It seems that more and more people these days are screening their voice mails at the office. 
Call people on their cell phones or send them an e-mail to their blackberry and you probably will get an immediate response. Call someone at their desk and I am positive they are watching the phone ring. I call a great deal of people and the percentage of answers has been consistently dropping. How could someone always not be able to answer their phone? Nobody is that busy or that important!
I must disclose that I am not much of a fan for leaving voice mails. I would rather dial until I get a live voice. Besides, very few voice mails get returned anyway. But, please do not say you are “going to call [me] back as soon as possible” when it is your likely commitment to never call me back. At least put in a caveat that says, “I only return the calls of people I know or my clients.” At least then, I know your rules. If you say you return voice messages, then return them.
I appreciate it when someone returns my calls. Even if it is to say “not interested”, I am grateful and respectful of the time taken to contact me. When I hear “no”, I move on. When I hear nothing, I find it offensive and rude. I expect my calls to be returned. I return the calls of everyone who calls me. The purpose of voice mail is not to use it to screen calls, but to allow technology to capture a message from someone interested in doing business with you.
Not getting a returned voice message is never personal. While I am always trying to figure out a resourceful way to pierce the voice mail wall, once the unprofessionalism of the unreturned voice mail comes into play, I treat making contact as the ultimate victory. After all, making contact with someone even though they are not taking or returning my calls becomes the ultimate game, in some respects.
Then there is the harsh reality. Once I realize that there will be no returned calls, I conclude that this lack of professionalism is a great indicator of company that I do not want to do business with anyway. More importantly, it is a company that I steer my clients and contacts away from, as well.
As a sales professional, I come across many business opportunities daily. I love bringing business opportunities to my clients and contacts. Even businesses who are not my customers sometimes get referrals. The only group of people who never get referrals, recommendations, or a positive acknowledgement from me are the companies whose employees do not return my calls. In the end, the cost of engaging in this self-important, unprofessional behavior is the loss of a business relationship that could steer opportunities in your direction. Is screening your phone calls and not returning voice mails really worth the potential costs of lost revenues and referrals? Think about it.
This is so true. It is amazing to think someone might expect your referral when they can’t even pay you the courtesy to return a phone call.
I couldn’t agree more and you’ve said it very eloquently. Returned phone calls have become the exception rather than the norm and that’s sad. It’s really basic courtesy. Most of the people I am calling have either been referred to me, or I have met them or spoken to them in the past. Even though you may not want to bother with talking to me today – you never know when you might need me or want me to have a positive impression of your company. A simple returned phone call takes only a few minutes and it goes a long way with how you are percieved.