So after my blog post “Too Plugged In?” I thought about it and the way I use voice mail. I use it as a tool to manage my communication and availability.People are surprised when they are talking to me in my office and I let an incoming mail roll to voice mail.
If I am focused on a task, I will let the phone go to voice mail. If I am at lunch, I will let a call go to voice mail. If I am spending time with friends or even more importantly the wife, I sometimes let a call go to voice mail. If I am sleeping and the phone wakes me up, I might let it go to voice mail.
If someone had walked down to my office and seen that I was talking with someone, they would wait their turn. So I look at using voice mail as a way to queue people up in the order of conversations. I also have seen how someone will call me on one the desk phone/landline then if I don’t answer that call me on my cell phone, then call again, then e-mail. It is od as it is almost as if I can’t have anything else to do beside answer their call. I understand that something might be pressing, but I also understand that I need to manage the time and attention I give to tasks and people.
So if you call me, if it is not important enough to leave a message, why would one think that I should drop what I am doing to grab the call immediately. Especially if I do not recognize the number.
Hallelujah brother! I absolutely hate the “last must be first” practice – it is simply wrong and rude.
I recently had a bout with this. Someone called, texted, twitter’d, then had someone else text me telling them to call, e-mailed, called my other cell phone…I was camping with some associates and my girlfriend, I’m not salaried…these people were upset that I didn’t pick up. Guess what the problem was, Bradford? I updated to 2.09 on my 3CN’s and all the filters and CobraNET associations and output levels all disappeared because of how I copied the presets and then someone recalled the presets.
I’m not gonna lie, I feel kinda dumb…
But, to agree with your frustration, I don’t get nearly as many calls as you, but I understand. You have to queue if you want service regardless of pay, because people have lives outside their offices and blackberries.
[nick]