UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 27, Page 9
April 11, 1996
Voice mail: Progress and some do's and don'ts

     For daily users of voice mail, it's still a bit surprising to
realize that the technology only began its use on campus in the fall
of 1993. That's when students received the new service and when it
also began to be offered to departments.
     Currently, there are more than 13,000 active UD voice mailboxes
on the Newark and Lewes campuses. Of that number, more than 10,000
belong to students and nearly 3,000 are assigned to faculty and staff.
     According to Rebecca Riston, coordinator of voice processing
since January 1994, "Acceptance and use of voice mail by employees and
students has been excellent."
      She said statistics show the average number of messages held in
a faculty/staff voice mailbox is only about one and a half. This
means, she explained, that UD users are conscientious about listening,
and responding to, their voice mail messages.
     "Voice mail is an important tool," Riston said. "Its main purpose
is to enhance job performance. Most people on campus love voice mail,
and I'd like to think that the majority of people are using it
appropriately."
     But, Riston said, she also has become aware of concerns leveled
at the new technology.
     One complaint Riston hears a lot is that callers no longer can
reach a person.
     "All I ever get is voice mail," some people say.
     To get a better perspective, Riston suggested that users look at
the reasons voice mail messages are left. When a person is away for
his or her desk, voice mail is activated after three rings. "Before
voice mail," Riston said, "a secretary would answer the phone, state
that a person was not in, take a paper message and place it in a
mailbox. Now, with voice mail, callers are able to leave messages
themselves, including specific details that may be acted upon by the
recipient even before a return call is made."
     Voice mail is most effective when it is used in this way, Riston
said, leaving complete messages that include details, requests for
specific information and a contact number for a return call are
essential.
     Another reason a caller may get a person's voice mail is because
that person is already talking on the telephone.
     It is important that voice mail users remember that they have two
types of greetings to record. One is the "no-answer" greeting that
plays for a caller when an extension is not answered. The other
greeting is a "busy" greeting. It is an option to record a busy
greeting. If voice mail users don't record a busy greeting, their no-
answer greeting is played to a caller when their phone is actually
busy.
     Other options are available, Riston added, such as setting up the
line to give a busy signal instead of going to voice mail. This is a
good option for department staff who are worried that callers are
frustrated by getting voice mail. While this may not be as service-
oriented as other options, it may cut down on caller frustration.
     Employees should contact Telephone Services, at 831-2411, to have
an extension give a busy signal instead of going to voice mail during
a busy condition.
      Some people have told Riston that they assume they are channeled
into the voice mail system because the person they are trying to call
is in the office but will not answer the telephone.
     "In actuality," Riston said, "the person may not be in his or her
office or may be on the telephone. It's also important for the caller
to listen carefully to the greeting that has been recorded. Many
conscientious users have updated greetings for holidays and vacation
periods when they will be away.
     "Voice mail is only as good as the people who use it. It cannot
make the few persons who don't want to return messages suddenly start
making return calls. It cannot make those persons who never answer the
phone start doing so. Those are management issues. What voice mail can
do is take messages for you when you are not at your desk or when your
phone is busy.
     "Voice mail is a technology used successfully all over the
world," Riston said. "It has the potential to be a great enhancement
to one's job. Better use of voice mail as a caller and as a voice
mailbox owner will help us all avoid frustration and, more
importantly, help us accomplish our goals more efficiently."