Explain it to me....

[feren]

Would somebody please explain to me why certain people in the world -- let's call them coworkers -- feel compelled to call you up and leave a message on your voicemail saying "I just wanted to let you know that I just sent you an e-mail." What is the purpose of this? When did this suddenly become a fashion, to send somebody an e-mail and then follow it up with a phonecall / voicemail? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Somebody... please enlighten me.

Comments

[captain18.livejournal.com]

We have a similar malaise where I work. Two, come to think about it.

1. Voice mail for priority situations.

"Hi, this is [name] at [extension]. I'm having a problem with my computer and I need to print out a file right now before I have to go meet with [client]. Can you come help me as soon as you can?"

Thankfully, after a year I've nearly broken people of this. Considering that I'm often away from my desk in another part of the building doing various things, and the fact that I've been paged to call extensions for such trivial things as discussing where we're going for lunch, you would think that if a person needed support in a situation like that, they would hit the Page button on their phone and get my attention.

"Oh! There you are! Didn't you get my voice mail?"
"Uh, no... I've been in Master Control for the last two hours, Odetics crashed, and..."
(angry) "I had an important order I couldn't print and I missed an appointment..."
"Did you page me?"
"Well, no..."

Plus the fact that our voice mail system is NOT Y2K compliant, so we have it thinking it's 1992 or something, so the date/time stamps are not at all accurate.

"But I left that voice mail at 10am!"
"Audix said it was left Sunday at 2pm."
(blank stare) "Can't you fix that?"
"We would have to buy new equipment."
(blank stare) "You're a programmer, can't you rewrite it or something?"


2. Pointless voice mail.

"Hi, this is [name] at the front desk. You've got some FedEx packages here for you."
Followed by...
"Hi, this is [name] again. UPS left you something too. How come you're never at your desk?"
Followed by...
"Hi, [name] again. I left those packages on your desk, so never mind the last two messages."

The ridiculous part about this is the fact that I'll get stuff like this, despite the fact that I pass by the front desk every day around 10am to check for deliveries. And it's not like it's big stuff that they need me to get out of reception -- I get paged for that stuff. I even asked her twice not to call me or leave me messages for deliveries, and all I got from her was a blank stare, no answer, and two calls the next day.


There are days when I'd just like to disable voice mail for my extension. Wait, I did do that once. I had 5 people complain that they couldn't leave me voice mail in two hours. They proceeded to leave me messages like the ones you see above.

[yakko.livejournal.com]

Disable VM for your extension and say "I'm working on that, but I've also got <insert important(-sounding?) stuff here>, so that may not be for a few days..." :o)

[feren.livejournal.com]

"Hi, this is [name] at the front desk. You've got some FedEx packages here for you."
Followed by...
"Hi, this is [name] again. UPS left you something too. How come you're never at your desk?"
Followed by...
"Hi, [name] again. I left those packages on your desk, so never mind the last two messages."


You have fifteen minutes to move your packages.
You have ten minutes to move your packages.
You have five minutes to move your packages, or they will be crushed into cubes.
Your packages have been crushed into cubes.
You have fifteen minutes to move your cubes.

Everything relates to the Simpsons

[ronbar.livejournal.com]

And the Simpsons relates to all things. This entire thread proves it.

Re: Everything relates to the Simpsons

[feren.livejournal.com]

Woah... another world heard from.

Re: Everything relates to the Simpsons

[ronbar.livejournal.com]

This world you are trying to reach is not available. At the tone, please record your message. *beep*

[varro.livejournal.com]

Related to this are calls or faxes that ALWAYS come in between 4:30 and 5 on a Friday. Evidently, lawyers believe other lawyers sneak out early, and call late to make their point without having to face opposing counsel. (I have been guilty of this as well.)

I got a 4:30 fax today from the plaintiff's lawyer in what seems to be a nuisance lawsuit (I represent the defendant). Too bad I was just out of the office for a doctor's appointment, and responded to the fax with a fax saying "I don't care what your crackpot client thinks; we think your lawsuit should be thrown out after both parties go to mediation." (Not the exact language, of course....)

Counter the 4:30 surprise with a Monday morning surprise. :)