Did you get the message?

Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter

WHAT'S worse than sitting around waiting on a telephone that won't ring?

Possibly, realising that the message that should have induced that ring was never even delivered in the first place. It could be a follow-up call, a date or anonymous tip.

The point is you missed it because someone forgot to pass the message on.

A simple slip-up you think, but, for many persons, it can be an expensive mistake, usually with a house-of-cards effect.

Carol had called well in advance of her 2:00 p.m. interview to alert her client that she would be late. She did not get to him but his assistant had assured her that she had nothing to worry about, the message was as good as delivered.

Hours later, she was still sitting in the lobby of a local hotel, her stomach making unpleasant noises and her temper rising ever so slightly.

Unknown to her, the client had been sitting in the same lobby for a grueling two hours before he too left in a huff. He had missed several calls and a lunch meeting. Carol had lost both the client and the deal.

With many persons like Carol, a message can be the single most important link and is an essential communication tool. In instances it can be either the answer to "save the day" or, as with Ann, the "foot in the door" to a lucrative job.

She had been out of a job for several months and was waiting around to be called for an interview. She had been sharing a friend's line as a contact so this meant daily message checks.

Coincidentally, the day she missed was the day her call came. She did not get the message and she almost lost her chance.

Difficult task

But despite its importance as a communication link, getting a message delivered between offices, persons or even friends, is often one of the most difficult task.

In some companies the drama starts with "screening" by over- zealous assistants, (who later tell you, "Oh he just stepped out") and can end with messages tossed in a waste basket.

In others, it is the "chain of command" which demands that a message passes through at least two persons (who can't help) until it gets to the target.

With some bosses this is a real "peachy" system which ensures that their day is efficient. One manager explained that her duties as treasury and customer service officer in a brokerage firm often has her very busy; she welcomes a close screening of daily calls.

"The receptionist is the key person here as she has the final decision when it comes to the calls which get through," she says, "and we come to rely on her judgement about whether this call really needs to be transferred in. I have worked out a thing where during my busy times (between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p. m. each day) I will take only customer-related calls, with the others I have to ask that they just leave a message. Those calls I can return later."

Charmaine McKenzie, secretary to the dean of Sciences at the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) agrees, however, that this "call screening" can be both barrier and advantage to the job unless it is handled well.

In some instances a difficult choice has to be made. But this she says may be overcome by a well worn tip: "Document all messages, never leave it to memory. If you feel that it is something which needs special attention, don't stop at leaving a note, tell them as well."

With shifts in career options and the hustle of modern life we all become message bearers, so whether taking or giving a message some tips are helpful.

GIVING THE MESSAGE