Issuing voice messages isn't difficult in concept, but sometimes it's done ineffectively. Please consider the following two examples.
1) On my answering machine:
"Hello, Mr. Dunn. This is Priscilla from Doctor (mumble, mumble)'s office calling to remind you of your appointment (mumble) at ten AM at our new office at twenty-one (mumble, mumble) in Merrick. If you cannot keep this appointment please call us at (mumble, mumble)111 to reschedule. Thank you."
2) On the Public Address system:
I used to work where there were two men with names that were very similar to my own. I am John Dunn, one colleague was John Brunn and the other was John Brust. Often, a paging message would be sent out on the speaker system like this:
"John (mumble), please call 2464. John, please call 2464." (Huh? Who?)
I've head this happen to all kinds of messages left for me by all kinds of people in all kinds of professions including engineers (Yes, some of my finest colleagues.), by secretarial staff, by doctors' office staff (That is an especially troublesome case.), members of my own family and I could go on and on but I won't.
However, there is one professional position among whose practitioners, I have never heard this happen. I refer to attorneys' secretaries.
Messages left for me by those folks are always clearly spoken. ALL names and ALL numbers whether address numbers or phone numbers, are spoken twice. They are repeated to ensure that they cannot be misunderstood.
With names changed to protect the innocent, if we followed the good examples set forth by legal office staff members, we might have:
"Hello, Mr. Dunn. This is Priscilla from Doctor Roberts' office calling to remind you of your appointment tomorrow morning at ten AM at our new office at twenty-one, seventy-five Morris Avenue in Merrick. Ten AM at twenty-one, seventy-five Morris Avenue. If you cannot keep this appointment please call us at 516-111-1111 to reschedule. Thank you."
- or -
"John Dunn, please call extension 2464. John Dunn, please call 2464."
Maybe?
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