Is Voicemail a Relic of the Past?

Tweet

I'm reading articles about the differences between the generations and young people think people my age do a lot of stupid stuff. Like leave voicemail messages. Is that really an outdated thing to do? Come to think of it, doctors offices never return your voicemail messages. There might be something to this. Clearly when there were only landlines, a voicemail was the only way to leave a message or information when someone was not available. Listening to messages felt efficient. I remember working and having to retrieve those voicemails. And I remember dating in my 20's and hoping there was a message on my answering machine. But fast-forward and apparently younger generations don't have the patience for voicemail and abhor the outgoing greeting they receive. I personally don't like to interrupt someone by calling them on their cell phone for something not important so I will leave a voicemail message explaining a situation or leaving a detailed plan or something. But apparently young people scan voicemail transcripts for the gist of the message and don't even listen to it. The younger generation is suggesting that the older people do this: If the call is urgent, call back twice in a row. If you need a paper trail, use text or email. What do you think about the younger generations methods of communication and do you feel voicemail is no longer the thing to use?