September 29, 2020
Does even the thought of checking your voicemail (or having to leave one) make you roll your eyes? You're not alone. In this day of instant messaging (and instant gratification), no one wants to take the time to listen to or leave a voicemail when texting or reaching out on social media is so much quicker and simpler. And in our current "I want it now" culture, no one has time to leave or retrieve a voicemail.
When I asked a recent contact if they’d received a voicemail I'd left for them, he (okay, it was my younger brother) responded: "Why are you leaving me voicemails? You know I don't listen to them. If it's important, I know you'd text." He also reported that he has an untold number of unopened voicemails in his inbox, so I guess I don't feel too slighted.
The one place where the voicemail is still chugging along is in the workplace. Especially places like doctor's offices who might not have the personnel to field phone calls 24 hours a day. If you want to make an appointment with your ophthalmologist, you may have to bite the bullet and leave a voicemail.
Eventually, technology will bury voicemail next to cassette tapes and DVDs, but in the meantime, you may still have to wait for the beep.