Did You Dial the Right Number?

I am fortunate to live close enough to my office that sometimes I go home to eat lunch or to exercise. Yesterday, I returned home and noticed the light flashing on my answering machine. The message was from a physician's office, and the caller proceeded to detail a medical condition and a recommended drug to treat the problem. Unfortunately, there was one major dilemma - the message wasn't for me or anyone else in my family. The doctor's office had dialed the wrong number and not realizing it, the caller left the message anyway.

My wife is a nurse and my brother is a physician, so I'm very aware there are strong laws governing privacy of medical information. Consequently, as a courtesy, I called the doctor's office to report the mistake. Surprisingly - or perhaps not - the person who took my call brushed the incident aside as though it were no big deal (it really is) and issued an insincere apology. I almost regretted getting involved, but remembered my real reason for calling was to ensure the correct patient got an important message.

So what's the lesson here? Sometimes you have no choice but to leave a message. However, be you sure you're leaving the right message with the right voice mailbox/person, or else you may disappoint/anger or possibly lose a customer or prospect. Obviously, it's much easier to ensure your message gets to the right party when the voicemail box identifies a person's name. However, what do you do if you don't have a name? If you're not sure you've got the right mailbox, be careful about what information you leave. Simply identify yourself and either ask the person to call you back or let them know you will call them again. Don't discuss confidential information or deliver bad news. Instead, try calling again later or attempt to make contact with a gatekeeper or office manager - someone you believe you can trust to ensure your message is delivered to the intended recipient.

And if you do leave a message with a company that just has a general voicemail box, be sure to call back within 48 hours if you don't get a response. Preface your discussion by explaining that you had tried to leave a message once before, but weren't sure the message made it to the intended person.

Always remember it's your job - not the customer's or prospect's - to ensure your messages are delivered to the right person.

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