Voicemail is, in my mind, one of the greatest inventions mankind has ever conjured. Sure, at this point, it seems as old as the zenith of the Egyptian empire, but it is still useful today.
And I know, texting is the most preferred method of communication, especially with millennials and today’s youth, but things can get misconstrued via text, and you cannot always determine tone and intent with the written word. Plus, depending on the business you’re in, you cannot makes transactions/sales/what have you via text.
I guess it’s too antiquated for many people, even those older than me (Gen-X, baby!) aren’t into it.
I am not sure what it more egregious, not using it, or not listening to messages people leave you. I can’t tell you how many times I leave people a voicemail and they call back and say, “I saw you called and got back to you as soon as I could.”
“Did you listen to my message?” I ask.
“No, I called back as soon as I was free.”
Does it not occur to people that the pertinent information you needed or requested was left in the voicemail message? And by checking your voicemail, negates the need for you to call back? I deal with this multiple times a week.
And don’t tell me that no one uses it. I dial at least two people a day whose voicemails are full.
The other pet peeve I have is people aren’t willing to leave messages at all. I’m a person who, if you don’t leave a message, I assume that either you dialed me by mistake, or the call was not that important, so I don’t need to call you back.
We have this wonderful technology for people to use. Try catching someone dead without their cell phone. Not going to happen. It’s an extension of many people in 2022. God forbid they can’t text or check social media. Heck, take away a kid’s phone and they act like you cut off their hand. Somewhat ridiculous if you ask me.
But using voicemail? Those same folks can’t be bothered. And in today’s I-Want-It-Now society, that’s a damn shame.
Jason Prugar 