People not returning your messages

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Does this piss anyone off?


I hate leaving messages because I sound stupid when I do it and also they don't return your calls so why bother?

I keep calling PHC that gets jobs for people who have disabilities and I filled out an application there last month which was over 30 days ago and I got told they tell me in two weeks if I qualified or not. So two weeks go by, no call, I call her and get her answering machine I leave a message. She doesn't return my call, I keep trying to call back, no return call. I mean her answering machine with her voice on it says her name and says to leave your name and number and she will get back to you ASAP but she doesn't do that. Pisses me off when people don't follow their own messages. Why do they do this?

It's really annoying, isn't it?

Where I work there are times when I'm extremely busy, and I have to prioritize what I do. Sometimes phone calls have to wait until I get critically important things taken care of (deadlines, emergencies, etc.); HOWEVER, I have a rule that I will return a phone message within 24 hours of the time it arrived (except for those that come in on Fridays, of course). I set aside the last 30 minutes of my day, when I can, to return calls I've not been able to get to during the day. Sometimes I don't have time free to even take lunch or breaks, nevermind making phone calls, so I have to schedule time into the day to make them on a very conscious basis as being a job duty that HAS to happen.

What I've found is that sometimes people do wait until they have whatever information is needed to return the call. Personally, I think it's better to return a call even if there is no info to give someone, just to let them know the call has been received. That is, I'll phone and say "hi, this is xxxx, and i received your call yesterday. unfortunately, i have no news for you but wanted to let you know i did get your call and i am working on your case. please feel free to call me in xxx days (assuming i have an idea of when i MIGHT have info for them) or sooner if you have new info for me. i will call you just as soon as i know xyzzzz. "

A lot of agencies are just swamped, seriously swamped with clients these days. It may come down to calling people back or actually getting the work done. It's a lot easier to put a phone message off than it is to stop working on a file that might actually get some good result. Still, if you were told you'd hear in two weeks, and you put in a call and then don't get a return call in several more days, you might try writing a letter or seeing if there is another phone number you might contact.

Good luck!

I can't make a commitment unless I can keep it, and once I've made it I HAVE to do what I said I would. When people fail to turn up for appointments or make calls they'd agreed to make, or don't return my planned calls for days or weeks, it offends and outrages me. It makes me feel I've been lied to (and, working in sales, often I have).