A Solution: Cell Phone Voicemail

Someone calls you on your cell phone. It’s someone you have no interest in speaking with and after glancing to see their name flash on the screen, you casually turn back to your conversation. A minute or two later, you hear the familiar ‘beep’ indicating your new voicemail.

Now, you’re stuck. If you don’t call back, you’ve failed in what has become a socially accepted promise, namely the “I will call you back as soon as I can” promise that is inherent in simply having voicemail. What’s an intelligent person to do? Get rid of the voicemail!

By eliminating voicemail, one says to the caller, “I’m not promising to call you back. I’m not even promising to acknowledge that you called.” Moreover, if one does call a person back, it’ll now be considered going above and beyond the call of duty. Since one has no duty to return a call that wasn’t sent to v-mail, one is taking steps, going the extra mile for someone else. In essence, one can easily become a HERO. Just call the phone company and have them turn off your voicemail. You might also ask for a reduction in your bill since you’re no longer using the voicemail service. Let me know if you do get a reduction in your rates!