I remember a time when voice mail was all the rage. You never had to miss a call from a valued person, they could simply leave you a voice mail. At first it was kind of wonderful, because you could return people’s calls if you missed them. But then, it got bad.
Voice mail was no longer this friendly place to leave a message. It became a monster that blocked you from getting through to anyone you couldĀ actually talk to. A real, live person was no longer an option. Now the familiar line” Please listen carefully to this message as our options have changed” makes me just want to hang up. They’ve played that same message for the past ten years. How often can one change voice mail options?
I am out on the web everyday and I can tell you that when you bring up the subject of voice mail, nearly everyone is unhappy about it. MostĀ Gen Y and millennials have never even set up voice mail on their cells. You call them and the generic message lets you know their mailbox is full. Wouldn’t it be funny if they added a text box full message? All my younger friends avoid answering phones, the only text or message each other with abbreviations that I don’t always understand.
I believe it’s time that most companies start to ditch the voice mail tree and hire receptionists or at the very least, contract with Central Comm to answer phones for them. Voice mail is going the way of landlines and dial up. It’s time is up.
Central Comm