Voicemail and Email: Using Communications Tools Effectively
By Jim Estill
Voicemail and Email are two of the most important tools for communication in today’s business world. Are you maximizing your use of these resources?
Using Voicemail
It has been said that you can answer seven times as many emails as you can voicemails. When making your outgoing voicemail message, you can leave your email address on the message, so people know how to get a hold of you electronically. My voicemail message ends with “or better yet, email me at jime@synnex.com”: I then spell my email address so they will be able to reach me.
In my voicemail message, I also ask callers to leave their number. This saves me the time of having to search for their number to return their call.
When you call someone, be sure to leave your number. Say it twice and say it slowly and clearly so that they can get a hold of you without having to listen to your message twice. Remember when you leave a message to speak slowly enough that your listener will be able to write down what you say.
When leaving a voicemail, try to leave the reason that you called on the machine. This way, all parties are informed and can prepare for the next phone call.
Another voicemail trick I use is forwarding voicemails to my assistant. She is able to return many of my calls.
Using Email
Just as voicemail is an important tool to master, in today’s world email is an essential part of daily life.
One of my email timesavers is dictating emails. My assistant then types them up; she is set up so that she can send emails that are from my account.
I find that filtering my emails is very helpful. I have many folders, and many emails that come to my account are routed to varying folders. This is particularly useful for the groups that I’m on. I subscribe to sales groups and product management groups, as well as many electronic publications. Frequently, however, these emails don’t need my immediate attention, so having them filtered directly to a folder where I can browse them occasionally is convenient and time-saving. A good folder system is the key to email organization and management.
If you don’t know how to set up filters, ask someone. Learn how to use Outlook. Like anything you use a lot, learning to be more efficient saves you time and energy.
Consider getting off lists that are unnecessary. This saves you from having to look at and delete extraneous messages.
For sending emails, I don’t send many emails that are more than a few lines long. Often, a couple of lines suffices as an answer and saves time.
When you are sending emails, be sure that your contact information is included in the email. It is easy to set this as your footer, so that it automatically goes out with each email. Be sure to include your company name, address, phone number(s) and fax.
About the Author
Jim Estill is the CEO of SYNNEX Canada. His time management expertise is available in his ebook, Time Leadership. To read a sample chapter of his ebook, and to check out his highly acclaimed CEO blog, visit www.jimestill.com.
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