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Voicemail is Dead. Please Tell Everyone to stop Using it

techcrunch.com — Voicemail is dead. Please tell everyone so they’ll stop using it. When I first started out in the real world in the mid-nineties voicemail was an important productivity tool. But now an increasing number of people are just plain avoiding voicemail. It takes much longer to listen to a message than read it.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 6, 2008

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  • GhostyBoy, on 07/05/2008, -5/+321I....ummmm....prefer email or....maybe, I dunno.....text messages I guess.....because it's, you know....a lot easier I think....then uh.....waiting for the person to uh....um.....finish stammering through the message and...um....get to the actual point....
  • wastingtape, on 07/05/2008, -7/+295I think the reason people aren't using voicemail less has to do more with it's interface than it's functionality. Consider an equivalent interface in another context...

    - Email program loads
    - "Welcome to your email program. To read your new messages, click [this] button. To adjust your email settings click [this] button. etc. etc."
    - *Clicks button*
    - "Main email window. To view your new messages click [this] button. To view messages you've already ready, click [this] button. To view your previously sent message click [this] button."
    - *Clicks new messages button*
    - "New Messages. Please read each message in it's integrity before going on to the next message. Once you've read a message you can't return to it unless you memorize our cryptic keyboard shortcut to go back, and even then based on the options you pressed before it you may not be able to view it again"

    Would you ever use an email program as clunky as your voicemail? Doubtful.
  • obliviousfool, on 07/05/2008, -5/+247If they didn't leave a message, it wasn't that important. That's the way I think about it.
  • MewTwo, on 07/05/2008, -18/+247Yeah, text messaging is more efficient. On a side note, though: Please tell everyone to leave a message all the time if you don't reach me.
    I'd rather have a voice message or text message than seeing that someone called me without knowing how important or serious it was because there was no message. Sometimes there's this cat and mouse game... You call me, I'm not able to answer, I call you, same... repeat. Sometimes I just wish they left me a message to tell me what they wanted!

  • uncouthyouth, on 07/05/2008, -11/+219Thought provoking story. I have definitely said "I saw you left a voicemail but didn't listen to it yet" many, many times. But voicemail still serves a purpose, even if it's less important now than it once was.
  • DeskFlyer, on 07/06/2008, -13/+139One of my pet peeves is having someone leave me a voicemail just to tell me to call them back.
  • kpmoore, on 07/05/2008, -27/+137As a current college student, I think its safe to say that voicemail is on the way out. I only ever receive voicemails from my parents and other adults.
  • turpenine, on 07/06/2008, -3/+95visual voicemail!
  • fredJdukes, on 07/06/2008, -2/+88+1 unintentionally funny
  • JonTheGoose, on 07/06/2008, -3/+76I wish someone would just call me.......

    :(
  • flieger, on 07/06/2008, -7/+75So as college students, you and your friends aren't...

    Ah never mind.
  • Tyrghast, on 07/06/2008, -6/+62Not everyone texts 24/7 like a *****, and for your money you can say more for 10 cents a minute than you can in a 10 cent text message.
  • oOLiquidNightOo, on 07/06/2008, -6/+57it would be humorous if it wasn't sad how isolated people want to be from one another. it used to be leaving a voicemail was preferred so that you wouldn't actually have to have a conversation with someone. they could just leave information for your use. now it's .. just text me, i don't even want to take the time to listen to you try and verbalize your thoughts.
  • DocKC, on 07/05/2008, -10/+53But what if it's someone you really like and you love to hear their voice? Voice mail is awesome! ;) Other than that? You can text! LOL!
  • scatteredbomb, on 07/06/2008, -0/+41I don't really mind voicemail, i just wish it was a little easier to use. How about just call and listen to them without having to listen to "You have 2 new messages. Press 1 to listen to new messages, 2 for saved messages, etc." ... ". Message 1, sent on Monday June 30, 2008 at 7:15pm" It's even painful when I had a different carrier and they felt like telling me the number "Message one, from 555-555-5555". Just give me my damn message. I'd like for it to start playing, say the date and time at the end. Then at least if I'm in a hurry I don't need to worry about wanting to smash my damn phone in, or the voicemail lady for talking so slow.
  • Rally603, on 07/06/2008, -0/+39Yeah. Voice messages should be used to communicate brief bits of information quickly.

    i.e. "If I come home and see that you ate my goddamn bagel bites again I'll put a coat hanger through your eye"

    Not "Hey, so I'm at the gas station getting gas and a slurpee and as i was pumping gas while drinking my slurpee through a straw i noticed the reflection of a cloud on my window and it reminded me that I used to have nightmares about the Quaker oatmeal man, and that I left a propane tank in the oven so don't turn it on. Ok, see ya".


    Don't put in a bunch of filler ***** before you make your actual point, especially if it's important, because I usually just delete it after 5 seconds anyways. Plus, it makes you a douchebag.

  • PunkRampant, on 07/06/2008, -1/+39Or they do leave a message but only say "Call me back" without saying what they want.
  • bobbyschultz, on 07/06/2008, -0/+32My parents do that all the time.

    And the day they figure out that text messaging exists is the day I kill myself.
  • acevoncash, on 07/06/2008, -4/+35this is stupid. its convenient. its easier for me to not hang up then type on a tiny ass keyboard. I'd rather just be out with it all in one call.
  • prisoner24601, on 07/06/2008, -5/+35I just wish there was some sort of universal voicemail (like MMS messages, but that actually works) where you could record something like "Hey everybody, the sales meeting has been moved to Thursday at 2:30" then hit one button and it would show up as a voicemail for all your team members, regardless of which cell company they are with.

    There are so many times I get sucked into making a phone call that takes 5 minutes when all I want to do is "drop off" some update to someone. You'd think the OPPOSITE of the "direct connect" technology would be in high demand. A quick way to leave your assistant a *low* priority note in their voicemail *without* their phone ever ringing. I'm betting it's just that the cell companies don't want to enable any technology that might lead to more efficient communication.

    Think about it. You could get a lot more done if this was also an option. Plus it would be great to be able to know that if you have something that really isn't important right now, you don't have to bother someone at all to pick up the phone. "Hey Bob, I need the sales figures for the third quarter when you have a minute." In a total control-freak company, a boss direct-connects that thought to Bob (which interrupts his train of thought and derails him from whatever he is working on.) In a normal company, you have to CALL Bob, and he picks up because you're his boss and he's not "allowed" to ignore you, so again you've interrupted his productivity. If some sort of "polite connect" system existed, you could delegate by phone *without* interrupting. Also, you could relay info in the middle of the night without worrying you'll wake them up and still know they will be informed as soon as THEY CHOOSE to check their messages in the morning.

    Cell companies won't do it because they can't bill you for as many minutes. Bummer. It's like why Verizon has that stupid 45-second set of instructions about HOW TO LEAVE A VOICEMAIL whenever you call someone on their network! That way before you even start speaking you're almost at the one minute mark. Greedy time-wasting corporations.

    Maybe if voicemail worked this way, people would get used to leaving "quick thoughts" that are 15 seconds instead of rambling 5 minute half-conversations.
  • inactive, on 07/06/2008, -1/+30is this a silent scream for phone sex?
  • rukeypoo, on 07/06/2008, -1/+27The past tense has me leaning towards the latter.
  • bjs3171, on 07/06/2008, -0/+22if it's important, people usually try calling me a few times, and then i see multiple missed calls from them. others just call multiple times because they're ***** crazy.
  • badjoke, on 07/06/2008, -1/+22I think there's two main reasons people still use voicemails.

    First!: Convenience for the leaver. It's much easier for me to leave a message while driving, or walking around than to pull out the ol' iPhone and text or email. Slightly less of a burden with a QWERTY phone, and more with T9. That leads me into the second restriction.

    Second!: Not everyone carries email around in their pocket (yet.)
  • topgigmedia, on 07/06/2008, -2/+22Voice mail is dead? That is ridiculous. While I agree that text is easier (and more likely) to be read than a vmail being listened to in a timely manner (in most cases), it isn't the best method in all circumstances. - Not everyone owns a smart phone, but most do have a cell phone. Besides, it is much safer and practical to leave a vmail message while stuck in traffic than to type a text msg or email.


  • moosepile, on 07/06/2008, -6/+25For me, as your IT help guy, a voicemail is crucial if you need help "NOW". Being a mobile geek in rural Canada, email, text and all that other ***** are not readily available 24/7. When I drive 3 hours through a cellular dead zone, the first thing I do is check voicemail. Maybe, after that, I'll check email on my phone, but that's only to see if some idiot has made the assumption that emails go directly into my brain.

    I'll check my email when I get on my computer. At night, in the hotel. I'll check my voicemail as soon as I get cell coverage.

    Silly rabbit, texting is for kids. 'Cause not every user has a texting device, or knows how to from a computer. And I'll be damned if I introduce that level of complexity. Not many corps. give everybody texting *****.
  • Lasha, on 07/05/2008, -9/+26Damn it, seriously! Even if a voicemail is left, they don't say what they way, other than to say it's important. JUST SAY WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT AND END OF STORY. I hate voicemail.
  • BedPost, on 07/06/2008, -0/+17What's your number? :-)
  • aaabatteries, on 07/06/2008, -0/+16doesn't what?
  • mpdid, on 07/06/2008, -1/+17lol i didnt catch it until i read your post. well played.
  • jackdaniels06, on 07/06/2008, -2/+17The writer is assuming everybody has the ability to send text message or receive text messages. So if I call a company or an office and they have stepped out and I'm calling from my office phone how the ***** do I leave a text message? I actually like receiving text messages over phone calls in many instances but I sure hate sending because it takes too long for me to type on my phone. It's a different story if I'm on a real keyboard and maybe if I have a Blackberry but I'm not always on the computer and I don't own a Blackberry.
  • robertawerner, on 07/06/2008, -1/+16Don't worry, one day your mommy will let you have a cell phone.
  • badjoke, on 07/06/2008, -1/+16Hopefully, whether you like them or not, Apple's set a new standard for voicemail that will push other companies to streamline it like visual voicemail.
  • je12u, on 07/06/2008, -0/+15As gay as the word ghey?
  • kbennett73, on 07/06/2008, -2/+16You listen to each message "in it's integrity"? I listen to each message in its entirety.
  • aaabatteries, on 07/06/2008, -0/+13Cool, especially since he would take time out of his day to remember your birthday, let alone dazzle you with his spectacular display of singing adeptness.
  • ABurningMan, on 07/06/2008, -4/+17Its really not dead. I constantly get voice mails from work.. Our office phones don't have slide out keyboards.
  • nikkilai, on 07/06/2008, -5/+17A guy I dated always left me a voicemail whenever I missed his calls, and it was always something along the lines of, "Hey baby, just give me a call back when you have a chance to." I couldn't decide whether it was thoughtful and cute or just straight up weird and a waste of time.
  • Heavypettingzoo, on 07/06/2008, -4/+16maybe voicemail is dead for college students like you, but when you work and have an active social life, it comes in pretty handy. especially when you are in a meeting and can't pick up the phone when you get a call from someone that doesnt have your email.
  • locojones, on 07/06/2008, -5/+17Yeah voicemail is so dead that every person with a phone in the entire world uses it. If I ever got someone's message that said "Don't bother leaving a voicemail, I won't listen to it, so e-mail me at blah blah blah," I'd just hang up and wouldn't even bother. That's just pretentious, and nobody's that important. If you're too lazy or stupid to work a voicemail prompt, then you really shouldn't even bother owning a phone.
  • ch33sehead, on 07/06/2008, -0/+12It's called Voice Message (different than Voice Mail). It's an MMS (like a text message, but with sound). Most new phones should have this functionality. However, carriers charge you an assload for them if you don't have a plan. When someone receives one, they just click play to hear it.
  • Zippo, on 07/06/2008, -5/+16Until you can send text messages from a regular telephone, voice mail is sticking around. And honestly, most people would much rather have a voice message, sent from a real person with a real voice, rather than "HAY WHT R U DOIN? TALK L8R" *****.

    I prefer text messages myself, but voicemail definitely has its advantages.
  • PabloMac, on 07/06/2008, -1/+12It doesn't occur to them that you will see their unanswered call and will call them back when you can.
  • blake182, on 07/06/2008, -4/+15Visual voice mail on the iPhone and integration of phone messages into my inbox helps a little bit.
  • wildsnake, on 07/06/2008, -2/+13Voice Mail is good for telemarketers and screening calls
  • PunkRampant, on 07/06/2008, -2/+12That's what my ex-girlfriend used to do. A lot. And it can get annoying.
  • an0nym0us, on 07/06/2008, -7/+17you != everyone
  • je12u, on 07/06/2008, -0/+10My dad used to do it too. Just explain to them that they can just hang up when your message kicks in and you'll see their missed call.

    Edit: I just noticed Pablo's comment... I'd probably have noticed it sooner if it was threaded correctly :)
  • cliffzdude, on 07/06/2008, -2/+11Important? Not anymore. Out? Not by a long shot.
    Ever ask an electrician to send you a text telling you when they're 5 minutes out from your location? They politely ask you what the HELL a text is. Or A/R folks. If they *would* email me, I could simply forward their email to our internal AP folks and bam. Done. Nope, I gotta forward the voice mail - *if* they told me what the call is about.
    (99% of the time they've been paid - but we have to prove to the idiots - another story)
    I often get stuck playing phone tag. Damn sales guys feel they need the personal touch. I usually ping back with a polite "please email me the details". Most of the time it works, and we can get our business done and go about our day. I'll reply to an email even when I'm stuck in the server room - if just to say I'm stuck, and will reply back soon. But voice mail? Its going to wait-and-wait.
  • Cloned, on 07/06/2008, -0/+8I taught my mom how to text. God what a mistake that was.
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