people just being lazy!  We are not all made the same - thank heavens!

G

[Katie G]

Only one better than that is when they call you for a number and get IMPATIENT while YOU look it up in the directory!

[nolalady]

To top it off, most of the people not leaving their number are also by-passing my voice message.  They can press 1 to go directly into leaving message.  So even when I state "please leave your name, phone number and a brief message", they don't hear it.

TGIF, here's to a great weekend

[katrybarczyk]

An easy way to avoid leaving a number "too quickly" on a machine is to write it down like you were taking the message as you say it.  Basically, you end up saying the phone number at the speed you are writing it at.  Works wonders, and always repeating the number helps too!

:O) Kat the Clerical