Use a telephone voicemail system Handout 4: Taking messages

Always have a pad and pen beside your phone. Write the message down. Taking messages Always have a pad and pen beside your phone. Write the message down. Record the name and number of the caller. Note the date and time of the message. Pass on the message promptly using the method your organisation prefers. Write the message initially on your own pad – once you have passed it on, it can be crossed through. If you use a pad, you can start each day by noting the date and will retain your own notes of the messages taken in case of queries. You may have had to write the message down quickly so that the handwriting is scruffy. If it is not clear, rewrite it to ensure the person receiving it can read it and understand it correctly. Within an organisation, business can be lost because a message isn’t passed on, so when you take one, it is important that it is passed on as quickly as possible. Write more rather than less as this allows the person receiving the message to be better prepared when making the return call; be specific as to when the call came in (date and time) and check the message makes sense and is not a command rather than a note of the call.

Importance of accuracy Colleagues are likely to take actions based on messages. Inaccuracies lead to time being wasted. Business may be lost if calls are not returned. It is vital to ensure the message you take is accurate – if it is not, it will cause problems for the person receiving it and can result in business being lost or at the very least a waste of your colleague’s time. Read through the message you have written to ensure it accurately reflects the message – it is easy to leave out one word and completely change the meaning of a sentence. It is especially important to check you have noted the correct name of the caller and the return phone number if applicable to enable the recipient to call them back. If a potential customer does not receive a call back because the number was recorded wrongly, then business will be lost.

Use the organisation’s preferred method. Passing the message on Do so promptly. Use the organisation’s preferred method. If the message is urgent, try to speak to the recipient. Use the organisation’s preferred method ‒ if your organisation has formal message pads you must use them as they are instantly recognised by others as messages. If your company system for passing on messages is by use of a pigeon hole, email, voicemail or other you must use that system as people will know to check for messages by that method.

Information to include in a message Caller’s details: name, organisation and telephone number. Who the message is for. Date and time of message. Message – query or action required. Whether it is urgent. Your own name. The date and time of the message is important not only so that the message is dealt with promptly but to allow the recipient to know whether they have already spoken to the caller before receiving the message. Your own name is important in case the recipient has any queries or wants to check the message with you.

Example of pre-printed message This example has tick options to indicate: Urgency How the message was received What action is required.

Questions?