The art of leaving a return phone number...

[raw456]

Dear customers, colleagues and retailers,

When you get my voicemail and are requested to leave your details please remember to

A) actually leave a contact number

B) Leave your number at the beginning of the message before rambling off about your issue only to have half you number cut off at the end

C) *and this is my personall favourite* Please leave you number CLEARLY AND SLOWLY!!!! leaving me your message in a normal rate and then rattling off you number at the speed of sound is not appreciated. if I have to listen to your message more than twice in order to decifer your number, you are not getting a call back.

That is all, thank you.

[wildman]

I get those type of voice mails a lot. Very aggravating.

[Versalia]

Hi this is Versa, I'm not really sure what you called me about. I was out getting a coffee yesterday and chatting with a nice lady at the cafe when my phone rang, which is why I didn't answer it, and then I forgot I missed a call until after I got off work and was on my way home. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, my drive home is pretty long and anyway I'm just watching TV now so if you want to call me back in the next 45 minutes you can do so. I'm at freesixthrine-four one six f-*beep*

[bainsidhe]

It also helps with not just a number, but a reference to time. For example, if your message says "This is Bob, we spoke about widgets earlier, call me back at XYZ", I'm going to assume "earlier" means today. Then I'm tearing through my notes and emails, scratching my head and wondering why I have no idea what you're talking about. It's because "earlier" means a month ago.

[Andara Bledin]

Bosslady gets those a lot. She sometimes transfers them to me so I can waste the time deciphering what people want.

I make a point of giving my name, company, and phone number first, then what I want, then repeating my name and phone number.

^-.-^

[Dips]

It also helps with not just a number, but a reference to time. For example, if your message says "This is Bob, we spoke about widgets earlier, call me back at XYZ", I'm going to assume "earlier" means today.

Because *obviously* all you've been doing for the past month is staring at the phone waiting for Bob's call. So of course you remember every detail of the conversation you had a month ago.

[MoonCat]

Oh yeah. Done that. I handle the weekend/night voicemail at work. The most common things people do:

1) forget to leave their phone number
2) give the wrong phone number
3) call on the crappiest phone ever made, so all we get is static and a word or two.

Then, of course, they call back later and bitch because no one called them back.

[blas]

This is a personal thing, since I'm not a person who deals with phones at work, but I HATE when someone you don't know calls you and doesn't leave a message. Sure, it's my own stubborness and paranoia that I don't answer unfamiliar numbers, but if you have a legitimate reason to call me or need something, leave me a message. If you don't leave a message, don't call me several more times, because I won't answer then, either until I know who you are. The only clues I will have are what the free phone tracker I have gives me, and that's not much.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I don't care if they leave a message or not. If they don't, I assume it's not important and go on with my life.

I won't call back, but I won't care, either.

And if you do leave a message, you better damn straight leave an intelligible number for me to call. I already have to back up and listen to a message about three times to just write down a number even if it IS coherent and clear. I do not like calling people in the first place. I don't like being on the phone. I detest dialing. Don't give me a reason to say "screw this guy, he can call back if he can't freaking learn to leave coherent number."