I call it "voicemail hell."
I have a feeling I already know the answer to the following questions before I asked, but please indulge me.
In the amount of time we spend on hold or using voicemail, we could actually be doing something productive.
There are so many phones in the world, but so few are being answered.
I made a mental note, in the last couple of weeks, of how little was accomplished while I attempted to make appointments, pay bills or return calls.
My kingdom for a live person!
On a call to my doctor, the message on the answering machine for the office went something like this: “Don’t leave a message on any of the office voice mails as we do not monitor or call back.”
So, why do they have answering machines in the first place?
Oh, how I long for the days when they knew your name and anticipated what you were calling about.
Also, on the message it states when they will not be answering the phone because it is lunch break.
Of course, everyone should be entitled to one, but can’t someone else in the office handle the phones for an hour?
When I worked in an office setting, we all took turns at reception. Never once did we just put things on autopilot and let the phones ring.
Again, I’m pretty sure I know the answer: There is no extra staff!
Employers are cutting back on hiring new people, thereby saving money and hoping the public doesn’t notice the lack of service. Oh, we notice!
Remember when answering the phones, directing calls and taking messages was someone’s full-time and busy job?
I highly doubt most of those taking the calls are actually even in the office. I think some are working from some remote location. They likely take calls for doctors, dentists, landscapers and pizza delivery.
If a doctor could get back to me in 30 minutes or the prescription is free, I would applaud that.
It's certainly not just in health care. Ever sit on hold for what seems like hours listening to lousy music and an annoying, disembodied voice saying your call is important to them?
I don’t think all their agents are busy or that they give a flip about my call, to be honest.
What really gets my knickers in a knot is when I try to contact a company, by phone, and they insist of giving me their website information. If I wanted the website, I would have used my Google fingers and looked it up.
Plus, have you noticed websites are not always kept up to date? I have went online to check store hours only to find out they are completely wrong or they’ve changed.
Restaurant hours? You can find different hours of operation on different sites for the same location.
So what good are they if they’re not accurate?
Again, probably because the social-media person is overworked and handling five different jobs. Multi-tasking is not such a good thing sometimes. It just means one job isn’t getting its full focus and all the different things are being done half-assed.
And I am absolutely not blaming the workforce. Sometimes one can sense and hear the frustration over the phone line. I can almost hear the overworked labourers saying, “I’m juggling as fast as I can.”
To the employers out there, please hire more staff and give them training.
To the workers, thank you to the ones who do try to do a good job and assist their customers and clients.
And, for the rest of us, I wish us patience. No wonder its considered a virtue.
