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I don't have to make a lot of phone calls in the course of my duties at work, but when I do, they're often of a timely nature. An example would be me calling to get a corrected credit card number so that the customer's urgent order can actually ship today like they require.
But every so often I run into an automated phone system that is set up by someone who hates the idea of their company being able to be contacted by the outside world.
One sin against communication is the inability to reach a generic gatekeeper, aka a receptionist. There is no excuse for a system designed in such a way that you cannot reach a live person without being in possession of a working extension. Sometimes the question is as simple as "Is your address 1601 Main St or is it 1001 Main St?" I should not have to jump through hoops and leave a voice mail in a general mailbox that may or may not be returned in a timely fashion for a question that could be answered in less than a minute.
Another anti-communication crime is to have an automated system in place and then not provide any manner in which a caller can find the voicemail extension for the person for whom they wish to leave a message. If you're not going to let your callers talk to a live person (or if it's after hours), then at least have the decency to have some sort of feature so that people can find who they're looking for. First name would be best. Last name is acceptable, but only if your employees are diligent about sharing their full names, and requiring that the caller know the correct department is just being sadistic and anti-social.
Finally, ensure that the general mailbox has enough room for more than a half dozen messages and keep it clean. There is nothing that screams "We can't be arsed to act like a real company" like having an automated phone system that answers, dumps the caller to the general voicemail box, then tells them that box is full and disconnects.
^-.-^
But every so often I run into an automated phone system that is set up by someone who hates the idea of their company being able to be contacted by the outside world.
One sin against communication is the inability to reach a generic gatekeeper, aka a receptionist. There is no excuse for a system designed in such a way that you cannot reach a live person without being in possession of a working extension. Sometimes the question is as simple as "Is your address 1601 Main St or is it 1001 Main St?" I should not have to jump through hoops and leave a voice mail in a general mailbox that may or may not be returned in a timely fashion for a question that could be answered in less than a minute.
Another anti-communication crime is to have an automated system in place and then not provide any manner in which a caller can find the voicemail extension for the person for whom they wish to leave a message. If you're not going to let your callers talk to a live person (or if it's after hours), then at least have the decency to have some sort of feature so that people can find who they're looking for. First name would be best. Last name is acceptable, but only if your employees are diligent about sharing their full names, and requiring that the caller know the correct department is just being sadistic and anti-social.
Finally, ensure that the general mailbox has enough room for more than a half dozen messages and keep it clean. There is nothing that screams "We can't be arsed to act like a real company" like having an automated phone system that answers, dumps the caller to the general voicemail box, then tells them that box is full and disconnects.
^-.-^
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