"I'm Out of the Office right now..."

I work in a State office and my phone system is part of a greater system which has automated answering services. I hate the phone system we have—I feel the phone system is alive and it lives just to make my life miserable. The phone system is one of those which supposedly allows a person to record a message so when people call and when you’re not at your phone and the message clicks in and lets the caller know if you are in or not. And my boss wants all the staff to update their message daily. This should be a simple process but for some reason whenever I try to update my message, the updated message never makes it my phone’s box. And what I end up with is messages which can be anywhere from a few days to months old. To make matters worse I have two mailboxes I am responsible for my mailbox, and the mailbox for the office phone So now the problem is compounded.

My first order of business every Monday morning after I turn on my computer is to take the messages off the phone service. Every Monday I have eight to 15 calls backed up on the machine. I am usually by myself when I do this and often I listen to the calls on the speaker phone so I can write the information down as I hear it. This frees up my hands allowing me to write the information better. This Monday Chapman was in the office as I took the messages. One of the callers griped that the message on the machine still said “October” something and he made it sound like we had no been in the office the date. Since I know the phone system I out to get me—I don’t pay any attention to the remarks and just go on to the next call. Well, yesterday Chapman heard the call and kind a of put her off, that someone would be so rude as to leave such an unkind remark. I really never think bout the rudeness, I mean I used to work as a telemarketer an I have heard rude comments—and I deserved the remarks I got, and those remarks were delivered in person and not put on the safe medium of a recorded machine.

Maybe one day I will exorcise the evil spirits lurking in my phone’s answering system but until them if you call me and get my service and the message says it’s “July 24 2006” just know it’s the phone gremlin at work and that I am in the office or away from my phone and just leave a civilized message and I’ll get back to you just as soon as I can…