Voice Messaging Guidelines

Guidelines

  • Be sure to identify yourself on your greeting with your whole name and your department name. If appropriate, indicate your role with the organization.
  • Encourage people to leave detailed messages. Voicemail is more effective if callers leave detailed messages. If you are calling to ask a question, ask it, rather than leaving a message to have the person call you back. The recipient can then prepare an answer before calling you back.
  • Tell people who call you frequently that they can press #on their keypad to bypass your greeting and bring them right to the tone to leave you a message.
  • Instruct people who call you to press 1at the end of their messages, so they can review the message before sending.
  • Change your greeting often. Update greetings to reflect your schedule. Callers should be able to determine an expected call back time frame by the greeting they hear! When you are on vacation or away from your telephone for a significant period of time, use the "extended absence greeting" to notify callers when you will return or how they can reach someone else in your absence.
  • Identify yourself. Don't assume that your message recipient will always recognize your voice.
  • Respond to messages. Callers and other users will only leave messages if you get back to them.
  • Don't hide behind the system. People will leave messages, but their first choice is to speak to you directly. If you are available, answer the telephone when it rings.
  • Add introductory comments when forwarding a message to another voicemail user.
  • When responding to a message do not assume the receiver knows exactly which voicemail message you are referring to. Introduce your response with an opener such as, "Hi Julie….Responding to your message regarding the account for Network and Communication Services".
  • Check your messages frequently and act on each message immediately.

For More

For More Information

Download Interactive Reference Manual (for Windows 95 or later)

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, call 581-4000 and choose option 2 to speak with a Service Coordinator.